Pic: Andy Nunn
LOUIS JOHN was already planning to be at Gander Green Lane for England C‘s game on Sunday afternoon – just not as a player!
When the 22-year-old was in the gym on Saturday morning, he thought he’d be at the game to watch his clubmate, Dan Wishart.
So, it was perhaps understandable that he thought he was having his leg pulled when he got a phone call to grab his boots and get along to the Three Lions’ training session after Dover Athletic‘s Sean Raggett had to pull out injured.
“The manager couldn’t get hold of me at first because the Sutton secretary had my old number,” John said. “So Dan Wishart called me from his phone and handed it over to Paul. I was a bit bemused and thought I was being wound up.
“I’d been in the gym in the morning and I’d just got back. I was flabbergasted really, but it’s a chance you’ve got to take.
“I was going to come down and watch Dan, so from coming to watch to being involved in a majority of the game is a big achievement in my career so far.
“It’s the cherry on the cake, really, in terms of the season that I’ve had. From having a knee operation last pre-season, playing more than 30 games in a title-winning season and now this – it’s been great.
“It just makes you want to push on even more now. I need to play more games and keep learning my trade.”
Opportunity knocked for the former Crawley Town man, and 24 hours later he found himself coming off the bench after 29 minutes to replace Jack Holland, who also picked up a strain.
Cushion
Within ten minutes, he’d scored to put England 2-1 up before giving them a two-goal cushion after the break, though Nuneaton Town’s Elliott Whitehouse was claiming a touch.
“I just wanted to play my game and keep it simple,” John said. “The first one came off every part of my body on its way in. I couldn’t tell you what was the last part it touched because it’s rolled down everything.
“The second one I flicked from a corner. Elliott Whitehouse is claiming it, but I’m not too sure. But it was a great achievement to make my debut and score one, if not two, goals.
“It was totally different to the Conference South. The ball was on the floor for most of the game.
“You’ve got to adapt to your opponents. We came up against a very technical team. They are young, fit players and we matched them until the end, when their match sharpness came through.”
That came in cruel circumstances when Slovakia were awarded a free-kick deep in stoppage time, inches outside the box. John was the player penalised for giving the foul away, but he’s convinced it was the wrong decision.
“I thought I acquitted myself really well and had a good 60 minute run-out, but it’s difficult to take in the end because I felt we were robbed,” he said.
“I clearly won the ball and was running away with it – the referee thought otherwise. It’s one of those big moments in the match. It was the last kick of the game and we had no chance to come back.”
