Bowen's rise from Hereford to Europe

Jarrod Bowen made his Hull debut at 19 but he was no academy boy. His rise to the Premier League, the brink of an England cap and now a European quarter-final, began in non-league with Hereford United prior to their expulsion from the old Football Conference.

As Hereford's captain Luke Graham recalls, this was a dramatic story, a season that had everything as the Bulls avoided relegation by winning their last two games even with the club in crisis. Little did they know they had a future Premier League star in their midst.

"It was a massive experience for Jarrod," Graham tells Sky Sports. "Watching a group of men fighting for their lives, coming together despite not being paid, he has seen all that. He has seen aspects of football that other young lads have not been exposed to."

Bowen was a boyhood fan. His father cut the grass at Edgar Street. But this was, as Graham points out, "a dark time" as two relegations in four seasons had seen Hereford drop out of the Football League. The resulting financial crisis would ultimately see the club collapse.

But before all that, there was the joy of Bowen making his debut, his goal against Alfreton that helped save the club from the drop, and a celebratory night out to remember. "Jarrod will have many memories now but I guarantee he won't ever forget that."

It was a desperate time. Players were going unpaid and while Bowen was only 17, others had families to look after and mortgages to pay. As captain, much of the responsibility fell on Graham to ensure lives were not being ruined. "It was very tough mentally," he says.

"I would go in on a Monday to get the gate receipts, making sure everyone had what they needed to survive. The challenge was to make sure we kept training. I was