Rhys Allport has described his first-ever Wales international camp as a ‘priceless’ experience.
The Crewe Alexandra forward was a last-minute addition to Cymru’s U17 European Championship squad, having been called upon to replace George Morgan, who withdrew from the squad.
Having played no part during the qualification stages, Allport concedes he never thought he would make the squad for the finals.
Whilst he is yet to feature in either of Craig Knight’s 20-man match-day squads, has enjoyed every moment of his maiden international camp.
“It’s been an amazing experience and something I won’t forget. The Euros is such a big tournament and especially being my first call-up, it’s been a great experience.
“This is a whole new group of people for me, which made me nervous at the start, but I feel as though I’ve settled in really well.
“They said that togetherness is one of Wales’ biggest morals and I’ve definitely felt that since coming in.
“All the staff and all the lads have been brilliant with me and I’ve felt like part of the team from the very beginning.
“Some of the people I’ve seen around the hotel are big names for this age which has been amazing. This experience has been priceless and not something I ever thought would happen to me.”
Allport received the news of his call-up from his dad, whilst at his girlfriend’s house, and had very little time to prepare himself for his maiden Wales camp.
“I’d been told I was on standby and I was not expecting anything, but then my dad called me at 5 o’clock and said ‘They want you there as soon as possible,’” the 16-year-old recalls.
“I thought he meant they wanted me to get there for the next day, but they wanted me there that night.
“I had to go home to pack my stuff together and get there straight away. My girlfriend was very excited for me.”
Due to the nature of his call-up, Allport only had a small window of time to prepare himself to join up with the rest of the squad.
And with an international tournament on the horizon, he says he needed to quickly shift his mentality to be ready to compete with his peers.
“Being on standby had been a relaxed experience because I wasn’t expecting anything, but all of a sudden you’re in with the main squad who are going to be playing the big games so you do have to switch on. I think I handled it quite well.”
After suffering defeat to Ireland, the Wales players enjoyed some social activities in a bid to rejuvenate the feeling in the camp ahead of their final game against Group A leaders Poland.
“The feeling is really positive,” Allport added. “We already know our fate which is unfortunate because I think the lads have worked really hard and we have been unlucky during the previous two games.
“After such disappointment, you need that social aspect to bring the team back together. There are some names in the squad with big personalities like Joe Andrews and Charlie Crew who are really good at getting the group back together.
“As a whole, the group are such a close-knit squad that even after such disappointment for them to bounce back and be as positive as they have is a real achievement, and I think the coaching staff deserve some credit for that.”
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