YOUNG midfielder Vimal Yoganathan admitted that not being called up to the Wales under-21s squad over the international break hurt – but it’s given him some more determination to break in to the side.
The 20-year-old has been involved in previous youth set-ups along with fellow midfielder Jonathan Bland but did not feature during the international break.
Yoganathan admits he was disappointed and said that it would be a dream to be called up to the main squad.
Wales were knocked out of the World Cup qualifying by Bosnia and subsequently played Patrick Kelly’s Northern Ireland earlier this week.
Yoganathan said: “I obviously expected Wales to go through.
“It was a bit unfortunate with a late goal.
“I then watched the second game with Northern Ireland where Pat played.
“It was good to watch him against good players on a big stage – hopefully I can follow suit.
“Like everyone, every kid wants to go and play at a World Cup.
“That’s the ultimate dream at the end of the day.
“For me it feels like I’m so close yet so far.
“I’m one step away in terms of being in the 21s.
“But that gap to the first team is still really big.
“I know how big it is and I’ve just got to keep working.
“If I work hard every day and prove it to myself then hopefully I can get there.”
At Barnsley, Yoganathan has played 29 games this season and scored three goals.
It has been a breakout year in the football league having been promoted from the National League with Oldham last season.
He admits that although he would have like to have been involved with every game, it has been a successful campaign for him.
“I’m just focusing on my game,” he said.
“There’s always plenty of ups and downs but I focus on the next game – it’s always a clean slate.
“I’ve made a lot of starts.
“Obviously I want to play every game but that’s not possible because we’ve got so many good players.
“But I’m pleased with the opportunities I’ve got.
“The gaffer’s been fair with me and I can’t really ask for a lot more.”
Yoganathan said that working under young head coach Conor Hourihane has really helped him and other players in the squad.
He added: “He’s drilled an elite mentality into everyone.
“It’s mentioned every day in terms of standards.
“He’s helped me with awareness and positioning and where I can be at certain moments.
“So he’s been really important for me.”
Any realistic chance of the Reds making the play-offs was ended after the defeat against Doncaster before the international break.
Yoganathan said he understands fans’ frustrations and has asked supporters to get behind the team.
“We just want to win as many games as possible,” he added.
“It’s easy for me to say ‘get behind the team and support us’.
“Obviously they’ve got their frustrations and potentially they’ve got every right.
“But in terms of us as a team, we need to just focus on ourselves and we’re going to push to win every game.”
