Harvey Vale found himself making his Hull City debut against Swansea City on Saturday afternoon, having joined the club on a season-long loan on transfer deadline day. The winger has had to wait for his opportunity, while fellow Chelsea loanee Xavier Simons has yet to feature in a Shota Arveladze squad.
A third Chelsea loanee, Nathan Baxter returned to the Hull net with an impressive performance but given the goalkeeper has now been on Humberside for more than year, curiosity would surround Vale, who was set to stay with the Blues until deadline day.
"It did happen on deadline day," Vale explained. "I woke up thinking that I was going to be at Chelsea and then I spoke to the club and to my agent, they said a few clubs have come in for you - I decided Hull were the best fit for me. I felt like they valued me as a player. Anywhere you go there is going to be competition like there is here, but as a young player, I need to try and earn the trust of others around me and hopefully show me what I can do."
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He added: "Because he (Arveladze) was an attacker as a player, his detail with the attackers I've noticed has been detailed and key for us. He said he wants me to keep training hard and showing what I'm about, and then in the future, I'll get opportunities and that's for me to repay."
The youngster perhaps expected to ease himself into new surroundings before launching an assault on the Hull team following the international break but found a place in the starting XI in Swansea. Early days but an early sign that Vale may have already earned some trust.
As such football.london has compiled a brief scouting report of Vale's outing against the Swans.
0-15
Vale started as part of a front three as Hull City boss Shota Arveladze changed shape for the trip to Swansea and in the opening minutes of the game saw himself on corner kick duty.
The youngster drew an early free-kick after showing some quick feet.
15-30
The 16th minute saw Vale put on some much-need pressure in his own box as the ball fell to Ryan Manning. The Swansea star looked to have plenty of space to get a shot away but Vale ensured he was off balance.
The 21st minute saw Vale provide the ball on the right flank and look to get forward quickly. He found himself one versus one and pushed forwards before laying the ball into midfield to retain possession.
The 19-year-old found himself in an advanced position once again as the half wore on and drove forwards with ball before cutting inside and releasing right-back Lewis Coyle down the wing to send in a cross.
30-45
Vale showed some good physicality to shield the ball on the halfway line and retain possession.
The youngster won a free kick on the verge of halftime before receiving the ball quickly from it and attacking with intent. Again, he cut onto his left foot and this time looked to cross but saw his effort blocked.
45-60
Found himself outnumbered out wide in his own half but was able to find a gap to play the ball into the centre before receiving it on the wing and playing a one-two to progress the ball up the field well. Got lost in too many bodies as he tried to attack the Swansea box.
The 54th minute saw Vale find his way into the box with the ball but could only direct his cross-shot high and wide.
The young star saw his first opportunity on goal in the 58th minute as he was well-placed in the box to be found by a cross. The ball ensured he was only able to attempt a header from a standing start and he could not get on top over the ball and as such did not trouble the goal.
60-75
The youngster had his head in his hands after Manning opened the scoring having ghosted around the back of Vale to find himself open after he had initially taken responsibility to mark the wing-back.
Substituted in the 67th minute.
Verdict
It was a difficult afternoon for Vale as his Hull side were dominated by Swansea for most of his time on the pitch. However, he was careful in position and showed more enthusiasm to carry the ball forward as the game went on.
A portion of blame will lie at Vale's door for Swansea's opening goal but that should hopefully translate into a mistake that the young winger will not make again in a hurry.
It remains promising that Vale has already been handed his first opportunity, and with more playing time he will surely begin to impact games more.
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