Jamie Shackleton's journey from boy to man with Leeds United via Kippax Athletic

As a young kid Jamie Shackleton learned his footballing trade by competing with the ‘big boys’.

Quiet, unassuming and small in stature he joined Kippax Athletic Under-7s to take his first steps towards becoming a Premier League footballer.

Shackleton, who has gone from academy starlet to fully-fledged professional with the Whites, joined the junior club’s ranks by playing among those a year above his age group.

A no-fear attitude was needed and that’s exactly what was adopted by a young man who now has the world at his feet with his boyhood club.

“We had a really good squad at the time - and Jamie fitted into it perfectly,” Nigel Birch, Shackleton’s former football coach at Kippax, told The Yorkshire Evening Post.

“He was quiet, as most young kids are, but he didn’t really know any of them through school because he was a year below.

“He had great support though. His mum was always there watching every game with his sister.”

Fast-forward to the present day and the midfielder has turned from boy to man with Leeds United, having been snapped up not long into his youth-football career.

It hasn't always been plain sailing in the academy, after being held back for a time due to his size.

Perhaps, though, it is his early education on the pitches at Kippax that go a little way to explaining his battle-hardened style of play under Marcelo Bielsa and why he toppled the odds.

Shackleton has excited Leeds fans while leaving them wanting more following his first-team debut in August 2018 after more than proving his worth.

His constant running, pressure and willingness to tackle those nearly double his height have all played a significant role in earning plaudits along with a brand-new, four-year contract at Elland Road.

“When he came to us he was tiny,” Nigel explained.

“We have two teams and, because he was on the smaller side, he played in the second team. When he dropped into his proper age group after a few years that’s when he really shone.

“I think spending a couple of seasons with us toughened him up because it helped him deal with the bigger lads.

“When he dropped down he was amazing and that’s when he got picked up by Leeds.

“The thing that I remember most about him is his control. The ball stuck to his foot like glue. He was so quick and had an amazing engine.

“He’d be really brave with the ball - he always wanted it and was looking to move it around. He was clearly a good footballer and wasn’t one of these who kept it.

“He was a proper team player.”

Shackleton has been just that for Bielsa and Leeds since the Argentine’s arrival two summer’s ago, making 48 appearances in total with the majority of those coming from the bench.

As a 20-year-old he has already etched his way into the history books in LS11 by helping Leeds to the Championship title - a childhood dream realised from when he started out all those years ago.

The achievement also signalled the end of a 16-year exile from the top flight for the club, a stretch that runs back to 2004 when Shackleton was just four years of age.

“Promotion to the Premier League still hasn’t sunk in yet,” Shackleton admitted.

“I don’t think it will until we get on to the pitch in the first game at Elland Road and I’m sure it will be amazing.

“I’ve been at this club forever really in terms of my life, so to have another four years is fantastic. I joined aged seven along with Robbie Gotts and Alfie McCalmont and we’ve been in the same team from the very start, coming through all the age groups.

“My family have been brilliant throughout my whole journey, I don’t think without them I would be in this situation.”

Visits to Anfield and Old Trafford await and they are a far cry from the Kippax playing pitches, but it is there where his footballing story began.

The latest chapter in a budding career came in the form of his first goals for the club at senior level after the second division title was secure last month.

As Shackleton enters his third full campaign as a professional - perhaps the most intriguing to be penned to date - the impact of his amateur days are already being felt in his wake.

His former youth coach is back involved with the junior side nurturing the next generation of talent after being bitten by the bug again, he's also now a scout for Leeds United’s academy and the remit for the next generation is clear.

“I’d love to find another Jamie, especially from this area [Kippax],” Birch admitted.

“That’s the whole reason you’re doing the scouting, you’re always looking for the next Kalvin Phillips or Jamie Shackleton.

“You have examples in what you’re looking for from what the club gives you as a scout going around.

“Jamie fits it perfectly. He ticks all the boxes.”