Emile ‘can find space in a phone box’
TOWN boss Danny Cowley reckons Arsenal loanee Emile Smith Rowe is so good he could ‘find space in a telephone box’.
The 19-year-old lit up the 2-1 victory over Bristol City by creating the opening goal for his old Arsenal team-mate Chris Willock, and then by winning the penalty from which Karlan Grant fired the second.
Smith Rowe tore Bristol City to shreds at times with his silky running and clever skills and Cowley says he has to be treated like the Premier League player he is going to become.
“Emile Smith Rowe is just a really lovely player, isn’t he?” said Cowley. “It’s not easy being a manager because at the moment he’s not ready to play the three-game week, so we had to be really cautious on Saturday.
“That wasn’t nice because you want him to play because, even as a manager, you enjoy watching performances like that and you know you’re going to get criticised a lot when you don’t play him – because the supporters are going to be frustrated – so we have to manage him at the moment.
“He had a loan at Leipzig last year and picked up an injury. Maybe they didn’t quite manage his minutes and his load.
“So we’re being very careful and cautious because we know if we can get him on the pitch more often than not he’s going to be a very good player for us.”
Is there a better teenage No. 10 around than Smith Rowe?
“He looked a top player, didn’t he?” answered the boss.
“He has that ability to find space, he could find space in a telephone box, he speeds the play up for you and draws and commits and I think it would have been a brilliant performance if he had scored.
“I am always going to be demanding of him because, to me, he is a Premier League player so I have to treat him like that.”
CHRIS Willock is ‘really buzzing’ at Town, and being reunited with Arsenal academy mate Emile Smith Rowe.
The 22-year-old made his first start for the club in the 2-1 victory over Bristol City on Tuesday night and the on-loan Benfica winger bagged a first goal in blue and white stripes.
It was a stunner, too, made by Smith Rowe, and wiped out a lot of the negative memories from a loan spell at West Brom earlier this season in which he couldn’t get a game.
On his time at Albion and how he’s now settled into life at the Terriers, Willock said: “It’s been a difficult six months without playing at West Brom.
“I always knew my chance would come and I’m just happy I got that.
“At the time I wasn’t playing really for six months, just getting very little time. I am so grateful for the opportunity where the club (Town) have shown faith in me.
“I knew my time would come, I had to be patient and hopefully I can show I can play at this level.
“When I first came here I said it’s given me a willingness and eagerness to do well and I think that’s showing.
“I am loving it, the stadium, the fans, the club. It’s a family club and I am really enjoying my time here at the moment.
“That’s my goal to get those
I am loving it. The stadium, the fans. I’m really enjoying my time
here at the moment
minutes improve.”
The win eased Town’s relegation fears slightly, but Willock says noone can get ahead of themselves.
On the performance against the Robins, he said: “I am really happy, I thought we played well, I thought
on
the
pitch
and we pressed them very well in the first half.
“We won the ball back in good areas and that benefited us, so it was an all round good performance.
“The gaffer (Danny Cowley) said to me, with KG (Karlan Grant) and Emile (Smith-Rowe) we have a