‘I’VE TAKEN THE LONG ROAD TO RETURN TO THE ROYAL CLASS’
SOMETIMES you have to take a couple of steps back before you can go forward again – and Josh Laurent’s story proves it.
The new Reading midfielder, who made his league debut for the Royals in last week’s impressive 2-0 win at Derby, began his pro career at QPR and Brentford, but failed to make the breakthrough he craved.
The 25-year-old was forced to drop down to League Two with Hartlepool to get valuable experience under his belt and then after time at Wigan and Bury, the latter on loan, it was at Shrewsbury where he really made his mark.
He made more than 90 appearances in two seasons with the League One Shrews, attracting the attention of Reading along the way.
It’s been a difficult road, but Laurent has learned from all his experiences, in particular those days at Hartlepool and Shrewsbury.
“Those clubs both mean a lot to me,” he told The FLP. “Hartlepool was really good for me. It was the first Football League club where I had the opportunity to put my head down and play regularly.
“The manager Craig Hignett was good to me and they gave me a chance. I was still young at the time and there was a lot to learn.
“Shrewsbury was a club where I could find a home. I was settled and could say ‘this is my club’. The manager and the fans liked me. It was finding a home where I could develop as a player and person. That was something I needed to do.
“It wasn’t ability, it was learning and getting the mental side right. It allowed me to do that.”
It’s an often told story in football that young players don’t get the firstteam chances they need to develop their game at their parent clubs, but Laurent is philosophical about his own journey.
“When I was at clubs before, they thought I was a young lad with potential but without much experience,” he explained. “I used to train at clubs and get noticed, but managers didn’t really want to put their necks on the line, say you can do it and attack it.
“But that’s football. It’s what happens and everyone goes through it, it’s not just me. I had to go down the divisions and prove to people that I can play at this level. That was the route.”
Route
It goes a long way to explain why now, in his mid-20s, Laurent is so glad to have another crack at the Championship with Reading.
“I was really pleased to get the move done,” he said. “It was something that was going on for a while so for it to finally happen was really pleasing. To have an opportunity at this level is something I have waited for.”
And Laurent admits last weekend’s success at Derby, the team of Phillip Cocu, Wayne Rooney et al, ‘felt unreal’.
“It still feels good now,” he chuckles in midweek. “I’ve played against a few Championship teams in the FA Cup and got a taste of what it’s about, but you don’t really know until you go out there and play a few games.
“To get the ball rolling and play on the opening day of the season meant a lot to me. To get a 2-0 win at Derby shows what we are capable of as a squad, but we aren’t getting carried a w a y . We are very humble and we want to get our heads down and keep making little statements along the
way. Hopefully we’ll have a very successful year.”
That success at Derby was a feather in the cap for the Royals’ new Serbian boss Veljko Paunovic. Although little known on these shores, the 43-year-old has an impressive pedigree. He spent a large chunk of his playing days in La Liga, representing the likes of Atletico Madrid, Tenerife and Getafe, and also featured in Germany, Russia and the US.
Impressed
On the management side, he’s cut his teeth with Serbia’s under-age teams and then Chicago Fire in the MLS.
If that CV wasn’t enough to impress the Reading squad, then beating the Rams in the curtain-raiser should only help his cause. Laurent, for one, has been impressed by the man who only took over from Mark Bowen a few weeks ago.
“He’s very bright, very clever,” said Laurent. “You know he knows what he’s talking about. He’s shown a sliver of what he can bring with a good game-plan against Derby. I think he’s got it in him to bring out the best in us. “He wants a real togetherness, a real unity, a real team. He wants us to be like warriors on the pitch defensively, to switch on and work hard. He wants to press teams the right way.
“When we have the ball, he wants us to be relaxed and calm, to play with freedom and pass the ball about. He wants to counter-attack when there’s an opportunity to do it. If not, he wants us to keep it and play, and wait for an opportunity. He’s got a very attractive style of play.”
It helps if you’ve got good players – and the Royals do have match-winners in their ranks, notably attacking midfielders John Swift, 25, and Ovie Ejaria, 22. The latter joined for £3m from Liverpool in the summer after spending a year-and-a-half on loan at the Madejski in two spells.
“The pair of them are both unbelievable players,” enthused Laurent. “They’ve got bundles of ability and talent, but we’ve got quality right through. We know we have a good squad, but it’s about showing it on a consistent basis.”
I was pleased really the move to get have an done. To at this opportunity something level is waited I’ve for
Yet bookies and pundits alike have written of the Berk- shire team, expecting them to be among the Championship also-rans after a mid-table finish last term. It could give them a little extra edge.
“Last Saturday people had us down to lose,” admitted Laurent. “We like the fact noone rates us or people think we will be in a relegation scrap. We will use everything like that to prove people wrong. We know what we have and want to prove it.”
On a person level, Laurent wants to prove that he belongs in English football’s second tier. He’ll also relish the chance to face west London duo QPR and Brentford.
“You look forward to those games against your former clubs,” he added. “You want to show everyone what you are about and how far you’ve come.
“But it’s my first full season in the Championship and I’m looking forward to every game – there are a lot of big clubs.
“I just want to play as many games as possible. If I am, it means I’m doing well and I’m helping my team-mates out.
“I want to take things in my stride. It’s a very competitive league, one step from the Premier League – and everyone’s allowed to dream.”
We like the fact no-one rates us or people think we will be in a relegation scrap. We will use it to prove people wrong