EFL stories: The fan favourite at Boro, the Canadian making up for lost time at Preston and Steve Bruce feels the love | Football News

Tommy Conway on his relationship with Middlesbrough fans

Tommy Conway is undoubtedly a fan favourite at Middlesbrough, despite being at the club for less than two years.

His workrate and endeavour up top has endeared him to the Riverside faithful, and that has taken on a new level this season as the club push for promotion to the Premier League.

“You can feel the buzz around the town,” he tells Sky Sports. “Even when you’re doing your food shop there are fans there and they’re buzzing.

“When you’re in a place like this where football is everything, it’s perfect for me as a footballer. I want to play for passionate fans and for fans that want to win every week. People are living and breathing Middlesbrough Football Club and I think that’s so special.

“To play for them, to win on the weekend and to give back to them means a lot. I’d love nothing more than to go up this year and give something back to everyone because it would be very special.

“A big part of my game is based on energy, pressing from the front and being a nuisance, and you feed off the fans a lot of the time. When times are getting tough and they get behind you, it makes you go that extra bit further.

“You just want to give back to them. They’re so supportive, even when you’re going through tough times. I just want to give back to them as much as possible.”

Daniel Jebbison on making up for lost time at 22

It is quite remarkable that Daniel Jebbison has reached the level he has considering how late he started with certain parts of the game.

“I was playing football when I was in Canada but it wasn’t as serious as it is in England,” the 22-year-old Preston striker, currently on loan from Bournemouth, tells Sky Sports.

“It’s nowhere near the same level. I was always touching a football and playing for teams when I was young, but it only became properly serious later.

“I was learning things like tactics and set pieces when I was about 15 or 16. That’s something kids over here are learning much younger, so in a way I was playing catch up and still learning more.”

Jebbison moved to England in 2017 when he was 13, and was soon picked up by Sheffield United due to his impressive natural abilities.

“When I got offered a scholarship at Sheffield United that was when I realised I needed to take it seriously,” he adds.

“That’s when I thought I needed to crack on. I was still playing catch up in terms of learning the game, but it all worked out.

“In a way I was playing catch up because I started learning some parts of the game later than kids here. I’m still learning more, but it’s all good.”

Ashley Fletcher: Steve Bruce helped me enjoy my football again at Blackpool

Ashley Fletcher credits his move to Blackpool and playing under Steve Bruce for helping him enjoy his football again after a challenging few years.

The striker, now 30, joined the Tangerines in 2024. Bruce joined shortly after, and while he is no longer there, Fletcher is still full of praise for what he did to reignite his career.

“Steve didn’t do anything too fancy,” he tels Sky Sports. “It was more the trust he gave me. He gave me more responsibility and made me feel wanted, which I probably hadn’t felt at a club for a few years.

“That’s always been the thing with me. When I feel comfortable and feel the love from the club and the fans, that’s when I tend to do well.

“Coming to Blackpool, I have to give the club a lot of credit because my stock probably wasn’t as high when they signed me. But it’s helped me get back playing some really good football.”

Fletcher is now enjoying the best season of his career, scoring 19 times already in all competitions. He credits his journey with getting him to where he is now.

“All those periods in my career were learning experiences and they’ve resulted in me playing my best football now at Blackpool,” he adds.

“All my career I’ve been building towards a place where I love coming into work. At the minute it doesn’t even feel like work. It feels like being a kid again.

“I’m enjoying every day. I love coming to the football club, seeing the staff and the players, and I feel really at home and comfortable.

“That’s translating onto the pitch where I’m just expressing myself and enjoying my football again.”

Dominic Ballard on the loan spells that shaped him (and Brucey again!)

Speaking of Bruce… Dominic Ballard is at a different end of his career but also credits Bruce with helping him learn a different side of his game while he was on loan at Blackpool.

Now at Leyton Orient after switching from Southampton last summer, the 20-year-old striker had spent the previous campaign at two other League One clubs.

“Blackpool and Cambridge were tough loans for me,” Ballard tells Sky Sports. “I signed under two different managers who I thought I would suit, but they both got sacked shortly after I arrived.

“I ended up playing under Steve Bruce at Blackpool. He was brilliant for me. It wasn’t necessarily the style of football that suited me best, but I learned so much about holding the ball up and the other side of the game.”

“At Cambridge, Neil Harris came in and he had the same sort of morals. Work hard, train hard and be the best every day. That had a big influence on me as well.

“Coming out of academy football, everything is about playing through the thirds and pretty football. Those loans taught me that sometimes the game isn’t like that. Sometimes it’s about graft and doing the hard yards.”

Ballard has enjoyed a brilliant season at Orient, despite the club struggling currently in the relegation zone. He has netted 16 league goals so far. He credits past experience with helping him mature faster.

“Of course I wish I scored 20 goals last year, but I wouldn’t take those experiences back,” he adds. “I learned a lot about myself and it’s helped shape me as a player.

“I feel like I’m a 20 year old who has almost had to battle through everything. I’ve seen a lot in the game already for someone my age and I’m grateful for that.”

Rushian Hepburn-Murphy: I want to establish myself as a No 9

Rushian Hepburn-Murphy has played all over the place. Both in terms of clubs and positions on the pitch. He has already been at seven clubs in England, and one in Cyprus and is currently plying his trade with League Two Milton Keynes.

The 27-year-old sees himself as a central striker, but his attributes and adaptability have seen him shifted around.

“When I was younger I started off playing as a No 9, but over the years I’ve been moved around quite a lot,” he tells Sky Sports. “I’ve played wide, wing-back, number 10, pretty much everywhere.

“I love playing as a No 9 though. That’s how I started and that’s where I’d love to establish myself.

“My attributes probably mean managers have used me in different positions. I’m quick, I’m fit and I can get up and down, so I can see why I’ve been used on the wing or in other roles.

“Some managers prefer a more traditional No 9 who is tall and strong, so maybe I haven’t always suited that. But wherever I’ve played, I’ve always just tried to do the job for the team.

“My game is about using my pace, playing on the shoulder of the last defender, getting in behind and trying to score goals. That’s what I enjoy most.”

Midweek on Sky Sports+

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