I had the privilege to once again interview childhood Newcastle United fan and current Wigan Athletic defender Dan Burn ahead of the Latics’ impending trip to St James’ Park following the international break.

Before the questions commence, I would once again like to thank Dan for taking the time out of his day to answer my questions about his rise to professional football and imminent homecoming.

Hi Dan, and thanks for taking the time out of your day to answer a few questions for NUFC360 and the rest of the Newcastle fans. Firstly, What will it be like getting the chance to run out onto St James’ Park where you used to come as a young lad?

It’ll be amazing, I’ve been waiting for this game all season. It’s the one ground that I’ve always wanted to play at so it will be a dream come true for me.

How have the North-East clubs helped you become the player you are today?

Massively! I was at Newcastle when I was 10 or 11 years old, it nearly broke me when they let me go but, to be honest, I wasn’t very good so it was probably deserved. I wouldn’t be where I am today without Darlington and what they did for me. They took a chance on me when no other clubs would and I’ve never looked back since.

Do you feel as if you had a chance of getting into the EFL team of the season, considering Wigan’s good defensive record?

No, I doubt it. With thhe position we are in I would’ve been very surprised. There’s a lot of good defenders in this league too, from the top of the league to the bottom.

What was your route into football like?

It was very different to what most lads go through. When i left school all of the good players ended up signing YT contracts at clubs, I was only playing locally for Blyth Spartans, so I went to sixth form to study sports science and worked part time at ASDA pushing trolleys. A Darlington scout came to watch a game at the end of my first year in sixth form and offered me a trial. From there, I was offered a 2 year YT! A year later than everyone else I knew, but I’ve just kicked on from there.

Are you still in contact with anyone you played with during your time in the North-East?

I still speak to a few lads `i was in the youth team with at Darlington. There’s also a few lads I used to play against in junior football, Michael Smith who’s at Northampton now. Mark Cullen used to play for Newcastle and is now at Blackpool. Paul Dummett and Sammy Ameobi, I played both junior and school football against them as well.

What is your fondest memory of watching Newcastle United when you were younger?

I think my best memory from watching Newcastle was when we beat Juventus in the champions league. Andy Griffin got it short from a corner and managed to shoot under Buffon. That whole time when Sir Bobby Robson was manager was full of great memories and was a big part of my childhood.

Once again, I would like to thank Dan for his time and answers and wish him and Wigan Athletic all the best for the season ahead (after the game of course!).