A TEEN IDOL TO CALL OUR VERY OWEN
Golden boyo Ben hopes to keep following in hero’s footsteps all the way to Russia 18
BEN WOODBURN has already broken Michael Owen’s scoring record at Liverpool. Now the Anfield teenager wants to emulate Owen once more by starring at the World Cup. Owen’s sensational solo goal for England at France ’98, against Argentina as an 18-year-old Liverpool forward, captured global acclaim. Now Liverpool and Welsh fans are purring about the newest kid on the block – Woodburn, who turns 18 in
October. He served notice of his huge promise last year, netting on his debut against Leeds in the League Cup to become the Reds’ youngest-ever scorer, aged 17 years and 45 days. And his 74th-minute right-foot screamer on Saturday night was breathng and delighted fans at a packed 32,633-capacity Cardiff City Stadium. Woodburn may still not be widely known to many football fans outside thr UK, but he’s aware that could all change next summer. He admitted: “That would be the aim, it would be another dream. Hopefully, we can get there, it would be unbelievable to get there. I just want to try to help the team out as best I can. I was just in dreamland after the goal.” Like Owen, Woodburn hails from Chester but the attacking midfielder has opted to represent Wales ahead of England. He, too, has also not looked out of place by the big step up to the international stage.
Wales’ World Cup hopes were looking realistically over as they faced a sixth successive draw at home to Austria, before Woodburn came on as a sub and changed all that in five minutes.
The hosts had been completely outplayed in the first half. Austria’s Marko Arnautovic should have scored while David Alaba was bossing midfield.
But Coleman, who steered his team to the Euro 2016 semi-finals last summer, showed his worth at the break.
The manager ditched his team’s usual five-man defence to wrestle back control of the game. It enabled star-man Gareth Bale to grow into the game, while Woodburn proved a truly inspired substitution.
By the end, Coleman’s men were unlucky not to score again as fellow sub Hal Robson-Kanu struck the post, while Bale (playing video games with keeper Wayne Hennessey yesterday, below) forced Austria’s keeper into a save with a spectacular overhead kick. Woodburn added: “It is nerve-wracking, coming into any squad, but the players really welcomed me and helped me to feel at home here.
“The manager and the players have been great with me, they have treated me just like one of them, it has been easy to bond with everybody.”
Despite his heroics, Woodburn is likely to have to settle for a place back on the bench tomorrow away in Moldova, with Joe Allen and Neil Taylor both available again after suspension.
And Coleman insists the youngster must not get carried away with his wonder goal.
He said: “You never know with young players how it’s going to fall. Young players have got a long way to go and Ben knows that.
“Liverpool will be the same with him. He’s got to keep working hard and not get carried away. We’ll keep working hard with him.
“He’s only young, it’s his first game for Wales. It was a great goal, he did great, but he’s got a long way to go.
“He knows that, we know that, Liverpool know that. So it’s a great start for him, but there’s a long road for him.”
Team-mates made Woodburn undergo an initiation ceremony – singing ‘Stand By Me’.
The modest teenager insists it was not an impressive rendition of the old Ben E King song, but his heroics on the pitch have certainly made a huge impact, which could yet go down in the annals of Welsh football.