Bobby Reid will achieve a boyhood dream when he makes his Premier League debut for Cardiff City in the new season.
The boy from Bristol knows all about rivalry between his home city team, the Robins, and Cardiff’s Bluebirds.
He was 10-years-old and already playing at Bristol City’s Academy when Lennie Lawrence’s team dumped their Severnside rivals out of the play-offs and went on to beat Queens Park Rangers in the final.
“I was a Robins fan growing up and I have photographs at home of me in the dressing room at Ashton Gate,” said Reid. “Leroy Lita and Scott Murray were among my favourites back then and I enjoyed watching games as an Academy player.
“There is a rivalry there, but for me the Premier League football is where I want to be and have always wanted to be.
“Cardiff offered me the opportunity and as a kid it was something I always dreamed of that.
“This is bigger than just Bobby Reid making the Premier League. It’s for people who know me and around me just knowing that it’s possible to achieve the things you dream of and I couldn’t turn it down.
“It’s playing in the Premier League. The be-all and end-all. I’m going to give my all for every club I play for. I gave everything I had for Bristol City and will do exactly the same for Cardiff.
“Hopefully fans of both clubs can accept me.”
It was a controversial decision for Bristol City fans. They accepted Lee Tomlin’s move from Bristol to Cardiff a year earlier, but Reid is Bristol born and bred.
But he makes it clear that boyhood support for the Robins will always be there – just as Neil Warnock still loves his home town club Sheffield United – and he is a young man intent on hitting the heights in the blue of Cardiff.
He has already scored twice on the Bluebirds pre-season tour to the West Country, netting in the 6-0 win at Tavistock and again when City defeated Bodmin Town 11-1 at Prior Park on Wednesday.
Reid’s focus, determination and commitment comes across clearly when he talks about football. He is driven and intent on ensuring his speed, skill and intensity help the Bluebirds cause.
Former Cheltenham, Oldham and Plymouth loan spell has moved across the Severn Bridge from England to Wales after 18 years with his home city club, having joined their Academy at the age of seven.
He fired 19 Championship goals for the Robins last season, while he helped the Bristol boys beat Crystal Place and Manchester United in the League Cup before being edged out over two legs by Manchester City.
“I’m the type of person who wants to keep improving and challenging myself. That’s why I wanted to play in the Premier League and pit myself against the best players.
“I had a sniff of it last season playing against Man City and Man United and thought I did pretty well. So if I can do it against them, why not against everybody else?
“Playing against Manchester United was a crazy experience and scoring at Man City away was just as crazy. That little taste of it made me want more and to strive for better things.”
Reid, who is sharing hotel rooms with fellow new signing Josh Murphy in pre-season, insists he is not trouble by nerves before matches, saying: “I don’t get nervous. Anxious sometimes, maybe, but it’s just a game of football no matter where it is and once I am on the pitch the focus kicks in.”
The Bluebirds paid £10m for Reid, but he has no time for pressure and doesn’t buy into superstitions which can affect some footballers.
“I don’t do with pressure,” said Reid, who has committed to a four-year contract. “The only pressure comes from putting it on yourself and I’m not doing that. I am confident in my own ability and believe my game will suit the Premier League.
“I try not to be superstitious and change my routine all the time, doing everything off the cuff.
“There’s a good team spirit at Cardiff City. Everybody is buzzing. It’s the Premier League, what can I say? Hopefully we can surprise a few people and give it a right good go.
“There will be opportunities for us and if we play our cards right, we can stay up. I don’t see why not! We were promoted for a reason.”
Reid won’t be a physical player for the Bluebirds, but he will aim to take big defenders out of their comfort zone with his tricks, pace and high energy style.
He will set himself personal targets in the new season, but will keep those to himself.
Former Watford, Norwich and Swindon player Anthony McNamee is Reid’s cousin and was a key factor in his development.
“He was a massive influence,” says Reid. “I remember going to London, watching him in training and matches.
“It was great growing up and seeing somebody from a similar background to me playing professional football.”
He attended Bristol’s City Academy, a sports-based school, and he loved playing basketball, but admits: “I wasn’t too keen on rugby.”
Reid and his mum had to travel on four different buses just to get to training in his young days before Bristol City signed him on schoolboy forms at the age of seven and he says: “I didn’t realise at the time how much my mum was doing for me.
“I have no doubts now and I will repay her by being the best I possibly can be. Without my mum this may not have been possible.”
Derby County and West Brom were among the clubs keen on Reid and AFC Bournemouth checked on is progress a number of times.
Burnley, Leicester and Brighton also linked with the striker, who was selected for the PFA Championship team of the season along with Cardiff’s Sol Bamba.
“Bobby’s best is yet to come,” says Warnock. “He’s capable of scoring goals at the top level.
“I watched him when he was on loan at Plymouth Argyle kept up with his progress since then.
“He can play in a couple of positions for us. We don’t really have anybody who can play at the front of a diamond other than Callum Paterson and we need another option there. Bobby gives us that.
“He can play right up front and that’s an area I have been looking at.
“People like him and Josh Murphy are hungry. We need hungry players and they are both really looking forward to the challenge.”
Three Bobby Reid facts:
Middle name . . . . Armani, but he insists that is nothing to do with the clothing company.
Favourite player growing up . . . Brazilian Ronaldinho, saying: “He played with a smile on his face. I’d love to be the same.”
Goals . . . . Scored 21 goals in all competitions last season, 19 of those in the Championship.