AT the start of last season, Elliott Hewitt had played just 90 minutes of first team football.

He ended it with another 24 matches under his belt for Macclesfield Town before Ipswich Town swooped for the 18 year old’s signature.

But his promise wasn’t just confined to the scouts of Ipswich Town and more than a dozen other higher league teams.

In the course of nine months, Hewitt had been picked for the first time – and named captain – for Wales Under-17s, before going on to feature for his country at Under-19s and Under-21s to cap a whirlwind first full season.

He reflected: “It was a strange one as I had never played for a Welsh team until last season, and then I played for the Under-17s, 19s and 21s all in one season – so international football all came pretty fast to me.

“I’m from North Wales and I’m proud to have played for my country. Brian Flynn came to watch me one day when we were playing away at Wigan and he then picked me for the Under-17s team as captain.

“I did well and then got called up by the Under-21s which I wasn’t really expecting.

“But obviously it’s great to have achieved that and I’ve got five caps now that I’m very proud of.”

Not all of the new boy’s experiences have been positive though after Macclesfield was rocked by the deaths of manager Keith Alexander and 29-year-old midfielder Richard Butcher.

“Macclesfield have been great to me and I can’t speak highly enough of them – from John Askey, the youth team coach, to Gary Simpson who was the man who gave me my debut – they are all good people,” Hewitt added.

“Obviously a lot has gone on there in the last few years, especially the deaths of Keith Alexander and Butch who I trained in the first-team alongside.

“They were really hard times but I think in a way it made everyone come closer together at the club and it really is a great club.”