MAN-of-the-moment Callum Wilson has identified his flirtation with non-league football as a key component in his rapid rise through the ranks.

The 22-year-old striker has proved an instant hit since his big-money move to Cherries from Coventry City in the summer with his 11 goals securing the Championship’s Player of the Month Award for October and a call-up for England under-21s.

It was only last season that Wilson burst on to the scene with his hometown club, scoring 22 goals for the Sky Blues in League One having previously played in the Conference for Kettering Town and Tamworth.

And the in-form sharpshooter was quick to recognise the influence that his early days in senior football had on his burgeoning career.

Wilson told the Daily Echo: “When you’re in the lower leagues, you sometimes do not work as hard as you should and take it a bit easier but I went there with the right attitude.

“My sole focus was on trying to get into the first team at Coventry by impressing and I felt like I did that before I got injured.

“You learn to appreciate playing in the higher divisions week-in week-out and the experience helps you to grow as a player. Those spells turned me from a boy into a man in many ways.

“It is far more physical, the tackles fly in and there is a bit more to it. Under-21s football is behind closed doors to an extent so it brings a different kind of pressure to go out and do it on a bigger stage.

“I was lucky, I had a manager (Marcus Law) who was great to work with. Having known him from Kettering he asked for me again when he went to Tamworth and I had no hesitation.

“When you go to a club at a lower level, coming from a great training facility, you have to feel wanted by the manager and he showed a lot of interest in me. 

“He is a good guy and when he came in the second time it was a no-brainer to go and play games for someone I have a lot of respect for.

“Learning my trade in that way has made a big difference for me. It’s nice that the hard work is paying off and that people recognise how much we are putting in.” 

Wilson was an unused substitute as England under-21s beat their Portuguese counterparts 3-1 at Burnley’s Turf Moor on Thursday. 

The Cherries hitman is due to travel out to Brittany with Gareth Southgate’s squad for Monday’s away game against France.