Burns is proving worth the wait for McInnes
IMAGINE the feeling of being sat on the bench, praying for the mercy of the halftime whistle as you watch your team being thrashed 4-0 by a nation with greater pedigree in a rally car than on a football pitch, only for your manager to turn to you at the interval and say: ‘Get stripped, son, you’re going on.’
It would be a case of: ‘Jeez. Thanks, boss.’ An utterly thankless task.
As Wales’ Under-21s were being comprehensively beaten by their Finnish counterparts in a European Championship qualifier back in August 2013, Wes Burns could have been forgiven if his heart sank ever so slightly when boss Geraint Williams gave him the nod.
Perched in the stands that night in Bangor was Derek McInnes, who, during his time in charge of Bristol City, had seen Burns progress through the youth set-up at Ashton Gate and had retained a keen interest in his former player.
At this point, McInnes had been in charge of Aberdeen for just six months and was still in the process of building his own squad at Pittodrie. He saw Burns as a prime target but City were keen to hold on to their player after he had broken through into the first team.
McInnes finally got his man earlier this summer, however, landing the player on a seasonlong loan deal and, after scoring with his first touch on his debut against Ventspils in Europa League qualifying last month, the 21-year-old Welshman has continued to impress.
He was a stand-out man of the match at Somerset Park on Wednesday evening as Aberdeen beat Ayr United 2-1 to progress into the quarterfinals of the Betfred Cup. He assisted the opening goal, twice struck the crossbar in the space of 15 minutes in the second half and tormented the Ayr defence throughout with his pace and trickery.
‘Wes was unplayable at times against Ayr,’ said McInnes. ‘You could see the pace and confidence he has on the ball.
‘When he gets into full flow, he’s so easy on the eye. He glides past defenders and is a joy to watch.
‘He created the first goal, set up a number of other chances and could easily have had a couple of goals himself. I think he was having his own personal battle with the crossbar.
‘The conditions were horrible but he really lit the game up and his attitude was first-class.
‘I watched him in a Wales Under-21s game a couple of years ago in conditions similar to Wednesday night. The pitch was terrible, as well, but he put in a top performance.’
‘Yeah, I remember that night well,’ smiled Burns, who was part of Wales’ initial squad for Euro 2016 before just missing out on the final cut.
‘It was one of those games that really sticks in the memory. We were losing 4-0 at half-time and I just wanted to go on and show what I was capable of.
‘We still lost the game (5-1) but I felt like I had done all right coming on as a young lad and causing a few problems to the defenders.
‘I also played against Leicester around that time and was up against a few players who went on to win the league. Kasper Schmeichel and Wes Morgan were two who I definitely remember were playing.
‘The lads at Aberdeen have made me feel really welcome. I’ve got my girlfriend and my dog up here with me, so it’s a home from home.
‘That’s massive for me. I like to be comfortable on and off the field. If I’m happy off the pitch, then I’m happy on it.
‘I have set myself the target of scoring 10 goals in the first half of the season. I think that’s reasonable and, if I can get it, then I’ll set myself a new target for the second half.’
McInnes and Burns are preparing for the visit of Hearts tomorrow. After three away fixtures in the space of six days, the Dons boss gave his players the day off yesterday in order to ensure they are fresh for another tough encounter.
‘The schedule has been tough,’ said McInnes. ‘But it will be good to get back to Pittodrie in front of our own fans.
‘You always need to be at your maximum to get a result against Hearts, so we will dust ourselves down and see who is ready to go again come Saturday.’