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James Crawley writes

Posted Friday, January 26th 2018 @CrawleyJames92

WellRed meets: Liam Walsh

Friday, January 26th 2018

Merseyside-born Liam Walsh made the big move south after deciding to leave his boyhood club Everton.

The young midfielder arrived in Bristol earlier this month - City's first signing of the January transfer window - and he has already featured against Manchester City (twice) and Norwich City.

In this week's matchday programme, WellRed finds out more about the 21-year-old, including Walsh on his playing style, idols, life in Bristol and how the move to BS3 came about.

How quickly did your move to City happen?

The move happened very quickly because as soon I heard there was interest in me I just wanted to get the deal done.

I think the time was right to leave Everton. I had been there since the age of five but I wasn’t getting game time and there were a lot of players ahead of me.

As soon as there was interest from Bristol City though, I never took my eyes off them. I watched every game, I have seen them flying in the Sky Bet Championship and we have a great young manager in Lee Johnson. We’re looking to achieve a lot and I can’t see why we can’t do that with the players that we have right now.

This move will help my career a lot and I can’t wait to keep playing.

You have recently been compared to your boss Lee Johnson!

Yes, he was a great player back in his day and he says I remind him of his younger self! He says I have more aggression but he’s not a bad person to be following in the footsteps of.

He wants me to hit the ground running, I know what he wants from me and I want to win games for him.

What were your first impressions of Bristol and the football club on arrival?

I think the stadium is quality, it’s huge and I can’t wait to really get going in front of the home fans.

I had been down to Bristol before. It’s a great place and City are a great football club to play for.

Everything that has happened to me, both on and off the pitch, has been perfect for me. It has all fallen in to place for my move to Bristol. I love the city centre and the areas just outside. It’s a lovely city and I’m loving life here.

I’m living in a central apartment until I can find a place of my own. There are a lot of places around here where I can see myself living.

How have you settled in with the rest of the squad?

There’s a great bunch of lads here and they have made me feel very welcome. They understand how I like to play and that helps a lot. They have really boosted my confidence so they have been really helpful for me.

When you first move you want to impress your teammates because getting into the team is a big challenge. This is my club now, I’ve moved far from home and now you need to be a man and try as hard as you can.

This is a preview of the full interview, which can be read inside the WellRed matchday programme. Available to buy from around the ground for just £3.