{"id":2558,"date":"2021-09-21T17:55:18","date_gmt":"2021-09-21T16:55:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gateshead-fc.com\/?p=2558"},"modified":"2021-09-22T00:08:49","modified_gmt":"2021-09-21T23:08:49","slug":"pani-on-senior-debut-fa-youth-cup-drama-aiming-to-impress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gateshead-fc.com\/pani-on-senior-debut-fa-youth-cup-drama-aiming-to-impress\/","title":{"rendered":"Pani on senior debut, FA Youth cup drama & aiming to impress"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s been a whirlwind few months for Connor Pani.<\/h2>\n

The midfielder arrived on the books at the International Stadium in the summer after impressing early in pre-season after being called up to first team training from the academy setup.<\/span><\/p>\n

A combative performance from the Gateshead FC Academy midfielder against Hebburn Town was rewarded with a professional contract by player-manager Mike Williamson.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m loving every second of it,\u201d said Pani.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Coming in and training everyday – it’s amazing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“The atmosphere is fantastic, the coaches and lads are brilliant.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“They’ve welcomed me in and helped me settle, which makes it an easier environment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Being in the same team as the likes of Mike [Williamson] is what every young kid dreams of.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“I first joined the academy as I’ve always been playing football from a young age.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“The courses they offered were perfect for me, and the opportunity to progress into the senior game was exactly what I was looking for.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Earning the contract felt amazing – me and my family definitely weren’t expecting it, so I can’t describe the feeling of pride when I was told by the gaffer.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

The Heed’s number 17 showcased a number of impressive displays in friendly action, topped off with a brace against Ashington.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“I treated pre-season as a chance to show what I could do,” he added.<\/span><\/p>\n

“From the first training session, the amount I’ve personally improved is huge.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“I felt a stronger player as the games came by, and that’s thanks to the coaching staff.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“The first few games were nerve-wracking, but I’ve gained in confidence on the ball.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“There’s obviously a bit of a physicality difference, so one of my main focuses was getting in the gym and trying to push on.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“The two goals topped pre-season off, however it’s about looking ahead to the rest of this season, where hopefully I can bag a few more!”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pani did indeed find the back of the net on Thursday evening – the start of a hectic few days for the youngster.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gateshead under-18’s went a goal down against Spennymoor Town in the FA Youth Cup, but Pani’s looping header on 55 minutes made for a dramatic penalty shootout.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The midfielder rifled his spot kick past the home goalkeeper, before Heed stopper Sam Wilson’s save secured safe passage for Ben Clark’s side.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

“It was a disappointment to go behind,” added Pani.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“We took it as a wake up call, and we started to give 110%.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“I’m more than proud to get the equaliser, and to do my job in the shootout.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>“We weren’t expecting the best standard of games, we knew it would be scrappy, but everyone ran themselves into the ground.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“That’s what makes a good team, working together and fighting for one another.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Less than 48 hours later, Pani was introduced at Gateshead International Stadium as Williamson’s first-team entertained Bradford (Park Avenue) in the Emirates FA Cup.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With 14 minutes to go, Dan Ward made way for the teenager in front of 502 supporters on Tyneside.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pani was thrilled to make his senior debut in the 6-2 victory, but believes there’s plenty more work to do in the near future.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“I’ve been told I need to prove myself and to show I’m capable of playing at this level.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“The coaches told me I did well in training on Thursday and there was a chance I’d be involved.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Hearing the crowd as I got ready to come on, it sent shivers down my spine.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“It was one of the most nervy moments of my life, but I somehow managed to keep focused and help the boys for the last few minutes.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“The feeling at the full-time whistle was phenomenal, seeing how proud Mike and Busted [Ian Watson] were.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“To get a win and some minutes in the legs felt outstanding – the lads were quality and were buzzing in the changing rooms afterwards.<\/span><\/p>\n

“It doesn’t stop there though, I’ve got my eyes set on improving and tasting even more action.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Heed return to the National League North on Saturday afternoon, welcoming Gloucester City before a trip to Runcorn Linnets in Emirates FA Cup action the following week.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pani knows that the hard work has only just begun, saying: “I’m looking forward to the coming weeks.<\/span><\/p>\n

“For me, I’m trying to work as hard as possible in training, in order to hopefully impress.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“There are always areas for improvement, especially as a young lad.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Gloucester will be a tough game for the lads, no game will be a walkover, but we’ve got a huge amount of talent in the squad.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s been a whirlwind few months for Connor Pani. The midfielder arrived on the books at the <\/p>\n Read More »<\/a>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2559,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,1,19,7,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academy","category-all-news-media","category-club-news","category-first-team","category-gateshead-fc-academy-under-18s"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPani on senior debut, FA Youth cup drama & aiming to impress - Gateshead FC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gateshead-fc.com\/pani-on-senior-debut-fa-youth-cup-drama-aiming-to-impress\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pani on senior debut, FA Youth cup drama & aiming to impress - Gateshead FC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It’s been a whirlwind few months for Connor Pani. The midfielder arrived on the books at the\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/gateshead-fc.com\/pani-on-senior-debut-fa-youth-cup-drama-aiming-to-impress\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gateshead FC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gatesheadfc\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-09-21T16:55:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-09-21T23:08:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/gateshead-fc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/3O5A6758-2-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Josh Youll\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@GatesheadFC\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@GatesheadFC\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Josh Youll\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gateshead-fc.com\/pani-on-senior-debut-fa-youth-cup-drama-aiming-to-impress\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gateshead-fc.com\/pani-on-senior-debut-fa-youth-cup-drama-aiming-to-impress\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Josh Youll\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gateshead-fc.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1c486e7cb67713ba6604f4445cf96ec1\"},\"headline\":\"Pani on senior debut, FA Youth cup drama & aiming to impress\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-21T16:55:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-09-21T23:08:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gateshead-fc.com\/pani-on-senior-debut-fa-youth-cup-drama-aiming-to-impress\/\"},\"wordCount\":782,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gateshead-fc.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gateshead-fc.com\/pani-on-senior-debut-fa-youth-cup-drama-aiming-to-impress\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/gateshead-fc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/3O5A6758-2-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Academy\",\"All News & Media\",\"Club News\",\"First Team\",\"Gateshead FC Academy Under 18's\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gateshead-fc.com\/pani-on-senior-debut-fa-youth-cup-drama-aiming-to-impress\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/gateshead-fc.com\/pani-on-senior-debut-fa-youth-cup-drama-aiming-to-impress\/\",\"name\":\"Pani on senior debut, FA Youth cup drama & aiming to impress - 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