FOOTBALL: Now is Tyrone's time
Former Chippenham Town manager Adie Mings tells of his pride after son Tyrone wins first England call-up
Former Chippenham Town player and current Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings could make his England debut at the weekend
ADIE Mings, father of former Chippenham Town player Tyrone Mings, spoke of his disbelief, emotion and pride after the Aston Villa defender was called up to the England squad for the first time this week, writes JONATHAN LEIGHFIELD.
Tyrone played for Chippenham 10 times in 2012 before getting his break in professional football by signing for then Championship club Ipswich Town under Mick McCarthy.
A spell at AFC Bournemouth followed in the wake of the Cherries' promotion to the Premier League in 2015, but Mings' time on the south coast was a tough one as he suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury which ruled him out for almost a year.
A move to Aston Villa this summer allowed the now 26-year-old to kick-start his career and ultimately give him a consistent run of games that would lead to a maiden England call-up from Gareth Southgate.
Mings could make his international debut in European Championship qualifiers against Bulgaria at Wembley on Saturday or Kosovo at Southampton's St Mary's Stadium on Tuesday.
Father Adie, who is former Chippenham manager and current youth team scout for Chelsea, described the moment that he found out his son would be rubbing shoulders with the likes of Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling on the international stage as a 'shock' before going on to say how he never doubted his son had the qualities to play for his country.
Mings said: "It was a sense of shock to start with, but then we were just overcome with emotion, really, especially with what he's been through to get there and the journey that he's been on to get to this point.
"It's testament to his dedication, hard work, character and desire to make it.
"If I'm being honest, I never really had a doubt that he had the potential to play for England.
"It was just a case of getting a run of games to go and show what he can do.
"The run of games he's had at Villa has helped him to prove his worth.
"From there, people have seen the qualities that he's got – his strength, his pace, his athleticism, but also he's technically very good and he's comfortable on the ball.
"He's also shown great leadership qualities, which can be a little bit of a dying art in the modern game."
Anyone who has followed the career of Tyrone Mings would know the hardships he has had to endure to get to where he is today.
Homelessness, depression and a career-threatening injury have all been overcome as the Wiltshire player readies himself to potentially walk out at Wembley.
Not allowing himself to dream of celebrating a goal at the home of English football – or even on the south coast at St Mary's – as England play two more Euro 2020 qualifiers over the coming says, Adie Mings says just seeing his son feature in an England shirt for a minute will be enough for him.
"Just to be in and around the squad is good enough for me," he said.
"If he gets some minutes on the pitch, we'll be delighted and immensely proud as a family, but we know it's a massive step and a massive occasion for him.
"We just want him to grasp the opportunity, which he has done, and use it as a building block to go on and fulfil his boyhood dream."
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