After his full league debut in Carlisle United’s return to winning ways against Eastleigh, we spoke to Hayden Atkinson.
Speaking to CUTV, Atkinson discussed his emotions after the game, making his debut for the club he’s been at since childhood, the support around him and his determination to keep pushing forward.
Here is everything we learnt:
1. Dream debut
“I'm absolutely buzzing, proud to get my league debut. I'm just thankful to the gaffer to put some trust in me, and I just went out there and left it all out there.”
2. A proud moment for the club and family
“It was just a proud moment for everyone, really.
"Getting my league debut for a club I've been at since I was, what, 10 years old, and I think I just went out there, took my chance and just worked hard and left it all out there.”
3. Finding out he was starting
“I'd say it was about quarter past one today.
"When I saw my name in the starting line-up, I was absolutely over the moon.”
4. Handling the nerves
“I was a bit nervous, but I just used those nerves as fuel, and when I stepped on that pitch, I just played it simple to start with and gradually grew into the game.”
5. A surreal experience
“It's just a surreal moment for me to be honest. All the lads just congratulating me, the fans chanting my name, just excellent really.”
6. Learning from the first-team environment
“The prep and everything is so much different, and their experiences are benefiting me so much, and I just take every one of them as it comes.”
7. Leadership support
“(Morgan) Feeney has been absolutely excellent with me. His leadership quality is absolutely excellent.
"He talked to me the full time, kept me right, and he's just a proper leader.”
8. Pathway from Academy to First Team
“There's definitely a pathway.
There's many players like Jack Ellis as well, came right through it, done the scholarship and broke into the first team, so yeah, definitely a pathway.”
9. Influence of the youth staff
“The staff are excellent, like Mark Birch, Jamie Devitt, Danny Grainger, all the S&Cs, they're all absolutely excellent with you.
"They push you to be the best you can be.”
10. Looking ahead
“Just keep pushing, keep working hard and going strong.”
