Phil Sumbler
It has been quite the two weeks for Liam Cullen. From speaking after the Plymouth game about the “togetherness” in the squad to making a full Wales debut against Gibraltar it is now the next stage of a whirlwind period when he hopes to play a part in beating the league leaders on Saturday afternoon.
The Swans will welcome Leicester City to the Swansea.com Stadium on Saturday afternoon with two impressive runs of form on the line with one of them at least guaranteed to end. Leicester have won their last six league games whilst the Swans go into the game on the back of four straight league wins that has seen them move away from the bottom three positions to the relative comfort of mid table.
It is little doubt that Cullen is relishing the chance to test himself against the division’s best especially coming off the back of his full Wales debut highlighting just the current position of his career.
Cullen’s debut came in the recent 4-0 friendly win against Gibraltar at the Racecourse Ground and it was a moment that will clearly stick long in the mind of the player who told Wales Online after the game “For me and my family, everyone who’s played a part in getting me to this point, it was a proud moment. It was the proudest moment of my life. To have my mum and dad there and a few of my friends was unbelievable for me.
“But while I’m proud to get that first cap it’s just made me want to play even more because I had so much fun out there. I loved every minute of it. So it just makes me want to put that shirt on again.
“My first call-up was in March, and while I’ve been itching to play there’s been some great players ahead of me. The likes of Harry Wilson, Brooksy, DJ.
“To come in and work with them, and to see Ramsey as well. I hadn’t trained with him before, so although I wanted to play, to come in and train and learn off them for the week to 10 days I was there, it’s really helped me.”
Cullen was back on the bench on Sunday night as Wales beat Croatia 2-1 in Cardiff to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for Euro 2024 but for now it is back to club duty this weekend and that all important clash against Leicester.
“It is still very early on in the season, there is a lot of football still to be played and I think the aim for us now is to become that consistent team by continuing to show what we have shown over these last four or five games,” said Cullen.
“It’s been a real team effort from everyone. It’s not just about the 11 who have started games, but we have had subs coming off the bench, bringing energy and making an impact. You just look at Ollie Cooper in the Plymouth game, everyone is playing their part.
“Hopefully we can keep kicking on, and taking on the league leaders at home is an exciting game to come back to.
“The fans have been brilliant with us and the atmosphere they have created in these last few games has been incredible, and I’m sure they are looking forward to it as much as we are.
“I think it’s going to be a great atmosphere and it’s an exciting challenge for us.”
