EXCLUSIVE
I started my career with West Ham and am now the first player to go from National League to the Premier League
Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu made history after securing promotion to the Premier League with Luton Town.
The midfielder was part of the Hatters' side to take on Coventry City at Wembley - a clash that was decided by penalty shootout as Rob Edwards' side edged a nervy encounter.
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With Luton now promoted, Ruddock Mpanzu will become the first player to rise from the National League to the Premier League, via League Two and League One, while playing for one single club.
Having started his youth career with Boreham Wood, the 29-year-old signed a professional contract with West Ham in October 2011, making his senior debut in a League Cup clash under Sam Allardyce in October 2013.
The following month he was tempted to Luton on loan, before joining the club on a permanent basis under then-boss John Still with the club competing in the National League.
Explaining the move, Still told talkSPORT: Part of what I’ve always done in my career is find young, hungry players and most of my teams have had young, hungry players who have gone on and done really well.
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"I put Pelly in that mould. He had a bit of non-league experience with Boreham Wood, although he was a young one. West Ham is close to me, the training ground is close to me and so I saw a bit of Pelly and I saw this enthusiastic, all-action player who wasn’t afraid to play centre-half, wasn’t afraid to play centre-midfield and never batted an eyelid when he had to change positions.
“I thought that his energy and his potential was great and he’d be an ingredient who would add to what we already had."
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Still added: “He was able to go through the leagues with relative comfort, to be honest, and now finds himself within touching distance of the Premier League.
“I don’t think there’s a non-league player in the country who would look at that and say that it’s true, but it’s facts and it’s every credit to him.”
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Discussing the mentality needed to rise through the ranks in such a manner, Still said: "When people ask me what Pelly is like, he came in trained and got on with it. He’d say good morning or good afternoon and go home. If you need to talk to him about football then talk, but that’s it.
“The thing that hasn’t surprised me is how he’s taken it all in his stride and got on with it. I don’t think there will have been a time when he’ll have been over-excited or over-disappointed. He’ll just worry about the next game of the next training session.
“He might have changed in certain respects over the years, but I’m sure that the Pelly I brought in [to Luton] is still his character.”
With the prospect of Premier League football just around the corner, Ruddock Mpanzu admits his story is rather unique. “It’s crazy.
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"You probably think I’ve seen it all. I joined on loan then joined permanently and we’ve been on the rise ever since.
“Obviously, I’ve had managers here who have believed in me and kept me strong and built a platform to perform so hopefully I can pay the fans back for their belief.
He added: “Once it’s done I can say that yeah, it’s a crazy journey. I don’t know if someone is going to do it again – some people will say Wrexham will do it, I’ll see in 10 years when I’ve got my feet up and chilling!”
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