ENGLAND DEBUT CAPS OFF REMARKABLE CAMPAIGN
GATESHEAD MIDFIELDER GREG OLLEY SAYS ENGLAND BOW WAS A PROUD MOMENT
Gateshead midfielder Greg Olley has described winning his first England ‘C’ cap as “the icing on the cake” of a remarkable season,
The former Newcastle United youngster was handed a maiden call-up to the Three Lions non-league squad for Tuesday night’s International Challenge match against their Wales counterparts.
Olley was named in the starting line-up alongside Heed team-mate Jon Mellish and the second-half introduction of midfielder Tom White made it a trio of representatives from the National League play-off challengers.
Olley came close to marking his debut with a goal when he latched on to a longpass from White and struck the post with a looped effort that deceived Wales keeper Alex Ramsey.
The Three Lions had to settle for a 2-2 draw, but that took nothing away from a special night for Olley and his fellow Gateshead teammates.
He said: “The news I was in the squad came out of the blue and I actually found out over Twitter.
“It was a proud moment and I think we a lot of the squad have experienced setbacks from the academy system.
“You think your chance has gone, but then you see the shirt, with the three lions, with your name on the back and it fills you with pride, knowing that you are representing the country.
“I think it shows just how well we have done this season when we had myself, Jon and Tom in the squad.
“It made me proud to hear some of the England C lads saying how well we were doing at Gateshead.
“The gaffer Paul Fairclough said to enjoy it and if we play to our capability, we could win the game.
“They came with a game plan and they pulled it off. We could have won the game on another night.
“But, whatever the result, playing for England was the icing on the cake this season.”
Mellish, who is from South Shields, played for Sunderland Academy from the age of 6-16 before signing for Gateshead.
The game against Wales C was Jon’s second England call-up after playing against Estonia at Leyton Orient.
Olley has made a significant impact at Gateshead since he joined the club last summer.
The 23-year-old moved to the International Stadium club within a month of his release from Hull City and has gone on to become a key part of the Heed’s unexpected play-off push.
He has scored eight goals in 34 appearances and he believes that there is no reason why the club can’t secure a place in the top seven of the National League between now and the end of the season.
“I couldn’t have wished for the season at Gateshead to go any better.
“When I joined, we didn’t have any players, we were favourites for relegation, and to be honest it was a risk to sign.
“But I am playing regularly, and I always knew that was the benefit of joining the club.”