One-time Sorrento junior Oliver Hilton has recently signed up with English league side Stockport County after spending a number of years in the youth system at Crewe Alexandra. Born in England, Hilton emigrated to Western Australia with his family in 1993 and wracked up a stack of achievements before returning to the U.K. five years later. During the week we caught up with the now 16-year old to get the run-down on his career to date.

Could you give us a bit of a run-down on your career in W.A.?
I started out in Perth for Sorrento Seagulls at Under-10's where I played until returning to England in 1998. I was captain of the Sorrento team from Under-10 to Under-13. At Under-11 we were League Champions and Top 4 Play-Off Winners and I also received the trophy for Fairest and Best Player that year. At Under-12 we won the Top 4 Play-Off again and we were also the Under-12 Bunbury Carnival Winners. At U13 we were runners up at the Under-14 Bunbury Carnival and I received the trophy for Players Player of the Year As well as playing for Sorrento I also represented Northern Districts and played for John Curtin Soccer School where I was on a scholarship.

Did you represent W.A. as a junior at any level? If so, did you get the chance to go on tour and how did the side perform?
I represented WA at Under-12 when we toured Japan and, believe it or not, I still have the signed match ball from the two hat-tricks I scored! Our coach was Bill McBride and the teams we played were a mixture of school teams and club teams. We won all our games except the Final against J.E.F. United which we lost 8-1, partly because the final was played on astro-turf - which we were not used to playing on - and also because they fielded a few older players. We stayed mostly in lodges and hotels where I roomed with Darren Broxton who was also my classmate at Lymburner School in Hillarys. It was a great experience, my first time away from home. Amongst the highlights were visiting Mount Fuji, travelling on the bullet-train and the opening carnival where we paraded through the streets wearing Japanese kimonos and head bands!

You moved to the U.K. in 1998. Why did the family decided to head to England? How did you go adjusting to a radically different lifestyle and climate that you were used to in Perth?
My main reasons for wanting to live in England were to become a professional footballer in the English Premier League ... and to watch Liverpool at Anfield! The weather here is certainly a lot different to Perth. We play football in rain, snow and ice and as soon as the weather improves, the season stops.

What has been happening for you on a football level since that move? How did you come about joining Crewe?
When we were still living in Australia my dad contacted several English clubs to see if I could get trials with them. A number wrote back offering me trials when we returned to England. Liverpool is the team I support so when we got back to England I went for a trial there first. Unfortunately I found the conditions totally different to Perth - it was April, snowing, freezing cold and the pitch was very heavy. Although I did okay, I knew I wouldn't get signed on as you have to be better than the players they already have. I waited until June and then phoned Crewe who also invited me down for a trial. I trialled for about 6 weeks and was then offered a one year contract, our first game was against Liverpool. I was also offered trials at Leeds United and Manchester City but didn't follow these through after being signed by Crewe. And at the end of that season I was offered a further two years.

How did the team perform in the League?
Academy football up to Under-16 is not played on a league basis but it is all about development and you only play friendly matches against other academies. However we won virtually every game so we must have been pretty good. Two of my former team mates are now playing for the England Under-16 team after signing for Manchester United. The highlight apart from beating Manchester United both home and away was probably going to Northern Ireland for the Milk Cup competition in 1999. This is a top competition with teams from all over the world including Lazio, Boca Juniors and several national teams. We came second in our group but lost in the semi-final of our competition, although our Under-17 team won their competition beating Manchester United in the final.

I believe you also captained a representative side which toured Germany ...
That was another personal highlight, captaining the Cheshire Schoolboys Team that went to Germany last year. The trip to Germany is an annual exchange between Cheshire and Heilbronn that has gone on for forty years and is the longest running exchange in Great Britain. We were on tour for ten days and stayed with host families. The family I stayed with had previously hosted Danny Murphy, who now plays for Liverpool but was then with Cheshire and Crewe at Under-16 like myself. We played three games against teams from the Stuttgart area and won them all.

How have you found the standard of the game compared to what you experienced in W.A.?
The standard is far higher in England than in Perth ... I think the State teams in Australia would find it very hard against any academy club side. I have had to work very hard to improve my game since arriving here and I think the older you are the harder it must be to adapt to the English game.

How have you found settling into the playing side of things in England?
Initially I found the pitches hard to play on. They were very heavy in winter and the mud stuck to your boots. It was much faster and a lot more physical than playing in Perth. Crewe has an excellent reputation for youth football and the Under-14 coach is Dario Gradi MBE, who is also the first team coach and the longest serving manager in the Football League. He helped me a lot in training and I've worked hard on the weights to get stronger.

You have recently signed on with Stockport County's Under-19 side ... how did that offer come about? And are there any differences between the two clubs in terms of their youth structure?
At the end of my three years at Crewe I was out of contract and free to look for another club. Several clubs enquired about me including Stockport, I played I think six trial matches for them including against the Japan Under-16 national side and was then offered a two year contract. There is not really a lot of difference between Crewe and Stockport as both have excellent facilities. Crewe is an academy and operates a scholarship at Under-17 and Under-19 level whereas Stockport operates a Youth Training Scheme (YTS) at only Under-19 level.

You obviously impressed Stockport enough for them to sign you, how did the 2000/01 season treat you?
I have enjoyed my time in England so far and have enjoyed all the football. 2000/01 was a good season that ended well for me as I was one of the players offered a two year paid contract. I think that over the past twelve months my game has improved a lot and having played in six different countries so far has also benefited my development. I have adapted to the conditions now and Stockport play me in my favoured position of the centre of midfield.

Could you give us a typical day in the life of someone in the youth set-up at Stockport?
We don't start pre-season training until July at Stockport but we have been told it will be with the first team which should be good. I have had one training session with the first team when I was on trial and I was training with the youth team players over the Easter holidays. I played alongside Shefki Kuqi and Jarkko Wiss who are both internationals and played for Finland against England recently in the World Cup Qualifiers.

At Stockport the day starts at 8:30am when we report to the club and do jobs until training starts. Training is in two sessions, 10.00am until 12.00noon, then lunch until 1.00pm and then more training from 1.00 until 3.00pm. Then it's more jobs until 5.00pm. Each YTS player is assigned to a first team player to look after, we have to clean their boots, look after their training gear, do messages and so forth, and we are also each given a club job to do like sweeping the changing room floors, cutting grass, rolling the pitches or sorting the kits out.

Where do you see your career heading from here? Do you think a place in the Stockport reserves is a chance during this period?
I don't expect to play that much next season in the Under-19 team but I know I have to work hard on improving my game then get a regular place in the team, then the reserves and eventually I hope the first team before I am 19. My current contract is for two years but hopefully I will have been offered a professional contract before then.

Do you harbour dreams one day playing for Australia?
I think I am eligible to play for both England and Australia and, like any young footballer, would love to represent my country, be that England or Australia.

Thanks for your time Oliver. All the best for the up-coming season with Stockport and maybe one day we'll be watching you on tele playing for Liverpool.
I can but dream. And thank you for taking an interest in me ...

Copyright Brett Klucznik, 2001. No part of this article may be reproduced without the prior content of it's author, Brett Klucznik (bklucznik@iprimus.com.au). Doing so would be a violation of copyright laws and regulations.