AFC Bournemouth
It would be a huge understatement to say Connor Kurran-Browne is not a fan of the Rugby World Cup.
As the protagonists slug it out for the trophy in Japan, the Cherries youngster could be forgiven for wincing every time a tackle is made.
A little over four years ago, Kurran-Browne’s dream of a career as a professional footballer was hanging by a thread due to an injury sustained playing the oval ball game.
He broke his leg and ankle during a PE lesson at school and spent almost two years on the sidelines recuperating.
At the time, Kurran-Browne was on the books of Watford, the physical and mental scars of his injury probably contributing to his release from Vicarage Road in 2018.
Determined to pick up the pieces straightaway, Kurran-Browne, who is nicknamed Bullet due to his searing pace, was offered a trial by the Cherries and has not looked back since.
The 17-year-old frontman told afcb.co.uk: “The guy who rugby tackled me was one of my team-mates at Watford and they weren’t best pleased.
“It was an accident. We were all competitive lads and it didn’t matter whether we were playing football, rugby or table tennis, we all wanted to win.
“He got the better of me on that occasion. He didn’t mean to injure me but bought me a few lunches afterwards as a way of saying sorry.
“My brother plays rugby but I will never go near it again.”
Hemel Hempstead-born Kurran-Browne spent ten years at Watford having joined the club as a six-year-old.
The rejection inspired him.
“They didn’t offer me a scholarship and it was quite hard to take,” he added. “I was there from the pre-academy until I was 16 and, all of a sudden, I was gone.
“I don’t know if it was down to my injury because I was out for quite a while with that. I only really had half a season to try to win a scholarship and it didn’t work out for me.
“I didn’t really know how to take it at the start. I just tried to get on with it and tried to find another club as soon as possible.
“That was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I didn’t want to stew on it and, the next day, I was trying to line up trials at clubs.
“A few people said they would help me try to find a club and Watford were quite helpful lining up trials.
“Bournemouth had an open trial and I came down for that. It started with about 50 lads before they whittled it down to 11 and then six. Of the 50, myself and James Oliver got offered a place.”
Kurran-Browne, a second-year scholar at Vitality Stadium, has hit the ground running this season by netting six times in ten league and cup games for Alan Connell’s under-18s. He has also trained with Eddie Howe's first-team squad.
He added: “There were positives and negatives from my first year. Wherever you play, you want to be the best. At times, I was frustrated because I wasn’t doing as well as I knew I could.
“I saw my first year as an opportunity to give myself the best possible chance to stand out in my second year.
“I did a lot of extra training and gym work and it has started to pay off this season.
“Like me, some of the other lads in the team have gone through rejection and know how much it hurts to not have a place so will fight like anything to keep the place they have.
“It certainly hardened me. I understand the business side of football a lot more now and realise people have to make decisions. How well you perform affects those decisions so you have to be on it all the time.
“I’ve started the season quite well but there is still a long way to go. I have set myself targets and am just trying to put myself in the best position to reach them.
“I know what’s it’s like to be without a club and don’t want to experience that again so am determined to give it everything to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Kurran-Browne will be hoping to maintain his impressive form when the Cherries host Yeovil Town in the EFL Youth Alliance at Canford Arena tomorrow (11am kick-off).
