New Scotland Under-21s cap Henry Fieldson has urged English Premier League youngsters to take their chance in the Scottish pyramid and escape the ‘falseness’ of academy football over the border.
Fieldson, who moved to St Mirren for a six-figure fee in June, came through the ranks at Sunderland but opted to turn down a new contract at the Academy of Light in the summer of 2024 as he chased more regular first-team experience, before joining Queen’s Park a little over two years ago.
A regular for the Spiders in the Championship, the 21-year-old defender made a big impression at Queen’s Park, and courted the attention of several sides in the Premiership and England Football League. However, Craig McLeish’s side won the race for his signature, and his strong start to the campaign has been rewarded with a first call-up to the Under-21s squad.
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Fieldson has enjoyed a strong start to life with St Mirren after joining the club in the summer.placeholder image
Fieldson has enjoyed a strong start to life with St Mirren after joining the club in the summer. | SNS Group
Making his debut for Tony Docherty’s side in Wednesday 5-2 win over Azerbaijan, Fieldson reflected on his growth over the last 24 months, saying: “I'd encourage anyone to do that. It's the best thing you can do as a young player. Academy football can be false, in the sense that there is no real reason to win. Competition is a massive thing for development, and having that winning mentality being installed in you from a younger age is great.
“I put a lot of emphasis on my years at Queen's Park and the position I'm in now. If I stayed at Sunderland, I truly believe I wouldn't be in this position. When I made the decision to leave Sunderland. I was 19. I could have stayed, I've seen boys stay there until they are 21 and go through the whole process. Fair play to them. It works for some, and not for others. I knew my path was different.
“Moving away from home is such a good thing at a young age. It makes you grow up and mature. I look at myself now and I don't think I look 21, or act 21. I've had a tough paper round as they say. But it sets you up lovely for life. I massively love and respect Sunderland for the work they put in up until that point, but I knew I had hit my limit. I didn't think I'd get much more development playing academy football. It's been a good start [at St Mirren], the club are in a good position and in the top half of the table. Long may that continue. To have this opportunity to represent my country is a massive thing. I'm really happy to do it."
Lining up on the left-hand side of a back three, Fieldson’s position mirrored how he’s been asked to play in the opening weeks of St Mirren’s season and is excited by the how new Scotland Under-21 head coach Docherty is asking his side to play. “I found it easy to slot in,” he said. “I enjoyed it. I like getting on the ball and playing, and I'm sure everyone does. It allows our creative players to show what they can do, and we've got some amazing talent out there and if you can get them on the half turn, they can be very dangerous as you saw by us scoring five goals.
"I think it is the best way forward. That style of football allows the best players on the pitch to show why they are the best players on the pitch. It allows them to play what I call ‘fun football’, like you're playing in your backyard. The best teams do that as opposed to sort of transition style football. In my opinion, the way forward is by getting the ball down and playing.”
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