U18s
Jack Wilson Interview
11th April 2018
Wednesday 11th April
Jack Wilson has featured on a regular basis for the under 20s this season playing in central defence and after last night’s game against Hearts at the Oriam Performance Centre at Heriot-Watt University the 17-year-old spoke to the Official Website. “We started the game well. The first half we played the ball about very well. We got two good goals; the first one we passed the ball well in the build-up and it was a good finish from Kyle McClean. The second one again we passed the ball quickly which gave us an opportunity and Jamie Docherty did well when one-on-one with the keeper and it was a really nice finish. After playing well first half, we didn’t play well second half and it’s been the story of the season for us. We dominated the first half but we didn’t start the second half as well. We were slow and sloppy and we didn’t have that intensity we had in the first half. The goals we conceded were poor. The first one was a cross into the box and we let the Hearts player get a free header. The second one the ball was given away up the other end of the park and they have just broke away and the third one Ben and myself both went for the same ball in the centre of the park and misjudged it and it let the Hearts player in. Three very poor goals and it just was not good enough.”
Jack then went on the reflect how the season has gone for the under 20s. “It’s been up and down. We started quite well and then we dipped around about October up until the winter break. When we came back in January and beat Rangers we thought that was it and we would kick on from their however that’s not been the case. We lost five games on the bounce and its not been good enough. The team has changed a bit and we have had some first team players involved and we have also tried some different formations. However, the previous two games we have played well, it was two good results against Kilmarnock and Motherwell but tonight we started well but that didn’t last the whole match. That also happened the last time we played Hearts earlier in the season. We have three games left and our aim now is to finish as high as possible in the league.”
Jack has been with Saints since the summer of 2016 and the central defender then spoke about his career so far and how he joined Saints. “I played boys club in my local area down in Clydebank and then I got picked up by Rangers. I spent 8 to 9 months with them before I went back to boys club. Saints then approached me at the start of last season and I went on trial and played in a couple of tournaments in pre-season and loved it. I loved working with the boys, the setup and the coaches and it just felt good for me even though it’s a lot of travelling for me. I don’t drive yet so I travel up on the train from Glasgow on a Monday morning. Its long hours but in the end it will be worth it. So far it has been worth it and I am loving it. It has been a great season and I feel I have really progressed well. I feel that I am still developing as a player and getting better every time I play.”
The central defender is under contract for next season and Jack went on to discuss what his highlight has been this season and his aims for the next couple of years. “I not a notorious goal scorer but I did score a goal last week against Kilmarnock and that would probably be my highlight of the season so far. We also get to train with the first team now and again and just being in that environment is really good as I try to integrate myself into the first team down the line. I really like the competition with Ben Quigley the other centre half and the way it works. We have both been breaking through this season so we are still young. They usually put a young centre half into the first team so it is really good competition to fight with him for that other centre half spot. It has been a good season and I have enjoyed it a lot. Next season I have to kick on and start the season off well and get a good run going. I aim to break into the first team in the long term. It’s a long way off just now but that is definitely the goal.”
Interview by Daryl Scott