The circumstances were, it has to be said, far from ideal.
No-one wants to make their debut in a 6-0 defeat, but Callum Timmins was still understandably thrilled to get his senior career up and running against Sydney FC last weekend.
Thrilled and, as he explained, also a bit surprised.
“No-one had really said before the game that I’d be getting on or anything,” he said.
“I went to Adelaide with the Y-League team on the Thursday and before the game, Kenny [Lowe] texted John Gibson [Glory’s Y-League Head Coach] to say that Jake Brimmer had got injured and that I should only play 45 minutes because I’d then be travelling with the A-League squad to Sydney.
“Then in the game itself, we’d just conceded another goal and Kenny pulled me over and said I was going on.
“I’d been warming up, but it was still a bit of a surprise. A good surprise though! He just told me to do what I normally do, get on the ball and have fun with it.
“I was more excited than nervous, to be honest. And once I’d made my first pass, there were no nerves really. We also didn’t have anything to lose given what the scoreline was at that stage.”
Unfortunately for the 18-year-old, he didn’t have any family members in the stands at Allianz Stadium to witness his debut first-hand, but after the game, his ‘phone was running red-hot.
“There were loads of messages from family and friends saying how proud they were and that,” he said.
“That was great, but obviously the result wasn’t the best and that put a downer on it a bit. It took a bit of the happiness away.”
Despite his emergence on to the senior stage, however, there is no danger of the former Birmingham City youngster getting ahead of himself.
“I still have to move the goals around at training with the other young lads,” he said. “I think I’ll always have to do that! But hopefully now I’ll get another first-team chance some time soon.”
#CREATEDESTINY
