James Morris believes his hard work in Watford’s youth ranks is paying off after making a professional debut in the Emirates FA Cup this afternoon.
The 20-year-old has been on the bench four times in the Premier League over recent weeks but got his first taste of the action at Leicester City, selected to start the third-round tie at left-back by Claudio Ranieri.
“It’s a disappointing result because we wanted to get as far as we could in the cup, but on a personal note, to be able to make my debut is obviously a dream come true,” said Morris after the 4-1 defeat.
“All the hard work you put in over the years is for days like this, to play in a big stadium in front of loads of fans and I absolutely enjoyed it.
“Being on the bench was a great experience but it’s not quite the same as being on the pitch. Being in and around it for a bit now, I’ve got used to what you have to do but being involved is the next step and hopefully there’s many more to come.”
Morris featured for the full 90 minutes and impressed, not looking out of place despite lining up directly opposite experienced Leicester winger and former Premier League champion Marc Albrighton.
“It’s strange going from watching players on TV to then all of a sudden having to mark them,” he admitted. “But I thought I coped alright and it’s a dream come true.”
By the end of the game he’d been joined on the pitch by Shaq Forde and Kamil Conteh, two fellow Academy players making their debut from the bench, a source of immense pride for the youngster who is now hungry for more.
“I think that made it nicer. Obviously I’ve played with them all this season, so for us to all be on the pitch at the end, it makes it even better,” said Morris.
“After enjoying it so much you just want to get more and more games, so I’ll just keep working hard in training and hopefully more games will come. If I get another opportunity, I’ll just try to take it again and that’s all I can do.”
