COLWYN Bay playmaker Craig Pritchard’s recent efforts have caught the eye of a host of different admirers, but there will be one significant honour that will avoid the aspiring star later this season.

The rules are clear for all to see in regards of selecting players for the upcoming Wales C squad that are currently performing in the JD Welsh Premier League, but Mark Jones and Owain Tudor Jones are missing out on at least the chance to consider the talented youngster.

He took time to settle at the Four Crosses Construction Area after joining from Denbigh Town, where he played a starring role in the club finishing second behind Caernarfon Town in the Huws Gray Alliance under Eddie Maurice-Jones, which was their highest ever league position.

This is understandable given the unfamiliar surroundings Pritchard found himself in and the higher standard of football he was thrown into, but he has really come into his own in recent weeks after being given more freedom to showcase his wonderful talent and express himself on the field by manager Craig Hogg and assistant Neil Coverley.

This has resulted in a series of standout efforts during the Seagulls’ recent resurgence, which has seen him net his first competitive goal for the club and help his team get back on track in terms of a playoff push in the second half of the campaign.

Pritchard came in for some significant focus in last weekend’s encounter with Ramsbottom United, with the visitors’ physical approach to try and throw the forward off his game resulting in a series of robust challenges that might have put off any other player operating in the same role.

Instead, Pritchard turned in yet another performance of the highest quality in the face of very stern opposition that took no prisoners, and he along with the rest of the hosts’ squad could count themselves very unfortunate not to take something from the game after a spirited second half display.

Playing in the English pyramid system has undoubtedly given Pritchard a platform to get himself recognised by a higher-profile club if he continues to demonstrate the same level of consistency in the coming weeks and months, although it does mean he is unavailable for selection when Wales C take on England at the home of Salford Coty in a semi-professional international early next year.

The Football Association of Wales are well within their right to focus more on the quality currently plying their trade in the top flight of the domestic game, but the last time I checked Bay were still representing the country at arguably a higher standard than the JD Welsh Premier League and it is unfortunate that a player with the game-changing ability of Pritchard cannot at the very least throw his hat in the ring in relation to selection for the prestigious contest.

This might be a disappointment for Pritchard, but it is something he was probably fully aware of before his move to the Bay, and his work ethic and ability on the ball have really come to the fore to further highlight just what a special talent he is.

There is still time for him to develop his skills even further given his tender age, and it would be a huge shock if a National League North move or someone even higher was not on the horizon next summer if Pritchard continues to make people sit up and take notice.

He is finally starting to confirm why he was brought to the Seagulls by Alan Morgan, and this can only be beneficial for both the club’s and Pritchard’s long and short-term ambitions down the line.