Bristol City academy product Omar Taylor-Clarke still has to pinch himself when he has time to reflect on his whirlwind season.
His campaign started on loan at Yate Town in the Southern League Premier Division South, the seventh tier of the English football pyramid, before making his first-team debut in the New Year, playing against Premier League champions Manchester City and earning back-to-back league starts.
The 19-year-old midfielder has already smashed his goals to break into the first-team set-up, becoming the latest in a line of young players from the blossoming academy to take full advantage of the pathway into to the senior side. Taylor-Clarke has put in the hard yards in the youth set-up, watching the likes of Tommy Conway, Sam Bell and Cam Pring handed their opportunities, just hoping his time would come.
"It's been a massive motivation. Last season I've seen Tommy, Sam Bell and all of them lot breakthrough which has motivated me," he said in his first ever press conference. "You can see the pathway is really good.
"I set myself goals a few months ago and that was to play and to start and obviously now I've done that, I've got to change them to stay in this team.
"Sometimes I take time to think back about how it's happened. Sometimes it takes me back and then I've just got to remember what it has taken to get here and keep pushing, I can't stop now.
"I've had setbacks when I haven't been picked for the Under-21s but it's about resilience and how you come back from that and I think that's been a big part of it for me."
Born in Newport to Caribbean parents with a middle name of Rivaldo because of his father's love for the Brazilian legend, Taylor-Clarke joined City at Under-13 level with the Robins poaching him from rivals Cardiff City. He was spotted playing for Newport in the Welsh Schools when he was invited to a trial, eventually signing on the dotted line.
He agreed a new contract in October before he made a matchday squad, which will keep him at the club until 2025. Before speaking to the media, manager Nigel Pearson discussed the midfielder's promise, including the hard graft he has had to put in to earn himself a new deal when at one point, didn't seem so likely.
Pearson said: "It’s early days but he’s got the attributes and in terms of his physicality, he is aggressive. We’ve not seen the best of him technically yet because he’s a decent player.
"He’s got a long way to go but I am really pleased with what we have seen so far. I’m sure when you speak to him, he’s got a bit of humility about him.
"He’s a young man who has been close to not being given a contract here in the past and he has worked hard to work on his game. The rewards are there for everybody to see.
"I think it’s something for a wider picture with all of our youngsters in the academy, he is another example of working hard in the right way at some point you may get a chance."
Taylor-Clarke is under no allusions of the task at hand to keep his place but if he continues to perform at the levels he has shown already, there's no reason to suggest he can't have a long and bright future in BS3.
On his full debut away at Swansea City before the international break, he was arguably the best player on the pitch in a red shirt earning his place in the starting XI for the draw at home to Reading on Saturday.
"I was delighted," he added. "It was a big thing for me and I was really proud to start. I was just hoping to go out there and make an impact.
"So far I think I've done quite well, I think I had a good game against Swansea and hopefully I can just push on from there. Obviously, there were going to be some nerves but everyone helped me get past that.
"I was nervous of course but it was easy to settle in because I had so much support around me and how to get into the game - there was not a lot of pressure on me. Hopefully, there's more to come from me, I want to improve by getting on the ball more, and just dictating (the game) a little better. I think that will happen more when I get more comfortable playing more games."
Like almost all youngsters who have come through, Taylor-Clarke name-checked Andy King among the experienced senior pros who have played an influential part in his progression into the senior side. He added: "I think it's the fact he's always keeping you on track and telling you what you can do and stuff like that.
"When you play alongside him he will give you information on the pitch. If you need help you can go to him with anything with off the pitch - if you need answers about anything he'll get them to you."
There's a maturity in the way Taylor-Clarke talks that have translated onto the field in his performances. As a natural box-to-box player, he's versatile playing in the deeper role or pushing higher up the field, a position he played frequently for the youth side.
Versatility and high energy levels remain paramount to become a success in a Pearson side, both of which Taylor-Clarke has at his disposal. He has provided himself with the solid foundations to build on, now his focus will be to continue his rise to the top.
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