IT IS not just Miles Storey’s friends, family and coaches who knew he had something special from an early age – his teammates were well aware of his talents too, writes ANDY WARREN.

The striker has made the step from youth team football to involvement with the Swindon first team alongside Leigh Bedwell, Louis Thompson and Aaron Oakley, and the quartet have known each other since Storey first came to the club as a 15-year-old.

Welsh central defender Oakley was given the job of marking the forward in his first training session, and knew immediately there was something about him.

“I first met Miles when he came here when he was 15 and looking for a scholarship, and I remember his first training session pretty well,” he said.

“I remember thinking ‘who is this?’ and you could see from quite early on that there was clearly something special there.

“I had to mark him, and it was a tough job, and there was clearly something about him and he is the nicest down to earth guy too.

“He works so hard and he has really kept his feet on the ground over the last two years and he deserves his chance.”

Thompson was with Storey when he first heard about his call-up to England Under-19s, and believes the striker’s level-headed nature will serve him well.

“Miles has been brilliant and he has come on leaps and bounds, and to be involved with the first-team here and to play for England too is brilliant,” he said.

“I was with Miles when he got the call from England because we were all having a gym session together, and the club secretary came and told him he had been called up and he had a massive smile on his face. He has just carried on like it was nothing and didn’t brag about it at all.

“He knows he needs to work on many things just like all of us, and he is taking it all in his stride and getting on with things.”