Wales Under-21s boss Paul Bodin says James Connolly's first call-up is deserved reward for his excellent Bristol Rovers form.
The 20-year-old defender joined the Gas on loan from Cardiff City in January, tightening up Rovers' defence en route to promotion to League Two. Joey Barton's side were beaten in just three of Connolly's 24 starts, in which he proved to be a perfect foil for fellow centre-half Connor Taylor.
Connolly – alongside Gas right-back Luca Hoole – has been called up to Bodin's squad for the Euro 2023 qualifiers against Netherlands and Gibraltar as a result. The Wales U21 manager says he has been impressed by what he has seen, but admitted it could be the defender's final opportunity to cement a place in his team.
"He is a player who fully deserves his call-up," Bodin told Wales Online. "I watched him many times in the under-23s, we are regular watchers of the under-23s, analysing them. James got an opportunity to go out on loan with Bristol Rovers, Luca Hoole there as well, so it was good to go and watch them. Both of them have had fantastic seasons.
"James is an uncompromising centre-half, a strong, powerful boy. He was in the system a few years ago when he was at Blackburn, but never quite broke into the various age groups.
"But this is kind of the last opportunity, this camp. Hopefully he will come in and enjoy it and embrace the opportunity. I've had a good conversation with him already. On the back of what he has achieved at Rovers this season, he could come in and really surprise us all and force himself into the team. I'm looking forward to him coming into the squad."
Connolly's future remains uncertain, with the Gas eager to have him back next season, but Cardiff have offered the defender a new contract. If an agreement cannot be met, Cardiff have a one-year option that will be triggered, giving manager Steve Morison the chance to assess the player in pre-season, forcing the Gas to play the waiting game.
"It'll be interesting to see what happens with him in the future, whether he can get in Cardiff's first team at Championship level or maybe go back to Rovers and have another season in League One," Bodin added.
"I'm very impressed with him, I think he's done exceptionally well. The run they were on, the last 30 games he played 24 or 25 of them. (He was) exceptional. To win promotion on the last day, I've seen some photos of him being carried through Gloucester Road and up in the stands in his kit! You've got to enjoy those times, they don't happen every season.
"He has got to learn from it, keep improving and hopefully get into the Cardiff team in pre-season."
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