Accrington Stanley hotshot Dion Charles is eager to ‘do a Jamie Vardy’ and help fire Northern Ireland to the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar.
Vardy shot Leicester City to Premier League glory in 2016 after spending his early years in non-league football with Halifax and Fleetwood Town.
And now Charles, who has also played for Halifax and Fleetwood, is determined to follow a similar path with club and country.
The pacy 25-year-old, who joined Accy two years ago, has scored 17 goals in 32 games in League One this season, including a prolific 11 in his last 16 outings.
Asked if he looks up to other players who have ploughed the same lower league furrow as himself, Charles said: “Jamie Vardy is like a big one for me.
“If you look at where he came from, he came from lower than where I was playing and his journey has been incredible.
“It’s something younger non league players can look up to and think, if I work hard and do everything right, it’s still possible. You can’t ever be written off.”
Northern Ireland are massive 17/1 outsiders to shock Italy, who are unbeaten in their last 22 games, in Thursday night’s opening World Cup qualifier in Parma.
