United manager Keith Curle on a debut for Connor Hammell
Manager Keith Curle spoke to us about the weekend debut for 18-year-old youth midfielder Connor Hammell following his 80th minute introduction in the Northampton game on Saturday.
“It was nice to introduce him to it all because he showed me he was ready to step up the ladder and get involved during our recent 11v11 games,” he said. “I was comfortable and confident about putting him on because of what he did for me in those games.
“We used him in a number of positions and he had something about him I liked every time he played. He was probably guilty of not doing the defensive side of the job as well as he should during training, so it was pleasing to see he’d listened to us. There was one point where he made a tackle just outside our box and it set us on the attack. That’s great to see.
“I’m sure he’ll have enjoyed it and, like any young player, he’ll be chomping at the bit for more. We have a number of these young lads who are showing us they have something about them. They’ll get an opportunity from me by the end of the season if they keep working hard and if I think they can add to what we need to achieve.”
“Bringing him on shows I’m prepared to use everybody and anybody who I think can make a difference,” he explained. “Any one of our subs on the bench could have changed things for us on Saturday.
“I had other good options with Patrick Brough, Matt Robson or Danny Kearns, but I wanted to give the young lad the opportunity this side of Christmas to give him something to build on. He has a way of attracting himself to the ball and he deserved his chance.”
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