Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, the Bluebirds’ star player, was on the bench. Robbie Fowler hadn’t even boarded the coach.
But when the deflation subsided, the eighth-tier minnows spotted an opportunity. Playing in midfield for the Championship side was a 17-year-old making his first professional start.
“Aaron Ramsey was the one we picked as the one we could get at,” recalled Danny Smith, who had scored a dramatic winner in the previous round against Port Vale.
“We thought, ‘He’s 17, he’s playing in the centre of the park on a muddy pitch at Chasetown, he’s being linked to all these top clubs but he’s not going to know what’s hit him’.”
The problem - for Chasetown, at least - was that nobody could hit him. Ramsey scored one, made one, and played with an assurance that made a mockery of his tender years. “We couldn’t get anywhere near him,” laughed Smith. “He absolutely ran the show.”
Like Smith, I left the Scholars Ground that icy January evening in no doubt that Ramsey was destined for the top. His touch and technique was a class apart.
Fifteen years on, those qualities are undiminished. After a decade at Arsenal, 82 caps for Wales and stints at Juventus, Rangers and Nice, Ramsey remains an accomplished mezzala.
Bu hikaye The Football League Paper dergisinin August 06, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Football League Paper dergisinin August 06, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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