By NEIL BONNAR JASON Wilcox will become the first ex-Bolton town team player to be picked for England for a quarter of a century if he plays at Wembley next week.

But few could have predicted his meteoric rise to stardom when he couldn't get a regular place in the Bolton schools side!

The tricky Blackburn Rovers winger who has overcome an injury nightmare to win a place in Terry Venables' plans had a hurdle of a different kind to overcome as a youngster.

It came in the shape of fellow left sided midfielders Michael Wallace and David Aldred who consistently kept him out of the side during his two seasons as a town team player a decade ago. The North West's English Schools Council representative Dave Price, who was the town team manager at the time, recalls: "Jason was a very good player at the time but we also had Michael and David who were ahead of him.

"It meant that for two years he was in the squad only 12 times out of about 30 games."

Bolton-born and bred, Wilcox played in seven of those matches and failed to score.

"When Jason was 14 and 15 he was a little bit lightweight. The following year he beefed himself up and came on a ton.

"He became an outstanding player but he played for Blackburn's 'A' and 'B' teams so he played very little schools football.

"The irony is that Michael, who went to Manchester City and then Stockport County, is now playing in non-League, where David is also playing, although at the time they were both county players."

Wilcox made up for lost time as he worked his way through the ranks at Ewood Park to establish himself in the senior side and emerge as one of the most highly-rated left-sided midfielders in the country.

Mr Price says of his former Deane School pupil who will become the first former Bolton schools player to play for England since Alan Ball and Francis Lee if he figures against Croatia on Wednesday: "I really hope he plays because it's been so long since one of our players went on to play for England. "He has come a long way since the town team days but I am never surprised by what players achieve because everyone progresses at different rates.

"It's particularly pleasing for Jason because he has had a bad time with injuries. But he has been tremendous for Blackburn and he deserves his chance."

Gary Flitcroft's recent £3.25m transfer from Manchester City sees two former Bolton Schools players at Ewood Park, although they never played in the same side.

In the season after Jason's two-year stint, the central midfielder had a rather more productive time as he played 30 times for the under-14s and under-15s and scored 12 goals.

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