McDermott reflects on special debut
- Kian McDermott shared his pride after making his senior debut in a Round 13 win over Salford Red Devils.
- McDermott: “I’ve been watching Wigan since I was six or seven so to go on and make my debut really does mean a lot.”
- FT | Salford Red Devils 6-46 Wigan Warriors.
Kian McDermott shared his pride after making his senior debut in our Betfred Super League win over Salford Red Devils.
The forward came off the interchange bench before the hour to earn heritage number 1137 for the Club as the Warriors extended their winning run to eight matches in the competition with a victory at the Salford Community Stadium.
Reflecting on his debut, McDermott said: “Playing for Wigan is something I’ve always wanted to do since I was a little kid. When I started watching Wigan since I was six or seven, I said then I wanted to do it, so to go on and make my debut mean a lot.”
The forward, who joined the Warriors Scholarship system after progressing through the ranks at Wigan St Patricks, revealed the moment he found out he’d be making his debut: “Originally I was asking Duffs [John Duffy] about going down to London because I wanted to play.”
The 19-year-old, who has represented England Academy and Lancashire, added: “He kept saying he’d ‘let me know’ until breakfast on Wednesday. I can’t remember exactly how I was told, but it was a shock really.”
McDermott received his debut shirt from his family – dad, grandad and brother – before kick off, and on the moment, he said: “It was special. My dad and grandad drove me everywhere over the years, so it was nice to pay them back for everything they have done. A lot of my friends came to the game, they were all messaging me the day before saying they had tickets.”
Sharing his goals for the rest of the year, McDermott said: “Making my debut is something I’ve been working towards all year, it’s a goal I set out when I originally signed full-time – so it’s good to be able to say I got it done. The aim now is to get as many minutes under my belt as possible.”
Watch further post-match reaction with Matt Peet and Jacob Douglas on Wigan TV HERE.
