Wembley is the next stop on Millwall man’s ‘great journey’
Liam Feeney is relishing the prospect of playing at Wembley when Millwall take on Wigan in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final.
The 26-year-old Lions winger, from Hammersmith, recently returned to action after injury and is looking forward to showing what he can do on the big stage.
He said: “I’ve never played at Wembley before. I’ve been on a couple of tours but never actually played there. You can see the big arch from where I live.
“We are as confident as you can be. We are not underestimating the task ahead of us but we beat Aston Villa to get into the semi-final and have as much right to be there as Wigan.
“They are going to be just as worried about playing us as we might be about playing them.”
Feeney, a former Gunnersbury schoolboy, has worked his way up the football ladder.
He was on Brentford’s books as a teenager and after a spell with Hayes, he played more non-League football for Salisbury before his big break came when Bournemouth picked him up in 2008.
“It’s been a great journey. I went to school in Ealing – Gunnersbury – and played for Ealing Shamrock when I was really young,” he said.
“Then I spent some time with Brentford before joining Hayes – I came through their college scheme and broke into the first team.
“I joined Salisbury in the Conference and then went to Bournemouth in League Two, we got promoted and then after a season in League One, I joined Millwall.”
And having come this far, Feeney has set his sights on international football.
As well as England, he qualifies to play for the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Jamaica.
“My dad is Jamaican and my mum’s family are from Derry,” he explained.
“I’ve been all up and down Ireland a few times and gone over to visit family, so I’m quite used to the country. I’ve not been to Jamaica yet.
“It’s quite a mix, but no caps for any of them yet. Obviously international football is an honour that I would love to achieve in my career.
“I don’t have a preference at the moment. I’ve not really had any contact from any of the countries I qualify to play for.
“My main focus at the moment is to play well for Millwall and see where that takes me.
“I’m not sure many people know that I’m eligible to play for Jamaica.
“If anyone is interested in having me play for them then I’m open to having talks with them and seeing what my options are.
“It’s something I need to think about as it’s something I want to do. If I can perform well for my club, hopefully I will get the opportunity to play at that level.
“It’s been a long journey to come up from where I’ve come from. To get international honours would be the pinnacle for me after coming from non-League football.”
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