James Milner

I remember the speed of even training.

It was so fast and I was a pretty fit guy.

It was like, this is so quick for me and you're breathing heavy and things like that.

But then actually going into the game, I can't remember too much about being nervous playing against other Premier League players because for me, Leeds were an amazing team and I was training with these guys.

So at that point then it's, well, go and stay in the team and be around.

be around and do what you can.

So then to make your debut after travelling with the team two or three times, I think, before that and seeing Wayne Rooney doing what he was doing at that time, that obviously showed you again it was possible and someone else was doing it and made you even more eager to go and train really well and take a chance when you got it on the pitch.

No, not all really.

I think when you think back now, I think, like I said, I remember my debut and then stayed around the first team and then scored on the 26th and the 28th of December, obviously a busy period anyway, but then two goals in two days and then it pretty much blew up, you know, obviously in the papers and...

people ringing the house wanting to represent you and I think people turned up at the local cricket club we used to go to all the time and asked where I lived and people said we'd never heard of him and lied and things like that so it was a bit of carnage really and you know just before my 17th birthday and

You think back now and you think I was in a school hall doing my GCSEs five months before that and all your mates go to watch Leeds and then you're playing on the pitch and scoring goals in front of them.

It was like thinking back now it's more, but at the time you just focused and try to get in the team, try to stay in the team, score goals right next one, next one.

And that was the sort of mindset I had, try and stay in the team and cement your place in that first team.

Swindon was great.

I think the manager changed.

Peter Reid came in at the end of that season and didn't really fancy me.

He fancied a couple of the younger guys ahead of me and started bringing them on and I wasn't getting on the pitch too much from the start.

The next season was the same.

And I remember it was Kevin Blackwell, the assistant, rang me one afternoon and said, you know, do you fancy going on loan to Swindon?

And I said, well, it doesn't look like I'm getting much game time here, does it?