Ex-Premier loanee aims to impress Sousa
Monday 22 March 2010
Kerry MorganFORMER Neath and Port Talbot loanee Kerry Morgan hopes his heroics at Newport County will help inject new life into his Swansea City career after agreeing a new Liberty contract.
Morgan, who scored 12 goals from 24 (+16) Welsh Premier appearances, helped Newport clinch the Blue Square South title a week ago with seven games to spare.
After spending last season on-loan with the Eagles, the striker joined Dean Holdsworth's men on loan back in October and has scored six goals to help the Exiles clinch promotion to the Blue Square Premier in spectacular fashion.
But Morgan, who has recently agreed a new one-year Swansea deal, is hoping his exploits will give him a head start when he returns for pre-season training in the summer.
The 20-year-old featured five times under Paulo Sousa back in August following the Portuguese's arrival at Swansea.
But the return from injury of a number of players, along with a clutch of new signings, saw Morgan drop down the pecking order. But the Merthyr product is determined to force his way back into Sousa's plans following his successful stint at Newport.
"Playing my first competitive game for Swansea is something I'll never forget," Morgan, who made his debut off the bench in a Carling Cup win over Brighton, told the South Wales Evening Post.
"Then I got a few Championship games under my belt, which was amazing. It was a heck of a buzz running out in front of 17,000 fans. Those are the moments you strive for as a young footballer.
"But I don't want that to be the end of me at Swansea. I want to return in the summer and show how I've improved at Newport.
"Then I aim to push to be involved in the pre-season preparations and impress enough so I'm involved in the first-team plans next season."
By the time Morgan returns to his parent club, Swansea could well be heading for the Premier League. And while winning a place in Sousa's squad could be a tall order for the little striker, he is not considering other options yet.
A return to Newport would look like an option given his success at Spytty Park, where Morgan has learned a lot from former Wimbledon and Bolton frontman Holdsworth.
"If I'm not in the (Swansea) manager's plans then maybe I'd look to go on loan again," he said. "But I'm not thinking like that. The aim is to be catching the manager's eye."
He added: "I'm really enjoying my time at Newport. I've benefited from playing regularly and I've scored quite a few as a result.
"There were more than 4,000 watching the game which clinched the title, and it was nothing less than the club deserved. It was a moment I'll never forget."
Photo: Kerry Morgan in Neath colours last season.