Latching on to a long ball, the 17-year-old showed great
composure, and promise for the future, by chipping the onrushing goalkeeper on
78 minutes.
He was one of seven youngsters making their bow at this
level during the game, and it completed a manic 12 months for the youngster
which has seen him sign his first professional contract at Bristol City, and
even make his first team debut.
Proud dad David said it was just another goal achieved in
what has been a frantic year for his son, and now the bar has been set higher
for 2013. He said: “I went along and the whole family were there. I tend not to
miss many games home or away, it’s been like that for about 10 years!
“Everyone around us thought the game was petering out, and
with so many substitutes coming on we thought he would come on at some stage.
To see him getting stripped and ready, we were nervous but confident.
“The way the game was, he’s so quick we knew he’d have an
impact. The game was sort of made for him.
“The goal was classic Wes. He latched on to the long ball
and his pace is obvious. For us it was whether he’d get a good first touch, and
having seen his first team debut for Bristol City a few weeks earlier we knew
he’d cope with the situation. The goal was everything we could have hoped for.”
David believes that Wes is already looking at what he could
do next, and that includes impressing new club manager Sean O’Driscoll.
He continued: “We set objectives, and his number one for
this year was to secure that pro-contract. To have that confirmed pre-Christmas
was a great boost. Next it was if he could train with the first team, make the
bench, make an appearance. He’s been ticking them off as he went along.
“Now the goal is to stay around the first team, especially
with a new manager in charge. We couldn’t have dreamed this so early on, but
now the bar has been set even higher. Now there’s a European Championship
qualifier coming up in March and Wes will hope to be selected for that.
“He is also hoping to be involved against Cardiff this
Saturday (February 16), but with so many players coming back he’s unsure
whether he will. But it’s been made clear to him he has a big future at Bristol
City.”
Yet Wes could possibly have been lining up for Cardiff
against Bristol this Saturday. Having been born in Barry, he joined Barry
Athletic as a seven-year-old. After impressing, Cardiff snapped him up at the
age of eight, but at 10 years old, Wes found himself released from the youth
set up.
He spent a prolific two years with Llantwit Major, his
family having moved to Flemingstone, and at 12 Cardiff came back in for him
where he stayed in the Academy until he was 16 before switching to the other
side of the Severn Bridge.
Llantwit Major stalwart Coun Gwyn John, who has held various
roles with the club since helping to found it, spoke of his pride at seeing
another of their youth products reach the higher echelons of the professional
game, but also of his frustration that he was unable to be there for Wes’ big
moment.
He said: “He did very well. He was 17 in an
under-21environment, and many of them had been with professional clubs for a
long while. I heard that when he came on he changed the game. He scored, and
then Wales went on and opened them up.”
It continues a long production line of Llantwit youth
players who have gone on to taste professional or semi-professional football.
Former Welsh international Aaron Davies, former Barry, Cardiff and Newport
goalkeeper Pat Mountain and former Cardiff and Wrexham defender Lloyd Evans are
other examples.
Yet Gwyn believes Wes might be a cut above the rest. He
added: “It’s not the first time Llantwit boys have got in to professional
clubs. Aaron Davies did particularly well yet wasn’t exceptionally talented as
a young boy, but Wes was.
“In some kids you can spot raw talent and coach it, but some
have got that talent at a young age. Wes was playing games and averaging five
goals as a young child.
“His dad’s been tremendous. David played himself and was a
good player so has helped Wes. He was taken to Cardiff, but as he got older his
father didn’t think he was getting enough game time so got him in to Bristol.
“If he carries on doing well who’s to say what will happen
in the future. The future is at his feet and I was absolutely over the moon for
him.”
Burns has made two substitute appearances against Leicester
and Blackburn for Bristol since signing his first professional deal.
The Iceland fixture also marked his first international
appearance for Wales, having been overlooked at younger age groups.
0 comments:
Post a Comment