Praise on TV from French icon Henry fills Scots colt Kingsley with belief
TWO Premier League starts, a couple of victories and the gushing endorsement of no less a figure than Thierry Henry. It’s fair to say March has proved to be something of a breakthrough month for Stephen Kingsley. The Swansea City defender featured for Scotland’s Under-21 side in the 2-0 defeat to France in Angers on Thursday but, while Les Jeune Bleus prevailed this week, it is Kingsley who has caught the eye of one of France’s most decorated footballers of all time.
Asked to comment on Swansea’s attacking threat going into last Sunday’s game against Aston Villa, Sky pundit Henry diverted the conversation onto Kingsley, specifically the young left-back’s confident performance on his topflight debut at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium at the start of the month.
Kingsley was unaware of the broadcast until after he had marked his second start with a clean sheet in a 1-0 win over Villa but confesses to seeking it out on his return home.
‘I heard about it after the game when my dad texted me,’ he says. ‘My sister notified me as well soon after. That was a bit surreal. I had taped the game so I could watch it back and saw him talking about me a bit.
‘That was a shock but very nice to hear. It’s a great compliment having someone of that stature praising you. That gave me great confidence.’
In the end, Henry’s verdict is secondary to that of Swansea manager Francesco Guidolin, but the Italian coach has seen enough in Kingsley’s progress this season to promote him to a senior role.
Having twice been farmed out on loan to first Yeovil Town then Crewe Alexandra by Guidolin’s predecessor Garry Monk, Kingsley returned to Wales in January to find a new regime in place.
Fortunately, the presence of first-team coach Alan Curtis, a constant in Kingsley’s time at the club, and captain Ashley Williams gave him a valuable support network as he was thrown in at the deep end.
‘Garry Monk took me under his wing,’ adds Kingsley. ‘But with Francesco coming in, we still had Alan Curtis there, who I get along with well. He knows my game, so that’s really helped, too.
‘Coming from Italy, the manager is a bit different and has different philosophies but he’s been great. I’ve obviously done enough in training to prove I can handle myself in games. Alan came up to me before the Arsenal match and told me not to be surprised if I was starting and that they had every faith in me.
‘He then showed me clips of Joel Campbell, Alexis Sanchez and Hector Bellerin and that’s when it sank in. He just gave me confidence. He told me I was more than capable of playing at that level and for me to just go out and do my thing.
‘The other players were brilliant, too. Ashley Williams, in particular, was great and talked me through the game. He made me feel settled. When you’re playing alongside players like that, it makes it a lot easier.
‘I haven’t a clue why Ash hasn’t gone on to a bigger stage as I think he’s up there with the best in the Premier League. Not just for his football ability, but also for his leadership skills. He could drag players through games by himself. When I came in he showed confidence in me, talked me through the game and helped me out.
‘Before the Arsenal game he said to me: “You only ever get one debut, so make it one to remember”.
HAVING made such a good first impression, Kingsley was determined to back it up with another display of authority against Villa. ‘That was a very different game,’ he admits. ‘At Arsenal, I only got told the day before I would be playing, so I didn’t have a lot of time to think about it. It was shock, then anticipation and excitement. The game took care of itself.
‘I got told four or five days before the Villa game, so there was a different mindset going into it, especially as we knew we needed the three points. That was a different pressure, but I just wanted to do my job properly.’
Kingsley’s Swansea story started in the summer of 2014 when the South Wales club signed him from Falkirk, a route that had already been trod by midfielder Jay Fulton and subsequently by Botti Biabi and Ryan Blair.
The full-back retains close links to Falkirk and, when word got out that he would be starting against Arsenal, Bairns director of football Alex Smith and head of football operations Creag Robertson made their way to London. ‘My mum and dad were working and couldn’t get down at short notice, but Alex phoned and said: “I heard you might be starting...” He then asked me for a couple of tickets because he was already on his way down! ‘That was amazing. Alex brought me up from Under-17s and took me right the way through. He’s a figure I still
look to for advice and keep in contact with, so to have him there, making the effort to come down, was brilliant.’
Kingsley should collect his fifth Under-21 cap in the next Euro qualifier against Northern Ireland on Tuesday but harbours ambitions of full recognition beyond that.
With Andrew Robertson, Kieran Tierney, Lee Wallace and Graeme Shinnie all vying for a place, Gordon Strachan is well served for left-back options, yet it is Kingsley who is operating at the highest club level.
‘That’s another challenge,’ he adds. ‘Knowing there’s a challenge at international level as well is great and I’m looking forward to proving myself.’
Standing in Kingsley’s path to a regular start at Swansea is Welsh internationalist Neil Taylor. At 21, the young Scot feels ready to challenge but knows he has much to do before he can consider himself an established Premier League player.
‘We still need a couple of points to confirm our safety, so I understand the situation totally. If Tayls is going to be playing then that’s fine, but I don’t feel as if I’ve hurt my chances in the games I’ve played.
‘Hopefully, I do get a few more and if Tayls plays then I’ll bide my time and take the opportunity when it comes.
‘You never feel like you’ve made it. There’s a lot to be improved and next season’s going to be a massive one for me. Guys like Alex are always reminding you that the hard work’s still to come, and it’s good to have that.
‘When I went down there, I knew it was only the beginning and I had to improve my game. Obviously, training with the first team every day was massive and the loan spells have benefited me, too. Looking back, it’s been worth every second to get where I am now.’
I was told before the Arsenal game that they had every faith in me