HARRISON BURROWS went to Wembley for the first time to watch his Peterborough heroes win the EFL Trophy.
And tomorrow — exactly 10 years later — he will captain his home-town club under the arch in the final of the same competition against Wycombe.
The 22-year-old left-back remembers the 3-1 win over Chesterfield whetting his appetite to one day being a professional footballer but would never have imagined he too would be treading the hallowed turf.
He told SunSport: “I went with most of my family because we were all Posh fans — and lots of my friends were there too.
“As a young kid, just 12, I was in awe of the stadium and atmosphere.
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“Even walking down Wembley Way and seeing everyone chanting Peterborough songs was mind-blowing for me.
“And then you get inside the stadium and it’s ‘wow’.
It’s inspiring to see a game at Wembley and since that day it’s always been my dream to play there. If you’d told me then that 10 years later I’d be one of those players in a cup final there, I’d have been wowed."
HARRISON BURROWS
“I cannot remember too much of the game apart from being nervous but do remember being jealous of the players and hoping to one day be out there on the pitch.
“It’s inspiring to see a game at Wembley and since that day it’s always been my dream to play there. If you’d told me then that 10 years later I’d be one of those players in a cup final there, I’d have been wowed and so excited by that though.
“And that is exactly how I’m feeling this week ahead of realising that dream.”
Burrows has been to Wembley a number of times to watch England as a fan.
But since becoming a professional footballer, he cannot go to games and watch like any other supporter would.
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He said: “When you go to Wembley as a 12-year-old you’re celebrating like crazy when a goal is scored.
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“But as I’ve grown up, it’s different. When I go and watch England, I’ll watch players in my position and compare myself.
“I’m still fiercely passionate — especially as a Peterborough fan — but just watch games a bit differently now.”
One of the players in the Posh team that day was Grant McCann while the manager was Darren Ferguson.
And it is ironic that both have gone on to be of huge influence on Burrows’ own career.
For it was McCann who first spotted him as a kid in a match at the Peterborough academy and gave him his first-team debut at the age of FIFTEEN.
Burrows said: “It was the school summer holidays and I came into the club to train with the youth team.
“We were having an 11 v 11 game. McCann was the manager then and was watching. I scored a decent goal.
‘He stopped the game, took me off the pitch and said: ‘You are coming to train with the first team’ and I was buzzing full of confidence.
“And then just three days later he told me I was going to be on the bench for the Ipswich game. I came on for the last 20 minutes.
“I was properly nervous but the whole day I had this weird feeling inside me that was saying, ‘Is this actually real?’
“Dad dropped me off at the stadium and sat me down. Michael Bostwich, who was a very experienced pro, put his arm around me and said, ‘What an unbelievable opportunity you have, don’t think about it, just enjoy it.’
“I’d never been in an environment like that before.
“I was warming up, not thinking I’m going to come on. The next thing you know, McCann called me over to send me on for the last 20 minutes.
“I had butterflies but the strange thing is once you step on the pitch all that instantly disappears and you just enjoy playing and take everything in your stride.”
Burrows had to wait two years until he finally broke into the first-team properly under Darren Ferguson.
And despite only being 22 now, he has already clocked 177 appearances for Posh.
So impressive has been his development that he is attracting interest from other clubs. Celtic had a bid rejected during the January window.
Ferguson making him captain in January has been a further endorsement in how influential a player he has become.
He said: “That was a big honour. Peter Kioso was our captain because he had so much experience but Rotherham recalled him from his loan.
“So the gaffer pulled me into his office and told me, ‘You’re ready for the responsibility, I’m going to make you captain.’”
“We’re a young squad and all have the desire to play at the highest level — so it’s all been about maintaining high standards and if you see anyone with their heads down, pull them over for a chat. I’m enjoying the responsibility.”
Burrows has been one of the outstanding players in League One this season. The left-back is joint second in the assists table by setting up 12 so far and has chipped in with five goals of his own.
And he revealed he was secretly happy his ‘goal’ in the 3-1 defeat to Carlisle on Friday was awarded to Joel Randall.
He laughed: “At first I thought, ‘no, it’s my goal’ but then realised that was another assist - and I want to be top of the assists at the end of the season.”
If Posh win tomorrow, Burrows will have the honour of holding aloft the trophy — and he said: “It would be a dream come true. All my family and friends will be there and it's going to be a privilege to play on such a stage.
"And if we win, it would give us a great lift as we try to win promotion back to the Championship."
