Isaak Davies has endured awful luck since breaking into the Cardiff senior side, with a succession of serious injuries, but now fit, with renewed international prospects, has redemption starts here. I grabbed a quick chat with Isaak recently and discussed the ups and downs of his career to date.
First and foremost, congratulations on your new deal. That must have felt like the result of all your hard work in recent years and a lot of the things we’ll be talking about.
Thank you. It’s been a tough few years with injuries, so to get a new deal is a reward for all the hard work and sacrifice I’ve put in, through all the bad moments and the dark times. I’m really happy.
Congratulations too on your recent senior call-up to the Welsh national side, where you once again linked up with one of your mentors. How big a role did Craig Bellamy play in your development and how did you find the recent Welsh camp?
I think I was 15 when I was an Under-18’s scholar and that was under Bellers. I’ve always loved him as a coach and back then, he was unbelievable for everyone’s development and he taught me a lot. He was a similar sort of player to me, on the wing and in attack, with similar attributes. It’s great to see him as the head coach of Wales and I appreciated my first call-up. That has been my number one goal for a long time and it was a really proud moment, to be around the camp and experience it for two massive games. Even though I didn’t get on the pitch, I learned so much during the week from Premier League players, watching what they were doing and from the coaching staff. It was a really good experience.
Embed from Getty ImagesDuring Craig’s time at Burnley, he has said that he pushed to try and sign you. Were you aware of that at the time?
I was aware, but I was happy where I was and trying to play regularly for Cardiff, so I leave stuff like that to my agent and the people around me. It never affected me.
Your call-up coincided with that of Rubin Colwill and you two have remained on a largely parallel path since both joining Cardiff at the same time. Are you guys close and how has it been progressing through the ranks together?
It’s been so good. Rubin has had lots of ups and downs, like all of us, but I’ve seen him grow as a player and grow into his body. He’s a close friend and we’ve known each other since we were seven and have come through the age groups together. We play football every day and to be around your mates is brilliant. The whole team this year is very close and it really helps on the pitch.
It’s almost four years to the day since you made your Cardiff senior debut and you just turned 24, but have not yet quite reached 100 senior appearances. That is largely due to a succession of unfortunate injuries over the years. Can you talk me through your injury history and how hard it must have been to keep battling back from so many setbacks.
Since I’ve played for the first team, it’s been really tough with the injuries I’ve had. Some of them have been quite serious, but I’ve learned a lot about my body during those low moments. They’ve mainly been on the right side of my body. The first injury was under Bellars when I tore my left quad, then the day before I was set to make my debut, I damaged ligaments in my right ankle, which set me back three months. Then it was the cruciate ligament at the back of my right knee, plus groin and hamstring injuries. I would have liked to have played a lot more games than I have to this point, but that shapes you and I try to enjoy everything now. When I’m injured, I’ve been there before and I know I can make it back.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt feels like your year at Kortrijk was pivotal in your development. You remained injury free, bagged a dozen goals and reminded everyone of your potential. How did you find that season, living away from home for the first time, playing and scoring regularly?
That season was really good for me because I had such an up and down year the season before with my knee. I had a slow start, but once I got going, I was full of confidence and nothing could stop me. I had a full season where I felt really good. Living away from home was a new experience and I had to be quite independent, but that side of things and meeting new people was really good. The team was having a difficult time and were bottom of the league for most of the season, but I learned a lot and it was a very positive experience at the right time. I needed to play games and prove to myself that I could still score goals.
With a new deal, a pathway to the national side, where there’s a manager that rates you and a return to the Cardiff side, you’re a great place in your career, but how are you currently feeling physically?
I feel good. I was managing a few things at the start of the season after the hamstring problem I had at the end of last season, but I now know my body much better and if I have to have an extra day of recovery or a few hours after training, I will do that to make sure I’m fit and ready to go.
How have you found working with Brian Barry-Murphy thus far?
He’s a really good manager and coach, with good staff around him. They’ve all helped me and everyone else to develop, by focussing on individuals as well as the team. It’s all been very positive since he’s come in and I’m looking forward to the future with him.
Embed from Getty ImagesBrian has mentioned in the past that despite playing you on the wing, that he still considers you a striker. How do you find both roles and which do you prefer?
I feel like I’m learning new things playing on the wing. In Belgium, I was playing as a striker in a front two, but I feel comfortable on the wing or playing as a striker. It’s just a case of adapting and wherever the manager decides to put me, I’ll always give my all.
It must be great playing for your local team, with players that you have come through the ranks with Rubin and Joel Bagan, but the next generation are also coming through, with the likes of Ronan Kpakio, Dylan Lawlor and Joel Colwill. Having tread the same path, have you guys taken on a mentor role to these younger players?
To be honest, they’re all really good. It’s not easy to come into a first team environment and I know they’re young, but the way they’ve performed has been really refreshing and they’ve taken to it really quickly. If they ever need advice or if they’re having any low moments, they know they’ve got us to give them advice.
Cardiff currently top the table and it feels like they’ve not yet reached their full potential. What are your thoughts on the season so far, the collective goals for the group and you individually for the rest of the campaign?
It’s been a good start to the season and we’re top of the league, but we can improve our performances and it’s not going to happen overnight. We’ve adapted well to a new style of play and it works. We’ll keep learning and improving, hopefully getting better as the season goes on. For myself, I want to play as many games as possible and I have certain targets I want to reach, but I’m just looking forward to it.