Birmingham City's Scott Dann is ready for the top-flight
From Kirkdale in Liverpool, Dann was not tied to any club Academy and played for his school and Sunday side before Walsall invited him for a trial game.
He stood out and was told there and then by youth supremo Mick Halsall that Walsall wanted to sign him.
Dann’s excelled as Walsall won the League Two Championship in 2007, but he had to tough it out before making a breakthrough.
He spent a spell at Koge Boldklub in Denmark, went to Redditch United in 2005 on loan and then Hednesford United towards the end of that season.
“Definitely those were important steps for me,” he stated.
“I wasn’t really involved at Walsall at the time, I might have been on the bench a bit.
“When you are young you just want to play games and that’s what you’ve got to do to prove yourself. I tried to do that to the Walsall manager then [Paul Merson] and going out on loan to Denmark and Redditch has made me the player I am.
“It keeps my feet on the ground as well because I think a couple of years ago I was playing there, now I’m here at Birmingham.
“When you go down to that league [Conference North] it’s nowhere near as nice with the stadiums and that. But at the time I just wanted to play and I enjoyed it there, those loans have helped me along the way.”
Dann was signed by Coventry from the Saddlers in a joint £1.5 million deal with Daniel Fox on transfer deadline day in January 2008.
Immediately he emerged as one of the top Championship defenders and earned England under-21 caps.
Others before him have shown the gap from second-tier football to the Premier League can be bridged, like Joleon Lescott, who was taken by Everton from Wolves.
“There’s a few and until you get the chance to prove yourself there, the questions are always going to be about,” said Dann.
“When he first moved to the Premier League he was good but he wasn’t as good as he is now. He’s gone on from strength to strength from his first season to where he is now.
“He’s a top player and there’s no reason why myself and other people can’t do it. You just have to look at it as a big challenge and work hard to prove yourself.
“Obviously it’s a lost faster and you are playing against even better players week in, week out in the Premier League.
“It’s not going to be easy and I’ve got to make sure I give myself the best chance to be fit and ready and concentrate on getting it done.”
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