BIG TIME BECKONS CARIBBEAN KIDS!
Former England C stars head for Premier League
EXACTLY three years ago yesterday, Andre Gray and Sam Clucas pulled on the England C jersey in Bermuda – now they’re both bound for the Premier League.
Gray scored 23 goals and was named Championship Player of the Year as Burnley won the title.
And Clucas will be joining him after Hull City’s play-off final win against Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley last Saturday.
It has been a remarkable rise for the duo, who were in the Caribbean with Paul Fairclough’s squad, thanks to their form with Luton Town and Hereford United respectively.
Clucas played the full 90 minutes and Gray came off the bench at the break to set up two and grab his first England C goal in the 6-1 rout.
Tranmere Rovers striker James Norwood smashed in a second-half hat-trick that balmy evening and couldn’t be happier to see where his international team-mates are now.
“It’s brilliant to see,” said Norwood, who won seven caps for England C. “When you first go into the Conference, you don’t really know anyone. England C is such a good grounding in terms of getting to know other young players.
“Then, when you see them do well, you’re half going ‘I’m so pleased for you’ and half saying ‘I know a famous person’. It shows how much quality there is in Non-League.”
Gray continued to represent England C the next season while helping Luton Town to the Conference title. His 30 goals marked him out as the hottest striker outside the Football League and Brentford soon pounced.
After scoring 18 goals for the Bees in a campaign that saw them reach the play-offs, Burnley then splashed out £6m for the 24-yearold’s services.
Frightening
“He’s scoring goals now that I’d never seen him score before – he looks so comfortable in front of goal,” said Norwood. “It’s frightening that he’s just been top scorer in the Championship. “I think he’s on the same level as Vardy. Like him, Andre smashed the Conference, went into the Championship and probably had a better first season there than Vardy did. “There was no pressure on him at Brentford, but when he moved to Burnley that came with pressure. He fulfilled it completely. “It’s sensational what he’s done and I’d back him to do well in the Premier League because there are not many people who play like him.” For Clucas, Bermuda was the first and only time he represented Non-League’s Three Lions as he joined League Two Mansfield Town that summer. By reaching the Premier League, the 25-year-old, who was released by Lincoln City as a youngster and played for Nettleham in the Central Midlands League, has moved up a step every season since. League One Chesterfield signed him two years ago, before Hull forked out more than £1m for his services last summer. He was such an unknown that, when he turned up for Hull’s first game of the season, a steward asked him if he was with the youth team. “The first evening in Bermuda each player had to stand up and introduce himself,” said Norwood, who scored 21 goals for Tranmere last season. “Sam had everyone in stitches because he said, ‘I’ve been here 45 minutes and I’m already sunburnt!’ He is a good personality to have in the changing rooms. “From what I’ve heard and seen he hasn’t changed. There was a picture of him at Wembley with some flip-flops that must be ten years old. He hasn’t even bought himself a new pair – you can’t take Non-League out of the boy! “As with Dre, you could just tell with him. He had the sweetest left foot and he’s got this way of beating his man with ease and delivering quality balls into the box.”