Midfielder Paddy Lane has been called up to the Northern Ireland squad for the first time ahead of their friendlies against Luxembourg and Hungary.
Lane – who joined the club from non-league side Hyde United in the summer – has become a pivotal part of the squad here at Fleetwood, as he is near the top of the league in assists, with eight, and now has five goals to his name after his recent strike from range against Portsmouth.
That goal against Pompey rounded off a run of form which saw him score four in just six games and got him nominated for Sky Bet League One player of the month, as well as a place in the best Under-21 XI in the entire EFL.
Lane, on the call-up, said: “It’s great to be recognised individually for what I’ve been doing, but at the same time, I wouldn’t be in this position without the team. It’s good for me but I’m just trying to keep my head down and keep working hard.
“I’ve always believed in myself, as I know I can play to the best of my ability at all times and have said that I want to add goals to my game this year. I’ve been getting assists and recently I’ve just been finding myself in those positions and I’ve been buzzing about scoring a few. I know what’s expected of me on the football pitch, and I’m loving every minute of it so far.”
The 20-year-old will join up with the Northern Ireland squad on Sunday 20 March in Belfast and will train with them until their games against Luxembourg on Friday 25 March and Hungary on Tuesday 29 March.
Well done, Paddy!