Gleeson set for biggest season

He can count a full Ireland cap and a ringing endorsement from Barcelona's head scout among the accolades he's collected in the 14 months since he penned his first professional contract with Wolves.

But the 19-year-old still hasn't got the one thing he craves the most – a Molineux starting role.

Now, ahead of what he confesses is the "biggest season of his life", the teenage starlet is ready to strike out and justify his tag as one of Ireland's most promising young players.

Barring injury or similar catastrophe Gleeson should break his gold and black duck in the upcoming campaign, but the Crumlin-born playmaker has his sights set on a bigger target – breaking the Karl Henry, Seyi Olofinjana and Darren Potter's midfield strangle hold next year.

Speaking from Wolves' Portmanock training base he said: "It's a big season for me now and my aim is just to try and play every week if I can. To do that I know I have to keep training well and show the gaffer that I'm good enough to keep playing in his team," he said.

"I don't want to be happy just to be sat on the bench, I want to try and prove I can play week-in week-out. There's some real competition in midfield at the moment with four of us in there at the moment and with the likes of Kev O'Connor and Mark Davies when he gets back.

"There's six great central midfielders there so I know there's going to be a lot of competition for places – but I've got to be able to compete and prove myself."

Judging from the pre-season shadow boxing on Wolves' mini-tour of Ireland Gleeson is not far away from McCarthy's thoughts as he weighs up potential midfield combinations.

The playmaker has been a central figure in the two training sessions, and looked an assured presence when called off the bench against Bray on Wednesday. Gleeson freely admits that being so close to home has helped him make a good impression on Wolves' mini-tour of Ireland.

His boyhood home in Crumlin is a mere 40 minute motorway drive from the players' plush hotel in Portmanock – something he took advantage of when he travelled back for some home cooking during the players' afternoon off yesterday.

"I do love coming home, it's a real buzz for me from the minute we come into the airport and get off that plane," he said. "Even though I've moved over to England and am very happy it's good to come back home and see the family.

"My mum and dad have been over to watch me in England before but over here the whole family can get to games and I had cousins, aunties and uncles all at Wednesday night's game."

Leaving Ireland as a teenager helped toughen up a young Gleeson – and his progress has been spectacular since leaving Crumlin as a wiry youngster.

His Academy form was consistent enough to earn him a Molineux contract in the dying days of the Glenn Hoddle era and a spell on loan last year has catapulted him into Wolves thoughts ahead of a crucial season in the McCarthy era.

"I left Ireland to join Wolves when I was 15. There's a scout called Willie Vaughan over here who scouts the whole of Ireland for Wolves who picked me up.

"I went on trial once and after that I signed straightaway – I love the place. In the Academy we had six flights a year to get home which is good because sometimes homesickness kicks in. Since I've turned pro I've probably got back four or five times a year, weekends here and there.

"Of course I was glad to come over to England because it was what I've always wanted to do but you do miss simple things like waking up in your own bed and your mum's home cooking! But after a short time you do settle in, especially at Wolves when everyone makes you feel so welcome.

"Chris Evans, John Perkins, everyone there helped me settle in during the early stages. I'm an only child so the first time my parents were in bits leaving me at the airport. It took time for them to adjust as well but they were over a lot in the first and second year."

The breakthrough came for Gleeson under Jim Gannon at Stockport, where he flourished amid the rough and tumble of County's League Two promotion charge.

When he left for Edgeley Park in November the news barely registered among most Wolves fans – but by the time time he returned in March message boards were buzzing about Gleeson's possible introduction. The teenager believes his four month spell in the north-west made him a much better player.

"When I went to Stockport for the first few games, even though it was only in front of a few thousand, I was really really nervous. But I think that helped me because I learned to blank the crowd out and that was good for when I came back to Wolves.

"It was a great experience for me at Stockport, and I never believed the jump from reserve team football to their first team would be so big. It's much better than reserve team football and was great to go out there and get the experience."

Several eye-catching substitute performances whetted Gleeson's appetite for first team action last year – and he will not be content with a reserve role next season.

"It's been an unbelievable time for me over the last year or so at Wolves, especially since Mick came in," he said.

"Getting a few minutes in that play-off semi final with Albion was great and the atmosphere of big games like that just makes you want to play more and more."