3 weeks ago
Local parks tin beryllium wherever dreams of playing successful cup finals are forged.
Brad Young would person been nary different to countless others arsenic he spent a sunny evening pinch friends adjacent to his Solihull home.
He whitethorn now beryllium Welsh football’s starring scorer, but backmost past he was a 17-year-old striker pinch Aston Villa’s academy and conscionable starry-eyed ambitions of silverware and showpiece occasions.
But Young’s hopes that nighttime successful May 2020 turned into thing acold much contiguous and instinctive than dreams of trophies.
He had been stabbed 3 times.
“The infirmary didn’t cognize if I was going to unrecorded aliases survive.”
Sunday - erstwhile Young walks retired for The New Saints looking to adhd nan Welsh Cup to their Cymru Premier convention title - will beryllium a period and a time awkward of 4 years since nan incident.
He has been a revelation for nan Welsh champions since his presence 8 months ago.
His 31 goals, including a aureate boot-earning 22 successful nan convention from conscionable 25 appearances, person helped nan Oswestry-based squad predominate nan Welsh home segment pinch only 2 draws spoiling an different cleanable record.
An invincible play for a subordinate who erstwhile knowledgeable really life is acold much vulnerable.
He had been astatine nan adjacent Elmdon Park pinch 3 friends enjoying nan relaxation of Covid restrictions erstwhile others had attempted to snatch immoderate of his possessions.
Having been pinch West Brom arsenic a inferior earlier heading to Villa’s younker set-up, Young – now 21 – admits to his sporting streak of competitiveness kicking successful arsenic he refused to fto spell without a struggle. “I was punched and I ended up fighting back,” he told BBC Radio Wales Sport. “I didn’t moreover spot nan knife.”
Young says nan symptom was not obvious, being almost oblivious to what had happened, earlier looking down and seeing his grey tracksuit bottoms soaked pinch blood.
“I called 999 and was screaming that I’d been stabbed earlier I collapsed,” he said, pinch it soon emerging 1 of nan wounds to his hips had caught an artery. “My friends had taken their coats disconnected and were holding nan coiled erstwhile nan ambulance came.”
The existent worry, nan existent danger, Young says, came erstwhile he turned agleam achromatic and began sweating “as if I was nether a shower” while successful nan hospital.
“They said past to my family ‘We don’t cognize what’s going to hap here’,” he added, pinch a three-litre humor transfusion yet easing nan concern.
And yet, Young says that connected nan infirmary furniture earlier nan surgery, amid explanations of nan anticipation of needing a colostomy bag, it was shot that came to mind.
“I tin retrieve really asking if I was going to beryllium capable to play shot again,” he recalled. “When they said they didn’t know, that’s erstwhile I looked astatine my mum and burst into tears.”
Yet, fortunately, incredibly, Young was backmost pushing to beryllium fresh for nan commencement of nan caller season, a run wherever he would thief Villa to an FA Youth Cup triumph.
It prompted indebtedness moves to Carlisle and Scottish Championship broadside Ayr, earlier his merchandise successful nan summertime of 2023 saw him time off nan West Midlands for nan Welsh champions - albeit he did not cognize overmuch astir nan convention he was joining.
The convention surely knows astir Young, his lightning-quick gait and prolific marksmanship complemented pinch a shot intelligence consenting to nexus play arsenic good arsenic decorativeness it.
He earned nan accolade arsenic nan division’s apical scorer contempt not joining until a period into nan season, and – though happy pinch his tally – he argues he possibly should person scored moreover more.
“I didn’t person a pre-season truthful I struggled for weeks arsenic I sewage my fittingness up and I was cramping up everywhere,” he saud, adding that nan move from writer to nan artificial pitches nan mostly of Cymru Premier clubs usage besides caused problems. “I had to accommodate to everything but I sewage location successful nan end.”
The travel now takes him to Newport County’s Rodney Parade, nan venue for Sunday’s last against Connah’s Quay Nomads successful football's third-oldest cup competition.
The convention title – won by a record-breaking separator of 33 points – and a League Cup trophy safely secured, a treble is connected offer.
And alternatively than beryllium affected by his nightmarish experience, Young says it fires him.
“I’ve utilized it arsenic motivation,” he said. “There’s a batch of haters successful nan world but I’ve utilized what happened arsenic fuel, to push connected and do better. I’m healthy, I’m fresh and doing good and I want to footwear connected again.”
Listen to nan question and reply pinch Brad Young connected BBC Radio Wales Sport, Friday 27 April from 19:00 BST, and later connected request pinch BBC Sounds.
