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Tom Coleman

The Cardiff City young guns who could become Wales World Cup super-subs in Qatar

"Hopefully."

Mark Harris let out an almost bashful little giggle when asked about the prospect of Wales boss Rob Page watching his Cardiff City match-winning exploits on Sky Sports on Tuesday night. Having produced a cameo of such maturity and class, Harris almost reverted to the role of nervous teenager awaiting an answer from a prospective date for the end-of-year prom.

The World Cup is ultimately where all the cool kids will be this winter, and Harris is making a concerted effort to ensure he gets an invite, producing several critic-defying performances in recent weeks.

READ MORE: Crucial touchline message saved Cardiff City two points against Blackburn as Mark Hudson praises the 'team behind the team'

Certainly, he'll feel he's done enough to make some headway on his tally of three league starts this season.

Harris has always been a player that divides opinion among Cardiff fans. Some make the point he doesn't score enough goals for a player in his position. A valid criticism, but one that perhaps doesn't offer a complete reflection of what he brings to the table.

Predecessor Steve Morison alluded to this very point shortly before his departure. "Strikers get pigeon-holed with their goals," he admitted. "People don’t really care who works hard or does a job for the team, that’s the life of a forward player.

"His hold-up play has got better and he’s taking a lot more contact than he used to. He is making much more intelligent runs and there’s definitely a better player this season than what we had previously. That goes down to his effort on the training ground."

Mark Hudson doesn't appear to disagree. After watching Harris produce a stunner on Tuesday night, he perhaps felt the need to justify the 'hard decision' not to start the 23-year-old from the off.

Harris knows that with a World Cup now just around the corner, starting games for Cardiff is potentially pivotal to his chances of inclusion, but he's not the only Welsh youngster that may feel he has a point to prove.

The lack of game time afford to Rubin Colwill was a source of angst amongst fans during the Morison era.

Morison himself persistently maintained the media put too much pressure on the youngster, whom he suggested wasn't yet ready to start games on a regular basis in the Championship.

Certainly the fluctuations in Colwill's form added some weight to his argument, but Cardiff's inability to find the incisiveness needed in the final third saw the clamour for his inclusion increase.

His hugely bright cameo off the bench for Wales against Poland was a timely reminder of his capabilities, not just for current Cardiff boss Hudson, but for Wales boss Page too, who has previously voiced his unease at Colwill's lack of game time.

Hudson, like Morison, is likely to face similar pressure to play the youngster, whom many are convinced is the sort of talented star capable of elevating the Bluebirds away from the mire of mediocrity threatening to lap around their ankles.

Colwill is understood to be very highly rated by those within the Wales camp, and it would almost certainly be considered a shock were he not to take his place on the plane to Qatar.

If he follows up on his recent showings against Blackburn and Middlesbrough over the next couple of weeks or so, Harris will feel he's in with a good chance too. Indeed, Tuesday's winner was precisely the sort of moment of quality that Wales just couldn't capture against the Poles and which might come in useful in a tense world Cup group match, or indeed knockout tie.

Admittedly, even the most ardent of Cardiff fans would have to acknowledge that Harris and Colwill are unlikely to be in the same bracket at the Gareth Bales and the Aaron Ramseys of this world.

With Harry Wilson, Kieffer Moore, Brennan Johnson and Dan James also around, barring a catastrophic injury crisis there's little chance of either player starting in Qatar.

But that's not to say they can't play an important role. Some players master the art of the super sub, and in the days of expanded squads, those on the bench have more of a significant role to play over a 90 minutes than previously.

For now, though. It's all about getting there.

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