Jack Fitzwater: West Brom loan moves have paid off for me
Albion defender Jack Fitzwater believes his debut for the club was down to the hard work he put in while on loan spells earlier in his career.
The 22-year-old is on the fringes of the Baggies first team after making his long-awaited debut in the FA Cup victory over Charlton.
The centre-back has had spells on-loan at Chesterfield, Hednesford Town, Forest Green Rovers and Walsall during his career and he believes that the loan ‘pathway’ should prove fruitful for him.
“That’s been my pathway,” he said.
“I have been here since I was seven, it has been a long, hard graft. But when I got told I was going to start I was buzzing. I just thought I am taking this chance.
“Thankfully we got a clean sheet, I was over the moon.”
Fellow academy graduates Kyle Edwards, Nathan Ferguson and Dara O’Shea have all enjoyed spells in the first team this season, with the first two making themselves regulars in Slaven Bilic’s squad.
And Fitzwater is looking at his team-mates as examples of how to successfully progress from the academy to the first team.
“When you see the likes of Nath (Nathan Ferguson), Kyle (Edwards) and Dara (O’Shea) taking their opportunity – you know you have got to wait and be patient.
“Because the team that has started in the league has been on a role and performances have been really high.
“You have just got to wait for your opportunity and keep training hard.
“You are only going to get better by playing with the quality of players we have got.”
Meanwhile, striker Charlie Austin has opened up about the rewards and sacrifices of playing professional football.
“It grabs everyone now,” he said.
“I really believe that there isn’t anyone who at some point in their lives, either directly or through someone they know, doesn’t get touched by football one way or another.
“It’s crazy the rewards that it brings through reaching a level in this game although people will never truly grasp the sacrifices players make to get to those levels.
“Reaching any level of the professional game is just the start, there’s a million more steps you have to take to stay at that level and succeed.
“Everybody thinks its half-a-day at the training ground and then a round of golf, but the family sacrifices alone (are tough). The time you spend away from all the family moments everyone else would take for granted.
“I don’t want any violins, ultimately we’re entertainers. People want football on their screens or at their club on tap.
“They’re not having a winter break over Christmas are they?
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