When Mark Randall woke up on Tuesday morning he was hoping to play
some part in Arsenal's Carling Cup tie at Blackburn. He certainly
wasn't expecting to make his first senior start.
That all changed when Theo Walcott woke up feeling under the
weather. One England teenager's pain became another England
teenager's gain as Randall was drafted into the line-up for the
dramatic win at Ewood Park.
"I knew when we got to the training ground in the morning that Theo
wasn't travelling with us but I still didn't know if I was starting
or not," Randall told Arsenal.com. "I found out I was playing about
three hours before the game and I was just happy to get the
chance.
"I felt nervous but I just tried to relax and think of what I had
to do during the game. I tried to keep a cool head. The more
experienced players like Philippe Senderos gave me a lot of advice
and encouragement and they kept me working hard. The boss told me
to stay relaxed and play my game."
That's exactly what Randall did. The 18-year-old looked completely
at ease in the first half as Arsenal stroked the ball around in
style. He even played a vital role in the opening goal, picking out
Nicklas Bendtner with a measured pass before the Dane's cross was
converted by Abou Diaby.
Randall tired after the break and was replaced by another teenager,
Nacer Barazite, with 10 minutes of normal time remaining. But the
midfielder from Milton Keynes had done enough to prove that Arsenal
do have talented English youngsters emerging from their
academy.
Kieran Gibbs and Henri Lansbury have also featured in this season's
Carling Cup run while Rhys Murphy and Gavin Hoyte are making steady
progress. Randall believes they will all get their chance to
impress - provided they put the work in.
"It's hard work to get into the first team but if you are good
enough you will get a chance," said Randall.
"There are plenty of young English players coming through like
Henri Lansbury, Gavin Hoyte and Rhys Murphy - we just have to keep
working hard to get into the first team."