May 17, 2013 at 3:19 p.m.
Wells: Final is career-defining
Most Wembley finals are career-defining.
But for Nahki Wells, tomorrow’s League Two play-off final against Northampton (kick-off 9:30am Bermuda time) is the most important game of his career.
While he admits he wouldn’t have believed that in February when the build-up to the League Cup final against Swansea reached fever pitch, getting promoted to League One would be a major step forward for the 22-year-old Bermudian.
Asked which one he’d rather win if given the choice, he told the Bermuda Sun: “I would choose the play-off final — now that I feel the urge and the opportunity of it for the club.
“At the time I didn’t realize the importance of it because we were outside the play-offs and the League Cup final was huge but now I feel the importance of it to the club, the manager, the fans and the players and how important this could be to our careers.”
Wells, as against Swansea, will make history for this island. He is set to become only the second Bermudian, along with Shaun Goater, to play at Wembley twice, and has another chance to become the first to ever score at the famous stadium.
It’s a feat he admits is on his mind: “That’s something that would be fantastic.
“But if I put in a good performance that sort of thing will take care of itself.
“I think if I play well I will score. We just have to get out there, play well and get the win.
“It’s something that is in the back on my mind – but if it happens, it will mean we’re doing well.”
Wells’ recent goalscoring form — he has seven in his past eight games — has not only propelled his team to the semi-final after a crucial double in the semi-final second leg against Burton but it also sparked off renewed transfer speculation.
Burnley, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth are all said to be interested in securing the former Dandy Town man’s signature for next season.
Would he play another season in League Two? Could this match dictate where he plays his football next season?
“I have no idea,” he said. “I’m just going to go out there and do the best I can.
“If my best helps me progress then so be it but the worse case scenario [in my opinion] is we’ll be playing League One football.”
Going into tomorrow’s game, Wells takes enormous heart from his run of goals and, crucially, the value of them.
He said: “Every goal for a striker is important but some are more so. The three goals in the two legs against Burton, if we get promoted, will be very important for the club.”
Log on to www.bermudasun.vm tomorrow for live updates plus:
Comments:
You must login to comment.