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Tommy eyeing top 3

Simon Smedley
2/ 4/2008

COUNTY wonder kid Tommy Rowe is determined to keep his place in a team which goes on to secure a glorious automatic promotion from League Two.

Rowe, who is still only 19, has been in great form of late, a fact not lost on Hatters boss Jim Gannon as he has started the young left-winger in the last 11 games. Rowe has grasped his first-team chance firmly with both hands recently, and the home-grown starlet just hopes that he can keep his run going.

Rowe told the Express: "I’m definitely enjoying playing at the moment. The experience of playing regularly is proving invaluable. Hopefully I can stay in the team. I was working hard earlier in the season. I was playing well in the reserve and under-21 teams so I thought I deserved my chance.

"Jim Gannon has certainly encouraged me of late too. I think he likes to see me getting forward in a 4-3-3 formation. The team is doing well playing that way.

"To secure automatic promotion would be just ideal. With the way we’re playing, there is absolutely no reason why we can’t go up automatically. We’ve just got to keep cutting the gap between us and the top three, and maybe with a bit of luck it will become a real possibility."

There has been plenty of attention focused on Rowe since he started his run in County’s first team two months ago, particularly so after his quite wonderful hat-trick in the 4-1 win at fellow promotion hopefuls Rotherham United.

Scouts from far and wide have been to check Rowe’s progress, but the lad himself keeps his feet firmly on the ground.

Rowe added: "It’s good to hear that people are taking note of me and keeping an eye on me, but I’m just focused on playing football at the moment with County.

"I just take everything in my stride."

Rowe, who is rumoured to be a potential target for some of the Premiership’s biggest guns, is contracted at County until the summer of 2009.