Smart Alex is living the dream

ALEX Marrow is walking in his very own Latics wonderland.

The energetic 19-year-old midfielder was busy learning his trade as a plasterer early last year, turning out at the weekend for Ashton Athletic in the Vodkat North-West Counties League.

Life changed drastically when a successful trial period at Premier League club Blackburn Rovers led to him being offered a three-year professional deal.

Now, having had his loan spell at Athletic extended until the end of this season before the FA Cup-tie against Leeds — a game Marrow admits was the biggest of his embryonic career — the Salford-born starlet wants to continue sucking in as much valuable first-team experience as is humanly possible.

"Coming here, just playing first team was what I wanted to do and it is definitely preferable to playing in the reserves at Blackburn," said Marrow, who cites the likes of Oldham captain Sean Gregan as a 'great example' in terms of his consistent approach to training.

"I look back now to playing non-league and it still shocks me how far I have come.

"I am just grateful to everyone who has helped me along the way, including all the staff at Blackburn.

"I think that both the gaffer (Dave Penney) and Blackburn think that my time here is improving me and so I am going to push on now and try to play in as many games as I can this season."

Marrow, back in the Athletic side against Leeds after recovering from a back problem which ruled him out of the previous week's Huddersfield clash, felt that the team’s FA Cup performance in defeat was a creditable one.

The combative midfielder also appreciates that while their form away from Boundary Park is solid, Athletic need to up their goal tally.

With that in mind, Marrow plans to add to the solitary strike he has to his name against Swindon back in August.

"I had never played in the FA Cup before and it was just a shame to concede two bad goals when we had stayed in the game right the way through," Marrow said.

"Credit to the boys for the way that they played.

"We are lacking goals at the moment. Pav (Abbott) is our top scorer and he is gone for now so it is up to a few midfield lads like myself, Deano (Smalley) and others to try to get on the scoresheet to help the team out.

"Recently we have had some decent results, like away at Charlton and Brighton, and then some games in which we could have done better.

"Everyone seems to pull together away from home. Perhaps there isn't quite as much pressure on us, but all we have to concentrate on at Gillingham is getting back to winning ways to push ourselves back up what is still a very tight league.

"Another couple of good results would get us up towards the play-offs but after that it is all about the important Christmas period.

“We will then know what we are about around January and February."