New Welsh cap Myhill reveals double dream

Mar 24 2008 icWales

BOAZ MYHILL wants promotion to the Premier League to follow his expected first cap for Wales this week.

The 25-year-old goalkeeper, born in California but brought up in the midlands, admits the dream is for his career to step up a level with Hull as well as Wales.

Myhill, who started out as an apprentice with Aston Villa and played for England Youth, has now thrown in his lot with the country of his mother, who was born in Llangollen.

He looks set to make his debut in Luxembourg on Wednesday after Wolves’ Wayne Hennessey pulled out of the squad with a hamstring problem.

Myhill said: “It’s been a hell of a season for me. Hull have a more than decent chance of winning promotion to the top flight, and now Wales have given me this chance.

“It has all snowballed in the past few months, so now I aim to take full advantage of the opportunities that have been put in front of me.”

Another opportunity could be growing interest from his former club, with Martin O’Neill believed to be monitoring the goalkeeper who was allowed to leave Villa Park at the age of 19.

With Villa seemingly unwilling to pay Liverpool £10million for Scott Carson, O’Neill is searching for a new goalkeeper, and Myhill is reportedly on the radar.

It is a situation which the Hull player refuses to be concerned about. He said: “I have a lot of time for Villa, I was a fan as a boy and they gave me my start in professional football. Their results are the first I look for.

“I have an affinity with the club, and it was nice to be linked with them recently. But I am concentrating only on Hull, which is very exciting.

“That is all I am concerned about. We are doing well as a group, that’s the major part of our success. So this is not the time to be distracted by anything, and I am happy at Hull anyway.

“We all aim to be successful together. We want to change the perception of the club, everyone tells you that Hull is the biggest city in Europe without a top-flight football team and it is about time we changed that.”

He added: “It’s a bit closer now than it has been for some while, but we have not achieved anything yet. But maybe we can make it happen.

“I suppose the dream is promotion to the Premier League, that is achievable, and my first cap for Wales. That would make this season something special for me.

“And Hull can give me top-flight football. We are in a play-off spot and intend to stay there. It is all there for us to play for.

“It is getting to the business end of the season right now, it’s a great time to be playing for Hull with us so close to achieving something.

“We have had a rich vein of form, hopefully we can continue it now until the end of the season and achieve what the club want.”

Myhill is confident he will play some part in Wednesday’s friendly in Luxembourg.

He says: “It has been a bonus getting my first call-up. I spoke to Paul Jones (Wales goalkeeping coach) recently, and he asked me whether I was interested, and I told him I certainly was and would welcome a call-up.

“I was born in the USA, but have a British passport because of my parents, so I could play for any of the British sides.

“I played for England Youth while I was at Aston Villa, but since then I have not been involved in international football so I will relish this chance.

“My mum was born in Llangollen and I was brought up in Chirk, so I jumped at the chance when the call came.

“I have spoken to a few people for advice, Nick Barmby at Hull has been a great help, and his advice was to jump at the chance to play at international level.”

Wales have lost Cardiff’s Joe Ledley with a groin strain, along with Arron Davies of Nottingham Forest and Wolves’ David Edwards with minor injuries.

Much attention will also be on the under-21s’ UEFA Championship qualifier in Bosnia, played on the same night in Sarajevo.

Coach Brian Flynn has seen Hennessey, Bristol City defender Christian Ribeiro and Cardiff midfielder Darcy Blake all withdraw today with muscle injuries. Bristol City defender James Wilson comes into the squad for the first time.

Wales need to win two of their last three qualifiers to win their group, which will take them into the play-offs in November.