Thursday 12 March 2015 19:20, UK
It’s been a topsy-turvy season at The Valley but one man has been consistency personified for Charlton. With academy graduate Jordan Cousins winning admirers with his impressive performances, Adam Bate caught up with the youngster to find out more about his fine form…
It’s obvious Jordan Cousins is in a good place. He’s just dropped his sister off at the airport and training is going as well as the results. After a 14-game winless run over the winter, Charlton have won five of their last six – and Cousins was rested for the other one. It’s an indication of the 21-year-old midfielder’s growing importance and why he’s a strong candidate for the club’s player of the year award. Speaking to him, his enthusiasm is palpable.
“As a young player, I just want to play as many games as I can and get as much experience as I can,” he says. “I think it’s been another successful season for me but obviously we’ve got some games left and I want to finish as strongly as possible.” With results having picked up under new boss Guy Luzon, that looks a distinct possibility and Cousins is certainly optimistic.
“I think it just took a bit of time for him to get his ideas across,” he adds. “Everybody’s buying into it and with a few new players coming in through the door, I think it’s coming together now. It’s given everyone a lift. It means there’s a bit more competition for places so everyone is giving 100 per cent just to get into the team.”
Getting into the team is unlikely to be an issue. A Charlton boy having been at the club since childhood – “I don’t know any different” – Cousins has won admirers among supporters and team-mates alike thanks to his work-rate. The back-room staff enthuse about his Prozone stats and the player himself admits that his efforts on the pitch ensure there can be no accusations of slacking.
“I’m not really a stats person myself but when they do come in on a Monday morning and tell me that my stats are quite high and I cover a lot of distance on a Saturday at a high intensity, at least they can’t fault me for my effort,” he says. “I think that I’ve got a lot of athleticism for a young boy. I’m quite developed for my age so I can get about the pitch quite well.”
His versatility has also been an asset after being asked to play on the left of midfield for large chunks of the season despite having a preference for the central role that he currently occupies. “I see myself as a central midfielder but playing on the left opened my eyes up,” he explains. “If anything it helped me as a central player because it allowed me to get a better idea of what the left midfielder sees.
“It was a new challenge because I wasn’t really expecting it at the start of the season but it’s something I had to buy into because it was what the manager needed at the time. He wanted someone who could tackle and run and had my attributes out there on the left. He thought I could do that job and I’ve always said to the manager that I’m not one of those who complains, I’m just happy to be out there on the pitch. I did quite well there and scored a couple of goals.”
Breakthrough
The first of his goals came on his Championship debut against Barnsley in August 2013 while still a teenager. Then-boss Chris Powell had been sufficiently impressed by Cousins in pre-season to include the youth-teamer in his plans – a decision for which he remains grateful. “It was emotional when he came down to the ground with Huddersfield. It just felt weird him being on the other side. I do owe him a lot. Without him giving me that chance then I wouldn’t be in the position I am today.”
So is he a better player now? “I think my all-round knowledge of different game situations and different teams has improved. You’ve got your teams like Derby who pass the ball and then teams like Sheffield Wednesday who can be more direct. It’s just a case of learning how to play against different teams in the Championship. After playing 18 months of football I’ve gained a lot of experience in that way and I know what I’m going to come up against.”
Despite the insistence that he’s an improving player, Cousins’ quality was identified at an early age. He was a member of England’s Under-17 World Cup squad that travelled to Mexico and reached the quarter-finals in 2011. Cousins, who regards the trip as one of the best experiences of his life, operated at right-back in that tournament (“I’m proper versatile!”) with a certain Raheem Sterling playing ahead of him on the wing.
England ambitions
“Raheem was always talented. Obviously we didn’t know he was going to be this talented and take it to the next level. But there were other players like Ross Barkley who is also pushing his way into the senior squad. We were all in the same age group so it is very pleasing to see them doing so well.
“When I was younger I was involved consistently. Now you get to this crunch stage with the Under-21s and you get your young Premier League players involved it can be hard. But I was involved a lot when I was younger. Obviously my goal one day is to play in the Premier League and I know from seeing them that it can be achieved. I know those guys put in a lot of hard work but I also know that if I do the same then one day that can be me.”
With the European Under-21 Championship looming in the summer, Cousins could be forgiven for dreaming of adding to the caps he won last year in Toulon but he’s not getting carried away. “The way I look at it, if I get called up to play for England it’s a big bonus. It is a very big pool of players they have to choose from as there are a lot of good players of my age. If it happens like it did last summer when I got the call then I’ll be ecstatic but it’s not something I’m thinking every time I go out there on a Saturday.
“Obviously I’ve still got to keep impressing the new manager ahead of next season too. I’ve just got to stay in the manager’s good books and keep performing for Charlton. We’re winning games and everything seems settled. It’s now just a case of getting my head down and keep improving to be the best that I can be and stay in the team. I’ve just got to keep pushing on.” And when Cousins tells you he’s going to keep working, you know that he means it.
