Sunderland under-23s forward Andrew Nelson chats to safc.com about his family, home life and graft at the Academy of Light.
Andrew, you’ve been at the academy for a long time now but where did it all start?
AN: I started playing football when I was six and then shortly after I got the chance to come to the academy. I joined Sunderland when I was seven and I lived with my mum, dad and my sister.
Two years after that my parents split up and I was really young at the time and I suppose I didn’t understand completely what was going on. My sister was older and she used to look after me and she made sure I only knew what I needed to know.
Having got to know you, it’s clear how important your family are…
AN: They mean everything to me! My mum and my granddad come to most games I play and they have always been there for me. My granddad has always taken the time to take me to training and my mum, even when she worked in Sunderland and did 14 hour shifts, would always come and support me and make sure I got to training.
So would you say she is an inspirational person for you?
AN: Absolutely! She taught me everything I need to know, the value of hard work and why it is always so important to try your best and give 100% into everything.
And I suppose that’s evident in your style of play…
AN: Yeah that’s what I base my style of play on. There’s nothing I like more than to get stuck in, chase players down and make life hard for the opposition and that all starts by working hard.
Having missed a few months through injury is that now going to be your mantra for the rest of the season?
AN: I want to play games and hopefully I can do that between now and the end of the season. I’ve felt good since I have come back and now I’m just looking for some more minutes to get myself up to speed. Hopefully I can do that as quickly as possible.
