REECE Staunton seems to have been on the City scene for ages – and yet he won’t turn 19 for another month.

It is three years since Staunton took his first tentative steps onto the senior stage.

When he replaced Dominic Poleon for the final 16 minutes of a Checkatrade Trophy game against Rotherham, the teenager also walked into club history.

At the tender age of 15 years and 332 days, Staunton became the youngest player to ever represent City.

Fast forward three seasons and he is quickly establishing himself as one of the first names on Stuart McCall’s team sheet.

For some starry-eyed youngsters, a brief outing in the Trophy is as good as it gets but Staunton has pushed on to fulfil the promise that the club had identified.

In the words of McCall when the classy young defender penned a new long-term deal at the start of the season, he has made a “seamless” transition from youth football to the first team.

But Staunton can vividly recall that first night in November 2017.

He said: “It’s gone so quickly but I can still remember it now like it was yesterday. It was crazy.

“I felt numb going on to the pitch. I never expected it – and then I went to school the next day.

“There was a lot of pressure but the people around me never let me get ahead of myself. They’ve made sure I keep working hard.”

The former Bradford Academy pupil admits his family are his biggest critics and can be guaranteed to keep his feet on the ground.

“My mum and dad keep reminding me that I’ve done nothing yet! When I play badly, they’ll tell me but it helps me a lot.

“We are all Bradford fans so we know I need to keep pushing myself and trying to get to the next level.”

Staunton was in the crowd to witness some of City’s recent highs against Arsenal and Aston Villa in the Capital One Cup as well as going to Wembley for the one-sided final loss to Swansea.

“I never really had a hero,” he said, “but I just liked to watch them every week when I could.”

His own profile has shot up since signing a first professional deal just before last Christmas under Gary Bowyer.

That followed a loan spell with Bradford (Park Avenue) where Mark Bowyer’s tuition further developed the youngster’s game.

“He helped me a lot before games with telling me where to go and things like that,” added Staunton.

“The players at Park Avenue have also played a lot of games at National League level and even higher as well so that was a big help. It toughened me up and encouraged me to come out of my shell a bit more and get stuck in.”

Having given Staunton his first senior opportunity in his last stint at the Valley Parade helm, McCall was eager to tie down the City starlet for the long term and an improved contract in September keeps the 18-year-old on the books until 2024.

For the youngster himself, playing under the same coaching team that threw him on that November night in 2017 has provided a further boost.

Staunton said: “The manager gives me a lot of confidence. I never expected to start against Bolton but did well and then played the first league game and it’s just built up from there.

“I was really happy when they got the job. They obviously showed that they could trust me when I was 15 by giving me a chance.

“Then when I came back for pre-season, they told me I had a good chance of playing on the left-hand side of a (back) three. I just had to show them what I could do and I feel that I’ve done that."