Sportingwales 8

Wales may be lacking soccer “I got an apprenticeship with Swansea after Allen only featured twice on that loan spell
success at international level, I ﬁ nished my GCSE`s. That was an exciting at Wrexham, he scored on his debut, but
but we still have the capacity day for me. Then when I got my ﬁ rst then the exercise was cut short due to an
to produce top quality young contract it was what I had dreamed of.” ankle injury.
footballers - the next name to
follow the likes of Aaron Ramsey The ﬁ rst time Joe Allen`s name appeared It turned out to his advantage as there
and Gareth Bale is Swansea’s in the ﬁ rst team programme came in the were gaps in the Swansea midﬁ eld when
Joe Allen. ﬁ nal game of the 2006-7 season against he regained full ﬁ tness. Injuries to Darren
Blackpool, just after his 17th birthday, Pratley and Ferrie Bodde gave Allen a
The 19-year-old has become a regular coming on for the last 25 minutes as a chance to claim a regular spot. He took it
in the Swansea City ﬁ rst team which did substitute. Swansea needed to win to with both hands and has not looked out of
so well this season and is a ﬁ xture in the secure a place in the league one play offs. place.
Wales Under 21 set up where manager They lost a crazy game 6-3.
Brian Flynn is a fan. It even brought him a Against Premiership side Fulham in the FA
ﬁ rst cap under John Toshack. Allen had obviously done enough to Cup with experienced mid-ﬁ elders like
impress not only the people who mattered Olivier Dacourt, Danny Murphy and Welsh
Former Swansea manager Roberto at Swansea, but also Brian Flynn who was international Simon Davies, Allen produced
Martinez also regards the young midﬁ elder starting to make things happen with the his regular four star performance.
as a Premiership player of the future. “That young Welsh players.
is his potential without a doubt,” he says. After the match Davies, capped over 50
“I can distinctly remember a match out times for Wales, prophetically tipped Allen
“If he carries on the way he is doing, I in Slovakia in the Under 17 tournament,” to follow in his footsteps, “I certainly think
cannot see anyone of his age in Welsh commented Flynn. he will make it as a senior international.
football with a bigger future. He is at the right club where the manager
“If he carries on the way wants them to play football, which is
“He can play as high as he wants to play, important for a youngster in mid-ﬁ eld. It is
but now it is making sure he gets the right he is doing, I cannot see all in his hands it is how badly he wants to
challenge, making sure he does not go too succeed.”
quick because that could set him back. anyone of his age in Welsh
The Premiership is the target for all young
“He is a very mature player. His strength football with a bigger footballers and Allen is no exception, but
is that he plays above his age. He has a he hopes to get there with Swansea.
fantastic range of passing. He keeps the ball future.”
very well and reads the tempo of the game “Everyone knows Swansea is moving
very well. He is someone we regard very “We needed to win to qualify. The midﬁ eld forward quickly. Everyone`s target as a
highly.” that day consisted of Aaron Ramsey, now team is to get into the Premiership. It
with Arsenal, and Joe Allen. Joe ran the would be a dream for every player at
Joe Allen was spotted playing for Tenby match from start to ﬁ nish. He outplayed the club to play in the Premiership,” he
at the age of eight and invited to join Aaron and we won 2-1. admitted.
Swansea’s youth programme more than 10
years ago. “Joe has now gone on to be an integral part “I have been with Swansea for such a long
of the success of the Under 21 side.” time and enjoyed it so much I cannot see
Showing the native wit of the football myself leaving in the near future. I am
dressing room, the teenager reckons that Flynn`s advice to all his Under 21 players conﬁ dent enough that by staying with
makes him eligible for a testimonial season! is to establish themselves in their club’s Swansea I will be able to achieve that.”
That is one of the qualities of the young ﬁ rst team before he can consider them as
man, he is not a ‘wannabe’ footballer with regulars for Wales. Allen was given his ﬁ rst chance at senior
no personality. international level at the end of ;ast season.
Allen took that on board and was happy
After joining Swansea at such an early age to move away from the Liberty Stadium to “He is on the fast track, there is no
he was determined to go all the way and push himself forward. doubt about that. John Toshack has been
become a professional footballer. delighted with him, and he has not looked
“At the start of last season there were out of place at all,” said Flynn.
“As soon as I could kick a ball that was the so many fantastic players ahead of me at
only thing I cared about and luckily the way Swansea in my position, so I decided to Now that Wales have failed to qualify for
things are at the moment it is working out go up to North Wales on a loan deal,” he the 2010 World cup ﬁ nals and Toshack has
for me,” said Allen. explained. to start building again, one name which is
Joe Allen
bound to come up in his thoughts is Joe
“I knew how hard it was to become a “It gave me some valuable experience and I Allen. Nice lad, super footballer, big future
footballer, I knew things might not work learned a lot up there.”
SW
out and I needed something else to fall
38
back on, so I kept up with my school work.
words Roger Hughes pictures Steve Pope
sportingwales
issue8twothousand&nine
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