Sammie Szmodics hungry for success as dream debut looms

Ten years on from making his debut for his hometown club, Sammie Szmodics still rates his time at Colchester United as his standout moment in football.

In the meantime, Szmodics has worked his way through the leagues, and a few clubs, arriving at Blackburn Rovers via Bristol City and Peterborough, kicked off by a loan move in the non-leagues with Braintree Town.

But that fulfilment of a schoolboy dream, growing up to play professional football in front of family and friends, with the beloved crest on your chest, looks set to be finally surpassed as an international debut looms for the in-form Ewood Park forward.

Szmodics is a late arrival onto the international scene as a 28-year-old, however, he has been part of the conversation over the past three years, missing out through injury, then personal reasons and finally manager preference.

But now the Championship's top scorer has returned to the Ireland squad, under interim manager John O’Shea, and looks likely to feature in one or both of the upcoming games against Belgium on Saturday and Switzerland next Tuesday.

"To this day, it's still family and friends who are Colchester fans, so to make my debut there and play 100 games is probably the best thing to happen in my career," said Szmodics, speaking at Tuesday’s press conference. "I scored some important goals in my career, but that's definitely my favourite, most important thing.

"Ultimately, the international debut would top that, it would be amazing, but for my dad and my family, who are from Ireland, it would be a massive thing for them."

Szmodics qualifies for Ireland through his late grandmother, Annette Hyne, who hailed from County Longford, and having delved through the paperwork, he secured his Irish passport, but has