Bristol City man celebrates first international call-up but Bristol Rovers star snubbed

He is a surprise inclusion in Rob Page's 25-man squad for Wales' upcoming EURO 2024 qualifiers.
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Bristol City defender Joe Low has received his first call-up to the Wales senior for their double-header next month.

The 21-year-old, born in Filton, but qualifies through his Welsh-born grandparents, had spent the last five months on loan at League Two outfit Walsall, after a handful of first-team appearances with the Robins, and now he will return to Ashton Gate this summer, potentially as a full senior international.

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It is understood by BristolWorld that Low greatly impressed Rob Page and his coaching staff, during their four-day training camp at Hensol near Cardiff last week. He made a big impression, and as a result has earned his way into the 25-man squad for the upcoming EURO 2024 qualifiers with Armenia and Turkey.

He was congratulated by his club Bristol City who said: "Joe Low has been called up to the Senior Wales Squad for June's European Championship qualifiers! Congratulations @JoeLow_0!"

Low played two games for City this term - featuring in the draw with Middlesbrough as a substitute, before facing Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup. He played 15 times at Walsall in 2022/23, and kept three clean sheets with a goal against Leyton Orient.

Joe's dad Josh, played for Bristol Rovers, Cardiff City, Leicester City and, Cheltenham Town, but never got to represent Wales at senior level. The 44-year-old made four appearances at Wales Under-21's level, and now he will watch on his anticipation to see if Low Jr, can make a huge milestone in his career.

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Back in March, Low said the plan for him this summer was to stake a claim in the first-team, which could save City money in the transfer market. He said in an interview with BristolWorld: “The plan for me is to go back to the club, it’s a club I’ve been at since I was a young lad, and try and get into that first team to be a part of Nigel Pearson’s squad.”

Low’s involvement for Wales - means less of a break for the defender, as pre-season will begin less than a fortnight after Wales fixture against Turkey, on June 19. His season finished on May 15, featuring in a 4-0 defeat to Sheffield United’s Under-21’s. Since then he has been invovled in a training camp with Wales. Max O’Leary and Mark Sykes have also been involved with a training camp, and were based at the High Performance Centre with Ireland.

He is the second player to have been confirmed for senior international duty, after Anis Mehmeti was called up by Albania. Albania face Moldova (June 17) and Faroe Islands (June 20). Alex Scott meanwhile will be involved in England’s Round of 16 match with Italy at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Argentina tomorrow (May 31).

City’s pre-season schedule begins on Wednesday, July 12 in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Reading and concludes against Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Saturday, July 29.

Wales squad to face Armenia and Turkey:

Adam Davies, Wayne Hennessey, Danny Ward.

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Joe Rodon, Ben Cabango, Chris Mepham, Joe Low, Connor Roberts, Morgan Fox, Neco Williams, Ben Davies.

Ethan Ampadu, Joe Morrell, Jordan James, Nathan Broadhead, Aaron Ramsey, Harry Wilson, Ollie Cooper, Luke Harris

Brennan Johnson, David Brooks, Liam Cullen, Kieffer Moore, Tom Bradshaw.

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