Hornets youngster Kamil Conteh expressed his delight at making his first-team debut for Watford in the Emirates FA Cup fixture against Leicester City.
The 19-year-old midfielder made his way onto the pitch to replace captain Moussa Sissoko with 15 minutes to go and, despite the result, was extremely thankful to his fellow teammates, the academy and first-team coaching staff following the match.
“I’m delighted that my debut has come,” Conteh said.
“Thanks to all the staff at Watford, both the first-team staff and the academy staff for everything they do, for giving me the chance to show what I can do. I’m hugely grateful.
“I’ve been with the first team since before Christmas, so I’ve been getting a sniff that maybe something could happen. I’ve been making sure I’m giving 110 per cent in training, to show the Head Coach and everyone else that I’m good enough to make it.
“Moussa [Sissoko] and Tom [Cleverley] are both top professionals. Their names speak for themselves – they’ve played a lot of games for Watford, other clubs and internationally, so learning little bits from them every day is priceless.”
Although Conteh noticed a significant difference in pace and concentration when comparing first-team and academy football, the Englishman was up for the challenge after finding out he was going to feature following a conversation with Head Coach Claudio Ranieri.
“It was today, he [Ranieri] just told me to be ready if anything happened, and to go on and show everyone what I can do,” Conteh added.
“The intensity is the main difference at this level. I think people are one step ahead, so before they receive the ball they know their next pass, or if you’re pressing someone, they might receive the ball and change what they were going to do. You’ve just got to be ready for anything that happens and keep your concentration.”
Alongside Conteh, his academy teammates Shaq Forde and James Morris also made their debuts, with the midfielder explaining how special a moment it was. The Englishman is now hoping to carry this momentum into the next few matches.
“We’ve all been playing with each other in the Under-23s and working hard,” he said.
“The results haven’t been the best but we’ve all been pushing, and for all of us to get our debut today is amazing.
“I’m just excited to see what can happen. If I can stay at this level and just show the boss I’m ready to go, then hopefully I’ll get more minutes.”
