Young Bunbury gun in mix for Socceroos action

Soccer tyro Callum Richardson took a step towards his dream of representing Australia earlier this month when he was invited to a Young Socceroos’ training camp in England.

Richardson, 16, said he was surprised to get the call-up to the 16- man squad, which was put through its paces in London from September 6-9.

“The training was very intense and a very good standard as there wasn’t a bad player there, everyone was extremely talented,” Richardson said.

The Bunbury born-and-bred talent relocated to the United Kingdom in 2012 to join Championship club Burnley FC’s academy.

The Young Socceroos’ next international outing will be the AFC Under-19 championship qualifiers in Malaysia next month.

Richardson, a defender, is waiting to find out if he will get the chance to don the green and gold strip.

“If I get selected for Malaysia and get the opportunity to represent Australia I will be excited as it will be a dream come true especially at this age,” he said.

“Hopefully I can then progress to the Socceroos later on.”

Young Socceroos coach Paul Okon said the London camp was specifically for players based in the United Kingdom and Europe.

“There are a large numbers of players eligible for the Young Socceroos playing overseas and to bring them together for a four-day camp is fantastic,” he said.