You could say Premier League leaders Chelsea are keeping tabs on Tyrone Mings because they have one of their scouts at virtually every Town game.
It just happens to be Mings’s father, Adie, who has been working for the Londoners for two years and will be in the crowd for Sunday’s away clash with Nottingham Forest.
Mings, 21, said: "He tries to get to as many games as he can and when he speaks to me it’s as a person in football more than a dad. He sees a lot of games and players doing well, getting moves and getting into the top flight.
"He tries to speak to me from a more educated point of view rather than just a dad saying ‘You can do what you want’.
"I like that and I think it helps me to pay attention to him more because he knows what he is talking about and I know what he can offer me in terms of his knowledge.
"He played Conference level and then he was manager of Chippenham before I played for them. As soon as he left to join Chelsea I went and played for Chippenham.
"He gets sent to games that are on their list so he can do anything from U15s and U16s to checking on players who are out on loan or players they are interested in signing. He goes abroad to watch players.
"He also works in a school so during the holidays he can be watching games four nights a week as well as at weekends. I don’t know if he has recommended me to Chelsea but there’s time if he wants to!”
Given his current status and that Crystal Palace had a £3 million pre-deadline bid for him rejected by Town, it makes it all the more baffling that 6ft 3ins tall Mings was shown the door by Southampton when he was 15.
He recalled: "When they released me they gave me a mixture of reasons. One was that they didn’t have any money because they had just dropped into League One.
"Another one was that I wasn’t big enough. I was quite small at the time. When I was 15 I was quite wiry and 5ft 7ins or 5ft 8ins maybe.
"In this country they like kids that age to be big, strong, quick and able to bully people. I guess I didn’t fit the bill at the time. I haven’t a clue why I suddenly started growing.
"My dad’s not that tall — about 5ft 10ins — but my grandparents are tall so maybe it just skipped a generation.”
Meanwhile, Mings thinks there could be other players out there who could follow his route into the big-time.
But he explained: "You can take the best player out of non-league and they might not have the right attitude, while you can take other players who are not as good technically but will have a better attitude. I know I was fortunate that I got my opportunity when I did.”