A talented footballer from Beckenham has set his sights on helping his native country to the World Cup finals for the very first time.

Fourteen-year-old Liam Norval currently plays for West Ham United's youth side and has attracted the attention of a variety of club scouts around the country. He is a regular in Wales' under-15s side and was the youngest-ever player to represent them when he was just 13.

Liam said: "I didn't know about it at the time and felt proud for my mum and dad. It was great to pull on the shirt with the number on the back and to play in front of all the fans. There was a couple of thousand and it was a great atmosphere.

"I'm going to try my hardest for Wales to get them to future World Cup finals and it would be good to beat England on the way at the Millennium Stadium!

"Hopefully, if I work hard, I can get into the full Welsh side in the future.

"My favourite player is David Beckham. I love the lifestyle of footballers and I'd like to be like him."

Centre-half Liam was first spotted by Millwall when he was eight while playing in the Elms' Bexley League, in Catford.

He was with the Lions for four years before, at 12, moving West Ham.

Liam then impressed Welsh selectors so much that he was picked to play for the under-15 side and recently played against Holland at Barry Town's ground.

Russ, his dad, said: "Liam was born in Cardiff and we moved to London when he was six. He's played football virtually since he could walk and is generally good at other sports. West Ham have a very good academy and he is happy there."

Liam leads a hectic life as he packs in schoolwork at Langley Park, in Beckenham, with his football. He comes home from school at 3.30pm and rushes off to West Ham's training ground, in east London, for 6pm, up to four times a week.

"In between that he goes for extra training at Paul Elliot's soccer academy, based at Beaverwood Sports Centre, in Chislehurst. He also plays for Bromley's district schools' side on Saturdays, West Ham on Sundays and Kent during school holidays.

Russ added: "At Paul Elliot's academy, there's a big emphasis on learning skills and techniques.

"You never see Liam hoof the ball around the pitch. I'd say he is a technical Tony Adams!

"He is composed and confident and always wants the ball. He's a leader and does a lot of talking, including when he plays against boys a lot older than him."

Russ believes the future of British football is looking good, saying: "The West Ham under-13s played their counterparts at Bayern Munich and beat them.

"They were technically better than the Germans. We're catching up and looking good."

December 31, 2001 10:00