The Aberdeen U20s are in SFA Youth Cup action at Pittodrie on Sunday against Hamilton Academical. Please try and get along to support the youngsters if you can, in what will be a very tough game. KO is at 2.00pm.

To preview the third round tie current U20 captain Dylan Thomas spoke to RedMatchday Magazine:

Dylan Thomas joined Aberdeen prior to the start of last season after being released by home-town club Swansea City. It is easy to see that Dylan was nurtured under the Welsh team’s passing regime as his technical attributes are second to none. Tenacious in midfield and excellent at retaining possession, Dylan enjoyed his first campaign up north, managing to make 27 appearances throughout the year. Dylan was rewarded for his performances with an additional one year deal and has again been one of the top performers for Paul Sheerin’s Development side this term.

“I am settling into life in Aberdeen now. It was a bit different to start with but now I am used to living here. It is a long way from home so I only get back to south Wales once every couple of months. I do miss my friends and family, but it is a sacrifice you have to make as a professional footballer. My parents do come up to Aberdeen two or three times a season, but it is a long drive, 11 or 12 hours.

“It was hard at first but then you get used to it. You then start becoming friends with the boys and then you forget about it. The spirit and atmosphere in the away dressing room is very good. We all get on very well.

“I come from Port Talbot, which is just outside Swansea. I started off at my local team and also played for my school and county. When I was eight, I got scouted in a tournament and went for trials with Swansea City and was with the Swans from the age of 9 to 18.

“When I was younger, playing for my local team, I played up front. That was how I got scouted, because I was playing as a striker, but things have changed since then. I have still to score for Aberdeen, so Sunday would be a good time to start!”

While Swansea have been in the top flight for a while now, it's not so long ago that things were very different. In July 2001, the club had been sold for just £1 and the following seasons were shambolic on and off the field. In January of 2003, Swansea were playing at the crumbling Vetch Field and were rock bottom of the Football League, 92nd out of 92 teams after a seventh successive defeat when they lost 3-1 to York City. Former Don Alan Tate was in the starting XI that day and he would go to be one of the men who would guide them through the leagues.

That defeat at York left them five points from safety. Things were bleak. But somehow they picked up eight wins between then and May which ensured their survival on the final day with a nerve-wracking 4-2 win over Hull City. Within the space of ten years, they were finishing 11th in the Premier League.

“When I first joined them they were really struggling. They very nearly went out of the league before they eventually turned things around and then just kept going up and up, all the way to the Premiership.

“I can remember just how bad things were. When I was younger, we would have to train in a local park. I even remember one time we turned up for training at some local sports facility and the owner came out and said we had not booked it, so we had to go home. Now, they have two state of the art training grounds with incredible facilities, one for the first team and U21s, and the other for the youth academy.

“A few of the boys I played with are still there. Daniel James was on the bench the other night against Stoke. A few are also out on loan at Newport, Yeovil and Bristol Rovers. None of them have made it as first team regulars yet. It is very hard for young Welsh players to make it because if they do not think you are ready, they will just go out and buy someone who they think is. Every club in the Premiership is the same. It is a concern but it is up to you as a player to prove yourself, and if you cannot prove yourself with a club like Swansea, you have to do it somewhere else. 

“And that is what I had to do.

“I had spent all my time at Swansea living at home. I just thought for my football career and my development, moving away was my best option because you can grow not just as a player but as a person as well. You become more independent. When I heard about the interest from Aberdeen it was an easy decision to make. I did not know much about Scottish football, but Aberdeen are a big name.”

The 18-year-old is a Welsh Under 19 international and once played at Pittodrie for his country's school team against Scotland when the 2012 Sky Sports Victory Shield was played in Aberdeen and the Scotland U16s met their Welsh counterparts.

“I remember bits and pieces about the game. I did not start but I came on for the last 15 minutes I think. We lost 2-0 so it was a game to forget! I could not believe how far Aberdeen was! I still don’t remember how we got here! At that point, I could never have imagined returning to the stadium every day.

“It is nice to see some of my fellow countrymen at the club. It is good to have Wes up here, a fellow Welshman. I speak to him quite a bit. Last year we had Danny Ward and Simon Church and they were great with me.”
With Jamie Henry a long term injury casualty, Dylan has taken over the captain’s duties. A leader on and off the park, he has taken to being skipper like a duck to water.

“I have enjoyed the responsibility of being captain. I feel since being given the captain’s armband I have needed to step up more. I am enjoying it. Off the pitch, most of the boys come to me and ask what they should be doing. Being a captain means having way more responsibility than just playing. On the pitch, I actually feel there is less pressure because everyone is looking for me.

“The season so far has been a strange one. We had a couple of very good performances in the Irn-Bru Cup but the league form has been a bit up and down. We have not been very consistent. Sometimes we will be great but other times we don’t perform to the levels that we can. The Kilmarnock result in midweek was a blow. It was a shock result and we must bounce back strongly on Sunday.

“The boys would love a run in the cup this year. However, we know that Hamilton will be a very tough game. It is one of the hardest draws we could have got. They are very strong at youth level as everyone knows.
“I think we have the talent to beat them if we play to our potential. It will be a close game so hopefully there will be a good crowd to support us and to get behind the team. That really could make the difference.”