Bruce: Dream come true

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BRUCE Minaker’s first interview since signing professional terms with his boyhood club for the first time.

Watch the interview here.

Well, Bruce, the first professional deal, it’s a big deal in any footballer’s career, but I suppose the fact that it’s here, that must make it extra special for you?

Yes, I don’t think I’d rather be anywhere else, to be honest. Obviously, I love the club. I’ve played here a long time, and I’ve come to watch here a long time, so I think knowing that I’ll be here at least until the end of the season is something that I’m really proud of.

What kind of conversations have you had from a footballing perspective… what’s the manager said to you about your progress over the last few months?

He said that they’re really happy with me, that I’ve progressed, I’ve become a little bit more like a man, I suppose. I’m playing football that suits what he’s after with the team.

But I think we’re all of the same mind, and I’m not shy to say that I’m not the finished article, and I need to keep working to stay here and get a lot better.

You’ve had some experiences within the first-team group. Big chances to win it at Bedford, of course! You’ve had the range of wins, defeats, you’ve been in and around a lot of stuff over the last couple of months. What do you make of that?

Obviously, the main thing I want to do when I go on is score a goal. I think I’m getting in the right areas and it’s only a matter of time because I do back myself in front of goal.

Being trusted to affect the game is really important to me and I really appreciate all the trust I’ve been given at the moment.

You’ve done a lot of interviews over the last couple of months about your journey from being a Harriers fan, to being a Harriers player. Those are out there for people to see and to catch up on the story in general, but what would be a short version for you? Because obviously, you’ve had a connection almost all the way through, haven’t you?

Yes. So, I grew up with the club, really. I started coming to watch here when I was five, joined the academy when I was 11 years old and I’ve been here ever since.

I started training with the first team pre-season, went on loan and then been around it in the last two months or so. It’s been going really well and here I am.

If you look at a footballer’s journey, there’s every potential, hopefully, you’d still be playing football in 20 years’ time, but the memories you’ll make now, I guess these will be the ones that stay with you forever, won’t they?

Yes, a hundred per cent. I think it’s something that’s really personal to me, having grown up in the town and been coming to watch here since I was little.

There’s obviously a big family connection there as well. So, it’s something that I’m really proud of and I won’t be forgetting it anytime soon.

There’s been a big growth over the last five or six years in the club’s younger fan base, if you like, some of the younger supporters, and there’ll be plenty of those, I’m sure, that are interested in perhaps a football career once they leave school or college or uni or whatever it is. What would be your advice to them if they are interested?

Just stick at it and you’ve got to take pride in trying to get better and being the best that you can be. I’ve been really lucky.

I’ve had a lot of support from a lot of great coaches in my time here. But I think you’ve also got to take some responsibility yourself, for your own development and do those extras and see how far you can push it.

How do you feel about the range of opportunity that’s, yes, in football all around the country now, but especially here, because it feels like there’s something for everyone.

Yes, exactly. I think there’s a lot to develop you as a person as well as a player.

I’ve been working with Nick in the [Foundation], but that started sort of maybe November time, my first year of college, before I was working with him properly.

But there was opportunities to both coach and referee, school tournaments, stuff like that. So there’s a lot to get yourself out there. Stuff off the pitch as well as on it as well, which I know is just as important.

Education wise, it’s been really good. So I’m lucky, really. It’s a really good programme. Obviously, I’ve been fortunate enough to take it quite far with football, so far anyway! And that’s what I’ll look to carry on doing. But I think it’s important you have a backup plan as well. And that’s something that I don’t neglect.

Talk to us about the spot from where you would have watched games here with your family and everything. Whereabouts were you?

So when I just started coming, I was just over there in the North Stand towards the food. And I could sort of just see over the top of the barrier there.

And then I was over there in the east stand. Right in that corner up there was where I was when we beat Reading. And when we played West Ham as well, I was up there.

For the last three or four years, I’ve been around here, just in the Main Stand. So here, there and everywhere.

I know you’re not one to worry too much about sentiment because you want to get work done and there’s business to be taken care of, but do you ever afford yourself a look around those three spots and think about the journey you’ve been on?

Yes, I do come out and have a look at the pitch before a game just to sort of, it helps ground me.

Obviously, football can be quite pressurising and being somewhere so familiar, I think it’s really easy for me to get ready for a game and feel comfortable where I am.

Being quite local to the area, it’s something that, you know, it’s brilliant for me to play here. And I’ve had a few games on here, not just with First Team, but obviously with the U18s as well, so I’ve become really comfortable getting on this pitch, so I’m really happy with it.

And does it still excite you?

Yeah, a hundred percent. You get used to all the music. Obviously, I’ve been listening to it since I was about ten! So I’ll be warming up and I know what song’s coming on next.

So we need to change it up a bit, is what you’re saying?!

[Laughs] No, not at all. Yeah, just… a dream come true.

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