No game for the U20s this week so Kalvin Orsi took some time out to speak to RedMachday

WITH JUST A HANDFUL OF GAMES TO GO, THE DONS COULD HARDLY BE BETTER PLACED IN THE DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE. IF THEY SHOULD GO ON TO TOP THE TABLE AT SEASON’S END, EVERY MEMBER OF THE U20 SQUAD WILL HAVE PLAYED HIS PART AND NONE MORE SO THAN 17 YEAR OLD KALVIN ORSI

Kalvin signed for the club at the end of last season and played a couple of games towards the tail end of the campaign. This year the winger has had to be patient but when he has played, he certainly has impressed and scored some vital goals.

One of the big strengths of Paul Sheerin’s side has been the ability to eke out wins even when they have fielded a younger team or not been at the top of their game. In a number of those fixtures, Kalvin has stood up and been counted and scored goals when it really mattered. This was especially the case when the young Dons were 1-0 down at Kilmarnock at Rugby Park and he popped up with two quite brilliant goals, one a header and one a volley. Going back to before Christmas, he scored the winner in a tight match at East End Park against Dunfermline and more recently he scored against Partick Thistle in another game where the young Dons really had to battle hard.

“I have scored five goals this season. My fifth was against Partick Thistle last week and that was an important milestone. After every game, I would go up and pester the media editor for a password for RedTV and he promised me a free subscription if I scored five goals! I enjoy watching all the games back on RedTV on a Tuesday night.

“Every goal I have scored this season has been important. After every goal, the team has won and we have gone back to the top of the league, which I was very happy about. If we do go on to be successful this season, I can at least say I played my part in a small way.

“We are just taking one game at a time and we still have some tough matches to play, especially Hamilton next week, but having done so well this season we are in with a chance. It is great to be part of a winning team.”
Kalvin is one of many who has joined the club via our scouting network in the west of Scotland.

“I am from Yoker in Glasgow, which is near Clydebank. The school I went to was St Thomas Aquinas in Jordanhill. When I was little, I played for Celtic Juniors and I also played for Southside. My dad forced me to play for two teams – I think he wanted me out of the house! So I would have to play a game on a Saturday and a game on a Sunday. At that age, you would play football every day if you could.

“When I first started playing I was a striker but then over time I started to play more on the wing. However I see my future more in a forward role – there is less running! No, seriously, I think my strengths are as a forward but playing a different position is very beneficial as your learn a lot more about the game. Also it means you can help the team out if they need someone to fill another position. Being adaptable is important in the game nowadays.”

Like many of the players in the u20 dressing room, as well the frst team one, he owes the chance of being a professional footballer to former Don legend Peter Weir.

“Being part of the Glasgow Centre was very enjoyable. We used to all train together, against the older boys as well, but towards the end the numbers reduced as it started to close, which was sad. There was a lot of travelling involved, a lot of travelling for my parents who had to make a very big sacrifice.

“I joined Aberdeen at U13 level. I was part of the Glasgow Centre with Peter Weir. We used to train three days a week and then we played a game on the Sunday. Peter is one of the best coaches I have ever worked with, he is exceptional. He’s a very good character and was very well liked by all the boys in the Glasgow Centre, respected by everyone. His sessions were very tough though, he was a hard man as well on the training field! I never got to see him play but sometimes in training, he would join in and he was still amazing. His touch was still there.

“Being a winger himself he passed on a lot of invaluable advice to me. For example he used to tell me to cross the ball more. I used to cut in and shoot a lot but he got me to mix my game up a bit more. He told me that I should always leave the defender thinking. He used to always make sure I worked with both feet and also worked on my acceleration as he understood the importance of having that initial burst of pace. He also got me involved with the Sports Science side of things at a young age and that was very beneficial. He did it all. I cannot thank him enough for what he did for my career.

“Our current coaches are very good also. Paul Sheerin is quality. He is a very good coach and his football ability is unreal. Scott Anderson is not a bad player either! They both join in training from time to time.”
Once again, we might be heading into a period of upheaval regarding youth football in this country, something that’s been a feature of the last ten years. Looking back, we had a reserve and U19 league running side by side, then we had U19s only which morphed into a U20s league. Now we have the Development League where up to five outfielders and a goalkeeper over 20 are allowed to play. The talk now if of reintroducing the reserves and beefing up the U17s ort, put another way, going back to where we started. Players like Kalvin are philosophical about it all.

“It has been a little frustrating because if it was a strict U20 league, I probably would have had more game time. It is up to me though to impress when I do come on and play and I would like to think I have done ok this season when I have played. It is hard when you play well, score a goal and then don’t play the following week, but that is just part of the game at this level. For us at the moment it is all about continuously learning the game and working hard.

“Not playing every week, no matter what level you play at, it does affect your game awareness and your touch but I know next season that myself and the other lads such as Daniel Harvie, Frank Ross, Jamie Henry will have a bigger part to play. There are of course positives from the over-age rule, it means you get to play with first team players and you learn so much from them. I played with David Goodwillie and Andrew Driver recently and their movement was so good. You pick up little things. It is probably the best way to learn.

“I have also trained a few times with the first team. The biggest difference is the speed of the session. It is a much higher tempo. I speak regularly to a few of the first team players, I clean Nicky Low’s boots and he has been very good to me. He is very down to earth.

“There is a good spirit in the U20 dressing room. The Aberdeen boys and the Glasgow boys mix well. I stay with Cem Felek, who also came in this season. We are very close, he says that I am his brother! Living away from home at the start was very difficult, I have to be honest. I was only 16 and was very homesick. But like everything, you get used to it. I still get to see my family a lot.

“Originally I was living a bit away from the stadium and was having to get two buses in in the morning, plus a walk which was not good as I am not the best in the mornings! I am really enjoying being part of Aberdeen Football and I am very excited about my future here, but I know I have to keep working hard.”