Scots whiz kid Oli delighted to Kop debut
OLI McBURNIE has hailed leading the line at Anfield as a dream come true after completing his remarkable rise from the rough-and-tumble of the Conference to the refined surroundings of the English Premier League.
The Scotland under-21 internationalist was handed his maiden start in the richest league in the world for Swansea against Liverpool on Boxing Day, with the lanky front-man rewarded for a string of dazzling displays for the club’s youth side.
While the struggling Swans were on the wrong end of a chastening 5-0 reverse, McBurnie was beaming with personal pride and delighted that his parents were able to soak up a memorable moment.
McBurnie beamed: “It was a night of mixed emotions. Ultimately I was gutted with how the game went from our point of view. However, when I look back, it’s one I’ll be proud of because when you’re growing you dream of making your first start on nights like that – under the floodlights at a stadium like Anfield.
“I know it meant a lot to my family. I didn’t even tell my parents that I was starting because I thought it would be too much for them. They go to incredible lengths to support me all over the country, and further afield as Dad never likes to miss a game with Scotland.”
McBurnie was binned by Leeds United as a kid but has worked his way back up to the top table, signing for Bradford City and earning his stripes with stints at Chester City, Newport County and Bristol Rovers, before earning a move to Swansea.
He reckons that has given him the grit and hunger required to succeed.
He added: “I’ve hard to work hard to get where I am. It’s maybe not been the most conventional football upbringing. I’ve done my time in the Conference, in League Two and League One. Now I’ve had a taste with Swansea at the highest level.”
If McBurnie’s selection raised a few eyebrows, so did his style – with a swathe of Tweets about his rolled down socks and seemingly non-existent shinpads.
He added: “I should explain this. For anyone that’s worried, I do wear shinguards! They’re just very small.
“My shorts are deliberately too small and my socks are rolled down but there’s a back story to it. When I was on loan at Chester City in the Conference they didn’t have the biggest budget so I had to make do with what was on offer.
“The socks kept falling down because my calves were too skinny and I wasted too much time in games pulling them back up. So in one game I just thought ‘leave them down’. I ended up scoring my first goal in professional football and, because I’m a superstitious type, it stuck from there on in.”
McBurnie was not the only tartan talent on show at Anfield, with Andy Robertson making his 11th appearance for the Reds since his £8 million arrival from Hull City in the summer.
He added: “I was in a couple of Under-21 squads with Andy and I’ve bumped into him a few times since at club level. “No matter how well he’s done, he hasn’t changed. Guys like Andy have shown what is possible if you work hard and make the most of any opportunities.”