Blues midfielder James McCarthy focused on getting better
McCarthy happy to be pass on lessons to youngsters but Blues star is determined to keep on improving
Everton star James McCarthy enjoyed meeting youngsters from Everton In The Community's Soccer School at the Sutton Leisure Centre in Elton Head Road, St Helens.
With a heady mix of nerves and pride, the youngsters line-up expectantly to collect their medals.
They’re waiting to shake hands with Everton FC’s James McCarthy, a bona-fide Premier League superstar, and it’s a moment they’re unlikely to ever forget.
As the Republic of Ireland international dishes out the prizes, he makes sure to offer words of encouragement to every child, patting them on the back and wishing them well.
There’s 40 of them at least, but each gets the same. To McCarthy, it’s important because once he was the starry-eyed kid meeting his hero and he hasn’t forgotten either.
The youngsters at Sutton Leisure Centre in St Helens are probably not destined for careers in the professional game, but McCarthy too had to beat the odds.
In order to reach the top the Scot had to prove himself to the doubters at every opportunity.
“It’s good to give something back,” he says. “I know what it means to a kid to meet a footballer because I’ve been in that situation when I was a boy. It’s nice to come down and pass the ball about with them.
“Growing up I got the chance to watch Celtic training a few times and I’d get my dad to take me to Parkhead as much as he could. Henrik Larsson was my hero and I used to like Chris Sutton as well. To get to meet them was brilliant. As a kid I wanted to be like them and although it was a long way off it was my dream. I didn’t want to do anything else.
“I broke a good few lamps in the house always shooting the ball everywhere. I was football mad.”
That’s why, for a Celtic-mad 13-year-old, rejection by the Glasgow giants was such a crushing blow.
Everton star James McCarthy enjoyed meeting youngsters from Everton In The Community's Soccer School at the Sutton Leisure Centre in Elton Head Road, St Helens.
“At times you go through stages of wondering whether it will happen or not,” recalls the 23-year-old. “I went to Celtic for a trial and they told me they had too many in the squad. That was hard.
“I remember it well. They just sat me down and said “We appreciate you coming down to training but we’ve got too many so we can’t ask you back”. Obviously you’re gutted. That night was horrible but maybe it was a blessing in disguise.
“I went back to the boys club (Castlemilk where he grew up) and then on to Hamilton. My family encouraged me.
“If one club doesn’t want you then you go to another club and just try and do as well as you can.”
In hindsight his knock-back from Celtic meant the tenacious young midfielder was able to get the experience which eventually led him to Goodison Park.
“I always wanted to play for Celtic and it would have been brilliant but it meant I went to Hamilton and got my chance early doors, then moved down South and got a chance at Wigan, so it worked out OK,” he says.
“A lot of good kids go to Celtic at that age but just can’t make it into the first team. As it was I got a lot of game time under my belt and it led to talk of me moving to Liverpool and Reading.”
After a sensational first season for the Toffees following a £13m move from Wigan last summer, there is no danger of McCarthy resting on his laurels.
“I want to keep getting better and better,” he says. “I want to add goals to my game, do things better and help us improve as a team. We want to kick on as a side.”
His eagerness to progress even further this term is one of the reasons why McCarthy was so angered by a horror tackle during the 3-1 pre-season defeat by Celta Vigo a week ago.
“It was a poor tackle to be honest,” he says. “I was lucky because he ended up cutting me and it went right through my shin guard. You never want to see that, especially in a pre-season game.
“Thankfully we got through it. I want to play as many games as I can so I’d hate to get an injury just before the season. I’m looking forward to this season so much I don’t want to miss a moment of it.
“I want to be fresh and help us out.”
Everton were winless during their warm-up games, but McCarthy is not overly concerned ahead of Saturday’s Premier League opener against Leicester City, a side they lost to in Bangkok.
Everton star James McCarthy enjoyed meeting youngsters from Everton In The Community's Soccer School at the Sutton Leisure Centre in Elton Head Road, St Helens. Photo by James
“The most important thing in pre-season is fitness. It’s true,” he says. “You want to get wins but we won’t dwell on it. We’re just looking at Leicester away now. We know it’ll be tough and we know what they bring to the table, and I’m sure we will go there to win.
The Blues hope to have tied-up a season-long loan for another midfielder, Chelsea and Ghana winger Christian tsu by the weekend, and McCarthy is pleased at the prospective addition to the squad.
“I don’t know much about him but I’ve seen wee clips here and there,” he says. “The gaffer has scouted him for a while and I’m sure he’ll be a good addition to the squad with so many games coming up this season.
“He has a bit of impact and a lot of pace about him from what I’ve seen.”
● McCarthy visited St Helens after training yesterday to meet young budding footballers taking part in an Everton in the Community Soccer School course.
Run by trained coaches from the club, the Soccer Schools offer young people the chance to develop their skills and learn new techniques in a safe, fun environment.
Everton in the Community coaches have spent time overseas this summer and delivered Soccer Schools in America, Jersey and Dublin to over 250 children and for the remaining weeks of the school holidays will be delivered throughout Merseyside and North Wales
Source: Liverpool Echo
