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Stephen Kingsley's first debut didn't quite have the glamour and glitz of his Premier League bow at the Emirates.

The young Scot arrived at Firhill, the home of Glasgow outfit Partick Thistle. Despite recent redevelopment, the 10,000 capacity stadium, now over 100 years old, is a far cry from the polished arenas the left-back will now be getting used to.

The closest it came to real glamour was in 2000, used as a filming location in Taggart .

In that episode, the famous detective investigated a fictional football club where an inexplicable number of employees were dying.

But it in the real world, it was the scene of two future Swansea stars first taste of senior action.

Jay Fulton had already been brought on for his debut by the time Falkirk conceded a stoppage time goal, their 2-0 advantage halved.

Manager Steven Pressley, once a towering, no nonsense centre-back, turned to his bench and decided to give this young 16-year-old defender his bow.

By Kingsley's own recollection, he was on the pitch 'for about six seconds' before the game was up and the narrow win secured.

Fast forward five years, and he can now claim to have gone up against the likes of Mesut Ozil, Joel Campbell and Alexis Sanchez, coming out with his reputation enhanced.

During the opening exchanges, he was under the pump as Swansea's midfield left him totally isolated.

Thanks to a tactical switch from Alan Curtis and the guidance of Ashley Williams, however, he quickly began to find his feet and grow into the game.

There were even a few daring forays up the pitch, with some testing crosses that had Petr Cech scrambling across his six yard box. Alberto Paloschi will have been watching from the bench, eagerly hoping that he can throw himself at a few of those before the season is out.

It is a dramatic rise, certainly, but Kingsley has also served a tough and lengthy apprenticeship to get his chance at the highest level.

A friend of mine, who spends his Saturday afternoons watching the lower tiers of Scottish football, must have watched Kingsley don the Falkirk shirt four of five times.

When I mentioned his name this morning, however, there was no recollection of a stand out moment or performance.

Steady growth seems to have been the key to Kingsley's story, which Swansea will be hoping turns out has many a positive chapter left to tell.

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At such an early stage of his career, it is impossible to know how things will pan out. Scottish football, like its neighbour south of the border, is littered with players whose talent has flickered early on but quickly faded.

Kingsley's tale suggests he should be different.

THE EARLY YEARS - GROWING UP IN STIRLING AND FINDING HIS FEET AT FALKIRK

Born in Stirling, Kingsley played for his boys club until moving Falkirk at the age of ten.

He was part of a crop of talent to come through The Bairns' ranks.

There was Jay Fulton of course, as well as Burnley's Scott Arfield and Scunthorpe United's Murray Wallace.

Kingsley, however, also saw a number of talented youngsters fallen by the wayside, often due to a poor attitude.

Making his debut at such an early age, having seen some close friends not make the grade, the youngster knew it would be sink or swim.

A HORROR START AT SENIOR LEVEL

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A fortnight after his debut, it was a similar story for Kingsley.

Falkirk held a narrow 2-1 lead away to Stirling Albion when the left-back was subbed on with four minutes to play.

Two minutes later, he was off down the tunnel.

A two footed challenge of Albion's Michael Doyle, and the sixteen year old had his first red card in only his second senior appearance.

THE FIRST GOAL AND A TALENT BLOSSOMING UNDER PRESSLEY

Kingsley recovered quickly from that debacle, making 17 appearances the next season, netting his first senior goal against Elgin City in just the second game of the campaign after that.

Afterwards, he cheekily claimed that he had scored in pre-season, but assistant manager Stevie Crawford wouldn't let him claim his first goal in a friendly.

No time to celebrate, however, as young Kingsley dashed home to watch his crush Jessica Ennis claim gold in the Olympics.

He wouldn't score again that season, but never looked back.

The next campaign, he was named in the SPFL Championship team of the season. Swansea had wanted to bring him in alongside Jay Fulton that January, but were unable to agree a fee.

Unsurprinsgly, they quickly returned in the summer and Kingsley made the move to South Wales.

With Fulton and a number of young Scottish players nearby, he was able to quickly settle, even if that elusive Swansea debut was a while away yet.

SHOWING HIS TALENT IN THE LOWER ENGLISH DIVISIONS AND A FIRST TEAM DEBUT

The Scottish Championship is no place for a faint-hearted footballer, so Kingsley was able to adapt quickly when he stepped into League One to try and help Yeovil Town beat the drop.

He couldn't do that, but Kingsley drew high praise from manager from Terry Skiverton for his versatility and impressive performances in an unfamiliar midfield role.

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He impressed with his creativity and crossing, a flash of which we saw at the Emirates last night.

It was enough to convince Crew Alexandra to bring him in earlier this season, and twelve appearances later, Kingsley's apprenticeship was done for the time being.

With over 100 senior games to his name by the age of 21, he was ready for his bow at the top level.

That turned out to be a bitter disappointment as his team were unceremoniously dumped out of the FA Cup by Oxford United, but as he did after that early red card, Kingsley dug in and soon found joy.

Perhaps it is best to let him pick up the story in his own words: "To get my Premier League debut and first start for Swansea at the Emirates with a result like that was incredible,

"I had an idea on Tuesday that I could be playing, which was a big shock at first but I’d been in those types of situations with other clubs before – albeit not on the same scale.

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"You have nerves in the build-up, but as soon as the whistle goes you just concentrate on the task in hand and do your best.

"Now I hope to make more appearances. When Neil (Taylor) comes back into the team it is going to be difficult to get in front of him, but I’ll try and take my chances when they come.

"It has given me a taste of what it is like, and I’d love to experience it again.

"Personally it was a great day for me, but it’s three points for the club and it has given us great confidence and belief going forward.

"We worked so hard and the way we defended was very compact. We got what we deserved.

"With the shape we were playing, it gave me licence to push on a bit more. I enjoy that side of the game and trying to put crosses into the box.

"We knew it was going to be tough and they were quick out of the blocks.

"Our reaction to their goal was very good. We produced some good football in the first half and we got the equaliser.

"We pushed on in the second half and got a winner, which I think we deserved.

CAN HE BECOME A SWANSEA CITY REGULAR?

It is too early to make a definitive judgement, but he has as good a chance as anyone at staking his claim for a regular berth.

By his own admission, Kingsley has benefited immensely from being exposed to senior football from such an early age, shown on Wednesday night by the way he was not phased as Campbell continued to drive at him.

There doesn't seem to be much chance of him letting it go to his head, either, as he is regarded by many at the club as one of the hardest trainers and a very down to earth young man.

Crucially, he has made big strides in his physical development over the last year, putting him in a position to challenge Neil Taylor more regularly.

Only time will tell whether he can become a Premier League star, but the sub £1 million deal that brought him to the Liberty Stadium is increasingly looking like a steal.

Perhaps he can look at the example of Andrew Roberston, a fellow 21-year-old Scot left-back, who blossomed at Hull City last season and is now as bright a talent as any in the game.

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