Kai Andrews: Growing up fast

This loan move to Motherwell was for him to go through these moments, however, and as such, the midfielder is pleased with how things have panned out in North Lanarkshire so far.

“It’s been frantic,” Kai Andrews laughed.

“A lot has happened in such a short space of time, but I feel like every challenge that has been thrown my way, I’ve stepped up to it. I’m really enjoying my football.

“With everything that has gone on recently, there is no doubt I’m a more mature man and player as a result. I’m in a first-team environment consistently, playing in the first-team, and getting proper experience of a first-team match day. It’s been a big step up for me from academy football, so you’ve got to mature as it goes.

“I was training with the Coventry first-team players every week. Since I got my first call-up at 16, I’ve trained with them onwards. It’s just that game time and experience I wasn’t getting, so this loan move felt like a necessity for me.”

The loan move has certainly provided Andrews with ample experience of life as a professional player. He’s experienced tough opposition, big crowds and manager alterations.

But all of that will stand him in good stead for the future, and the change from academy football has been noticeable for the Welshman.

“Coming here was all about getting experience and minutes,” he stated.

“There’s only so much you can learn from academy football, so you do need to play men’s games. That’s where I want to go in the future, so just getting a consistent run of games, playing in front of the big crowds and playing better opposition has been a learning curve.

“Physically, I feel like I’ve dealt with it all very well. My body has felt fine throughout the games I’ve played, whether that’s been 90 or 20 minutes. I’ve avoided injuries, which is great. The main thing for me is just keeping up with the speed of the game mentally.

“It’s mature, proper football, which is a lot different from academy football. People’s jobs are at stake here; that’s been my biggest challenge, but I’ve adapted to that well.”

In many respects, Andrews has had to learn the hard way. He made his debut against Kilmarnock back in January, under the previous manager, who had scouted and convinced him to join the club. Not long after that, Michael Wimmer would take the reins, and Andrews would have to impress if he wanted the loan to be a success.

“Recently at Coventry, we had a change of manager,” Andrews explained.

“So, I have experienced this before, but at Coventry, I wasn’t in the team playing, so this was a little different. I guess when I came here, it was because Stuart Kettlewell had already watched me and already had that sense of trust with me. That new change of manager creates a sense of doubt in your head and a bit of worry, but I feel like the new manager has come in and done well.

“I really like the philosophy he is trying to instill, and I enjoy the way he wants to play football. With this change, it’s just another experience I’ve had.

“At the gaffer’s first game against Dundee United, I didn’t come on, so I was a bit frustrated. But I took in the sense that that’s just another motivator and that I needed to push harder. So, during that next training week, I trained even better and got my chance to start against Dundee.

“I think I did well in that game, and it got me a run of starts. My favourite moment so far was winning at Ibrox. It’s got to be!

“The atmosphere on such a big occasion, with the away fans that travelled, was like nothing I’d ever experienced in football. It was the best I’ve felt playing football.”

Andrews received plenty of praise for his brave performance against Rangers that day, as did all the players. Online, Coventry fans were also shouting his praises as they kept an eye on one of their own.

But it’s not just the fans closely monitoring his progress; a number of the staff at Coventry, including manager Frank Lampard, remain in contact constantly.

“There are a lot of staff that keep in contact with me from Coventry,” he added.

“They like to keep tabs on me and are watching closely. I spoke to Frank Lampard recently, who is also watching my games. All of the feedback has been good so far, so I just want to keep impressing while I’m here and then take it back to Coventry in the summer.

“The whole vision is I’ve grown up playing for Coventry; they’re my boyhood club, and I’ve been there since I was 11, so my dream is to be a player there. To go back there and be a first-team player is the goal, but as of right now, my focus is Motherwell. The here and now is so important, and we’ve got a lot of important games before the season is finished.”

But the experiences and challenges faced haven’t all been difficult to handle. In amongst this whirlwind few months, Andrews earned his maiden call-up to the Wales first-team squad in March at just 18 years old.

“Initially, I got the news a week prior to the squad release day saying that I was on standby,” he noted.

“Even then, that was surreal. I didn’t feel like anything would happen, but then I got the call to say I had got a full call-up. I didn’t know what to do or how to handle myself, to be honest.

“I called my mum and told her the news. I pulled up on the side of the road because I was so lost for words. She was crying down the phone to me. Honestly, from then on, my phone went crazy with every family member and all my friends calling me.

“When I arrived at the camp and started to walk through the doors, I saw Craig Bellamy standing there waiting for me. The photographer was also there, so I tried my best to hold my smile in so I could look calm and composed.

“All the players were really welcoming. There were a few players who I had already encountered. Jay Dasilva is at Coventry, and Lewis Koumas I’d played with in the academy. They were especially welcoming and helped me settle in. The rest of the lads were top also. It’s quite a young group overall, and that helped me settle in.”

Although Andrews didn’t receive his first cap during the international window, he has come away from that camp feeling even more positive about his game having worked alongside some of the best in the business.

“The intensity and standard throughout training are a different level,” Andrews said.

“You have to adjust quickly to it; the first day I was just chasing shadows. Being able to train beside those players helps you learn a lot. Not just on the pitch, but off it too. Just watching the way they conduct themselves and carry themselves.

“It shows how they’ve got a career in the game; that’s my aim too. It was a privilege to play alongside players of that calibre. With the camp, it was an opportunity for Bellamy to see me and for me to try and impress.

“Over the course of the camp, he did seem impressed. I had a few conversations with him where he said that I’d handled myself well. I’m hoping that gives me enough to get invited to another camp in the future. Going out there and training with the likes of Brennan Johnson and Dan James, who are massive names in football who have had a career for years at the highest level in football, gives me confidence because I know I can handle myself with them.

“Now, I want to bring that confidence back here and put it out on the pitch. I was eligible to play for Wales, England and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The latter is where my dad is from, and I grew up there from a young age; mind you, I can’t remember much. My heart has always been with Wales, however, especially because that’s from my grandma’s side.

“She’s not with us anymore, but I wanted to make her proud. I’ll keep working hard to do just that.”