A Canary waiting on the wings for Ireland

ANTHONY PILKINGTON is a young man desperate to make up for lost time.

Still only 23, Norwich City’s wide player had to overcome the disappointment of failing to make the grade both at hometown club Blackburn and Manchester United to star in the Premier League this season.

The Lancashire-born winger’s rise started in the humbler surroundings of Atherton Collieries — a part-time outfit in England’s North-West Counties League. Stockport offered him a route into the professional ranks in 2006.

Pilkington played a key role in County’s League Two play-off success the following season — scoring the second and earning man-of-the-match honours in a 3-2 Wembley final win over rivals Rochdale.

Huddersfield provided a bigger stage, where he scored 19 goals in 92 appearances for the Terriers. Adversity struck again when a broken leg — suffered ironically against Rochdale — in March of this year ruled him out for the rest of Huddersfield’s League One campaign.

Norwich boss Paul Lambert had long been an admirer since facing Pilkington back in the manager’s Wycombe days. Following Norwich’s second consecutive promotion, Pilkington was one of eight new signings to arrive in the summer to equip the Canaries for life in the Premier League — arriving for a reported £2 million initial fee.

Pilkington made his top-flight debut as a substitute in City’s opening-day draw at Wigan and has since established himself on the left side of Norwich’s midfield.

He has an eye for goal that has also made the transition from the lower leagues with four in his first 11 Premier League games — including a spectacular free kick past Republic of Ireland number one Shay Given in Norwich’s recent 3-2 defeat at Aston Villa.

Pilkington is a genuine two-footed player, comfortable on either flank but who can also operate centrally. Good technically, allied to the inner belief and confidence of a player who genuinely believes he belongs on the same stage as the Wayne Rooneys and Robin van Persies of this world.

If there is one perceived weakness, it emanates simply from the fact Pilkington is still a novice at Premier League level after jumping straight from League One. He needs to maintain his current levels of consistency over an entire season — but the initial signs have been encouraging, to say the least.

Pilkington also buys into the work ethic that has underpinned Norwich’s success over the past two years, with a readiness to track back and support another Irish-qualified club colleague, left back Marc Tierney.

Pilkington represented the Republic at under 21 level, courtesy of a Dublin grandmother, in a 3-0 win over Lithuania in 2008.

His impressive top flight bow for Norwich has led to speculation surrounding a potential England call up in the future.

Pilkington admitted he was in no rush to pledge international allegiance to the country of his birth or that of his ancestors when questioned recently prior to facing boyhood club Blackburn at Carrow Road.

“If they both came in, I’d have to think about it, but I’m just enjoying my football down here at Norwich,” he said. “I’m not thinking about any international call-ups or anything like that, I just want to concentrate on getting the three points each week and playing well.

“It just shows how well as a group we are playing and that people are taking note of what we’re doing and the quality we’ve got at the club — with one or two people being linked with the international set-ups, it proves we’re a great squad and we are doing really well at the moment.”

If the Republic want Pilkington then Giovanni Trapattoni had better make the call soon.