Tony Springett said he is very grateful to have made his debut for the club in Sunday’s Premier League match with West Ham United.
The winger joined Norwich City at the age of 12 and has been one of the star performers for the under-23 team this season as the club qualified for the play-off places in Premier League 2 Division 2.
The 19 year old entered the pitch on Sunday at half-time, with the Canaries trailing 3-0 and Dean Smith looking for more pace and energy up front. Tony said it was a great feeling to make his debut, but also the defeat, which ended up at 4-0, did hurt as well.
“It is unbelievable to make my debut,” he said. “That is what I have wanted since I was a kid to step on a Premier League pitch but considering the result it was not the best. It hurts a bit, but at the same time I am very grateful to get my debut."
Speaking about his journey into the first team, he added: “I started the season as an under-23s player. We have done really well in the league, and we are currently in the play-off spots, but over the months I started to perform better than I previously was, and I got picked up by the first team and now I am here and I can’t be more grateful to be honest.”
The 4-0 defeat to West Ham United kept the club bottom of the Premier League table. However, with three games left to play, Norwich still have the chance to finish above Watford in the standings, and despite relegation already being confirmed, Tony says that is what he and the players must now concentrate on.
“It doesn’t feel good to get relegated but at the same time we have got to try and end the season on a high,” he said. “It didn’t go to plan to today, but we have got three more games to go to and we have got keep pushing and hopefully we will get some wins and go into next season a bit more confident.”