Blues youngster Ben Folami is set to win his fourth Australian U19s cap this afternoon when the Young Socceroos take on Saudi Arabia in the quarter-finals of the AFC U19 Championship in Indonesia (KO 12.30pm, stream on Socceroos website).
Striker Folami, 19, scored one and assisted one during the group stages of the competition.
In addition to progressing to the semi-finals, the winners of today’s game will qualify for next year’s FIFA U20 World Cup in Poland.
Folami made two Blues starts - one in the Championship and one in the Carabao Cup - last season in addition to three sub appearances.
In an interview with PlayersVoice.com.au, Folami says those games are just the beginning of his senior career.
"At the end of the day you play all that time to get to a stage like that, the Championship, it’s one of the toughest leagues in the world and to play and have an impact on the game [his Championship debut as a sub against Millwall] was such a big deal for me and my family.
"I played three games after that and I started one game, I played 90 minutes against Reading. That was amazing.
"A lot of hard work and sacrifice has led to this stage and here I am, I’ve done really well. But it’s only the start, I’ve got to keep going, I can get better and better.”
Folami joined Town after former Liverpool man Craig Johnston sent former boss Mick McCarthy a video of the then-15-year-old frontman in action.
McCarthy liked what he saw and Sydney-born Folami joined the Blues academy, which he says was initially a culture shock.
"As a youngster everyone who starts off playing football wants to go to England,” he added. "Then when I got there one time a kid thought I took something from his wash bag, another kid had told him it was me.
"Basically, I went out to train and when I came back in the laces out of my shoes were gone, they’d tied them all up with tape. I was thinking, ‘Wow, what I have I got myself into here!’.
"For them it’s like life or death, so to go into that environment it took a bit of time, to be honest.”
He added: "When I did go over there, I realised how hard it is. Even the environment, the way the kids are, it’s very different to Australia.
"It’s a lot more cut-throat, they’re more brutal I would say than in Australia because the way they see it, if someone comes in they’re trying to take your position so they’re not going to treat you well, they’re not going to treat you with respect, not at first anyway. You have to earn that respect
"The way I was playing here, it was just dribbling, dribbling, going through because I had the talent, not in a cocky way but because I could.
"Then when I got there I tried to do it a bit at first but I guess I learned pretty quickly, I had to or else I wouldn’t have played. That’s something that they taught me quickly.”
Reflecting on his ambitions with Australia and once he is back with Town, he said: "When I did get the call eventually I thought, ‘Wow, this took a bit of time’, to be honest, but that’s just the way it is, it can take time once you do leave the country.
"Hopefully we’ll qualify for the U20 World Cup and then go to the World Cup and smash it. Hopefully from there Ante Milicic, who is the coach now, can give a good recommendation to [national team manager] Graham Arnold who I know he’s close to and hopefully I’ll play for the Socceroos from there.
"Aside from that, in club football, I’ve got to break into the team again like I did last season. A new manager has come in, it can change things, that can happen, that’s football.
"I’m confident in myself that I can break back into the team and get some more appearances and I know that when I do I’ll take my chance.”