A Dream Come True, Says Dewsbury-Hall
- Leicester City’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall made his Premier League bow in the 2-1 win over Norwich City on Saturday
- The 22-year-old played the final few minutes of the encounter at Carrow Road, coming off the bench to replace James Maddison
- He was delighted to play a role in helping the Foxes gain three points and get back on track in the top-flight
- City's Academy graduate now hopes to push on and continue to contribute to Brendan Rodgers’ side during the 2021/22 season
Goals in each half from Jamie Vardy and Marc Albrighton sealed three points for Brendan Rodgers’ men and it was a memorable day for one Foxes player in particular, as another Academy graduate was handed his top-flight bow in Norfolk.
Coming on as an 86th-minute substitute for James Maddison, Dewsbury-Hall helped to see the game out as Leicester withstood late pressure from the hosts, who were searching for a second equaliser after Teemu Pukki’s penalty had previously levelled the scores.
“You can’t ask for much more than that,” a delighted Dewsbury-Hall said in his interview with LCFC TV after the final whistle. “It’s a dream come true for me.
“It’s probably one of the best days of my life and one of the best days of my footballing career to date and I’m just so happy to finally say I’ve played in the Premier League. It just fills me with pride and I’m so happy and thankful for everyone that’s helped me along the way.”
Joining the Club at the age of eight, the midfielder rose through the ranks at the Academy before excelling in City’s Development Squad, ahead of highly successful loans spells with Blackpool and then Luton Town in the Football League.
The 22-year-old believes those experiences have provided a good grounding and enabled him to be ready for the rigours of Premier League football, along with enjoying regular minutes during a solid pre-season that included scoring against Queens Park Rangers.
But rather than resting on his significant latest milestone – and the win - Dewsbury-Hall is targeting more individual and team successes in the months to come.
“I’ve seen a lot of lads come and go over those years,” the Shepshed-born youngster continued. “But I don’t think there’s a lot of lads that start at seven and eight and end up playing in the Premier League for their hometown club.
“It’s just made me more determined now to kick on and really keep progressing. I’m hoping now in the years to come I can continue to play at that level and continue to grow and develop as a player. I just need to soak it in and look back and be proud of myself.”
He also believes the debut demonstrates the faith instilled in him by Rodgers, who watched him progress over pre-season, and he was content with his own contribution to keep the Canaries at bay.
The midfielder explained: “He [Rodgers] just said to go and enjoy yourself, make sure that you work off the ball and keep a good structure and just remain disciplined, but most importantly, just enjoy yourself because it’s a day that I’ve waited a long time for.
“It gives me great confidence knowing that he trusts me in tough moments in the game. Obviously, I’ve come on in the game when Norwich are looking for an equaliser and they are pushing well.
“So I knew that it would be tough to come on to that sort of situation and I was happy that I managed to keep the team in the game and we’ve gone home with three points, because that makes the long journey a lot sweeter.”