Cardiff City winger Ollie Tanner enjoyed a breakout moment in the south Wales derby a fortnight ago, and the former non-league star is hungry for more under new boss Erol Bulut
Ollie Tanner is still on cloud nine after plundering his maiden Cardiff City goal during a dream second half cameo in the south Wales derby a fortnight ago.
The 21-year-old, snapped up from non-league Lewes last summer, lashed home a ferocious drive beyond the Swansea goalkeeper less than 60 seconds after coming off the bench. And things got even better minutes later as he then won the penalty which enabled his boyhood idol, Aaron Ramsey, to seal a famous victory for the Bluebirds.
Tanner has had to wait for more than a year for his breakout moment in the Welsh capital after joining the club last May. The talented young winger is no stranger to setbacks having been released by his boyhood club, Arsenal, as a 16-year-old and then his hometown club, Bromley, so his golden moment was vindication for his perseverance.
Tanner tells Mirror Football: “To come on and score after a minute and then win the penalty [was unbelievable]. To get the win for the fans – I don’t think we’d beaten them at home in 10 years – so to do that for them and the club was huge. Scoring the goal like I did is probably the best feeling I’ve had in football.”
Tanner’s crowning moment was made that little bit sweeter by the presence of Ramsey: one of the winger’s idols growing up. The Wales legend returned home to Cardiff in the summer, but Tanner is still getting used to sharing a dressing room with one of his heroes.
“It’s mad for me playing with him because I used to be a midfielder and he was one of my idols growing up,” Tanner adds. “I’m an Arsenal fan and he was probably my favourite player. To be on the scoresheet with him against Swansea was absolutely unreal.
“I was over the moon when he signed. Not just because I loved him as an Arsenal fan, but also because he’s an unbelievable player. In the changing room he’s top. With the career he’s had, he could come in and do what he wants, but he doesn’t. He’s such a good trainer, he comes in, trains hard and then he’s unbelievable in matches. He’s such a good guy.”
Ramsey was at the Emirates when Tanner felt the bitter sting of rejection as a teenager. The Orpington-born ace admits that being let go by a club so close to his heart made it tougher to take.
“Millions of kids get let go from pro clubs around the world, but being an Arsenal fan made it that bit harder. Getting let go again [at Bromley] was tough.”
However, it was Tanner’s release and subsequent move to Lewes in the seventh tier of English football which proved to be the making of him. It was also where Tanner was repackaged as a winger: having spent much of his youth being deployed centrally by Arsenal due to his slight frame, manager Tony Russell shrewdly recognised Tanner’s attributes were perfectly suited to a wide attacking role.
It was his mental fortitude, though, which proved to be his most invaluable asset, as Tanner found the strength to rebuild himself in east Sussex.
“When you get let go by a club your confidence goes. You’ve got to be mentally strong in football and you’ve got to bounce back. It’s always been football for me [though]: I’ve never looked at or even thought of anything else. It almost had to work I was that focused on it. I was fortunate to find my feet at a really good club in Lewes.
“I got on really well with Tony Russell; he understood me as a person and a footballer and knew what I needed. We were always on the phone speaking. It was a match made in heaven and he helped me massively.
“It sounds mad, but he unlocked my game and took me to another level. I found myself as a player under him. Without them [Tony and his staff] I wouldn’t be where I am now, so I owe a lot to them.”
Tanner’s new lease of life at Lewes soon had scouts flocking to The Dripping Pan. A horde of clubs made their interest in him before Cardiff stepped up their interest last May.
The Bluebirds may have lured Tanner to the Welsh capital, but they were by no means the first to try and prise him away from the seventh-tier. Tottenham made their interest in Tanner known but he was reluctant to sign up to their Under-23 ranks.
“I trained there for a couple of weeks. They offered me a contract, but it wasn’t good enough for me – not the money or anything like that, it was just that I didn’t feel it was the right place for me. I wanted first-team football, so I said: ‘Thank you very much, but it’s not for me’.”
After completing his dream move to Cardiff, Tanner was tasked with not only handling the rigours and demands of full-time football on his body, but also dealing with a significant step up in quality after jumping up five tiers overnight.
Unsurprisingly, he encountered setbacks. While he was determined to make the most of his golden opportunity, his body wouldn’t play ball. Fortunately, Steve Morison – the Cardiff head coach at the time – knew all about the physical toll of swapping part-time football for a team in the upper echelons of the EFL.
After an underwhelming loan stint at York City, Tanner headed back for pre-season at Cardiff training determined to force his way into the plans of new manager Erol Bulut: the former Fenerbahce chief who succeeded Sabri Lamouchi in the summer.
At the time, landing Bulut was regarded as a major coup for Cardiff. The Turkish coach has already underlined why, with the Bluebirds currently flying high at the top end of the Championship.
Bulut’s impact at a club which flirted heavily with relegation last season has been nothing short of seismic. The mood in the Welsh capital has been drastically altered, too, in just a matter of months.if anything we should be nearer the Premier League. We had a good pre-season and the new manager came and put his ideas across. The mood is a lot better and we’ve had a really good start to the season.”
For Tanner, a number of impressive pre-season cameos have translated into proper games. He has featured in all but two of the Bluebirds’ league games this term and started in every round of the Carabao Cup, including the midweek defeat against Blackburn.
Bulut’s tenure at Cardiff may still be in its infancy, but Tanner can’t speak highly enough of his new boss. He added: “[Bulut] has been really good to me. I had to come in and work hard in pre-season, but I think he took to me and I took to him. I can’t thank him enough for the opportunities he’s given me.
“With the season I had last year it would have been very easy for him to just send me out on loan again, but he’s given me the chance to express myself and play. He’s allowed me to be free; he’s almost unlocked me in a way.”
Cardiff are outside of the top-six on goal difference alone ahead of Saturday’s meeting with struggling Rotherham. Unsurprisingly, Tanner and co are hungry for more.