TWO young footballers with connections to Aberystwyth have been called up to represent Wales in upcoming fixtures.

Defender Rhys Norrington-Davies, who plays for Championship side Stoke City and is on loan from Premier club Sheffield United, is in the senior squad while striker Luke Jephcott is in the Under-21s

Former Ysgol Penglais pupil Norrington-Davies is part of the 31-man squad who will face Belgium, Mexico, and the the Czech Republic.

The squad will be back in action for the first time in 2021 following their stellar performance in the UEFA Nations League and subsequent promotion to League A.

With the focus now turning to the World Cup Qualifiers, a larger than usual squad has been announced to cope with the tight run of fixtures.

Wales will face familiar foes Belgium away in Leuven for the group’s opening match on Wednesday, 24 March before travelling to Cardiff to face Mexico in a friendly match on Saturday, 27 March.

The World Cup Qualifiers then resume on Tuesday, 30 March when the Czech Republic visit the Cardiff City Stadium.

Norrington-Davies played at youth level for Bow Street, Aberystwyth, and. He played for Swansea City before joining Sheffield United’s academy in 2017.

He joined Barrow on a one-month loan in September 2018, before the loan was extended to the end of the season in October. He moved on loan to Rochdale in July 2019 on a season-long loan.

Norrington-Davies joined Championship club Luton Town on a season-long loan on 3 September 2020. On 12 January 2021, he was recalled by Sheffield United after making 22 appearances in all competitions, and was loaned to Stoke City later that day. He scored his first goal for Stoke in a 2-0 win over Wycombe Wanderers on 6 March.

Aberystwyth-born Jephcott plays for Division One Plymouth.

The Pilgrims’ top scorer, with 18 goals to date this season, has made three appearances for his country at under-21 level and many expected him to get a call-up to the senior squad following his goalscoring exploits.

Wales Under-21s manager Paul Bodin has named 11 uncapped players in a new look squad to face the Republic of Ireland on Friday 26 March at Colliers Park, Wrexham (KO 1pm).

The match will be an opportunity for Bodin to prepare his side for the upcoming UEFA U21 EURO 2023 Qualifying Round which commences in June. Wales have been drawn alongside the Netherlands, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Moldova and Gibraltar in Group E.