Dean Cornelius reflects a year on from Motherwell transfer exit, facing Wrexham + becoming a man at Harrogate

He was the boyhood fan who made the Motherwell grade - but Dean Cornelius reckons his year away from ML1 shows he’s a handy midfielder to boot.

The 23-year-old had the option to stay at Fir Park last summer but he made the difficult choice to leave at the end of his contract. Simon Weaver had sold him on the project ongoing in League Two south of the border with Harrogate Town, handing him the number eight shirt and establishing him as a key part of his midfield.

Cornelius turned out 43 times for the English fourth tier side last season, playing 52 matches in total for Motherwell. His rise from the stands to the pitch was well-documented but the midfielder wanted a platform to show he was more than that, and his current challenge is providing him that.

He told the Motherwell Times: “It’s been brilliant, such a different experience to what I am used to. I did expect slightly that it was going to be a change but it took me by surprise, even at the start of the season, the games came quick and fast straight away.

“This is what I needed to get up to and the speed I want to play at. It’s been a complete new challenge. For me, it was partly a risk. I was a boyhood fan and I love Motherwell, still do, and watch them in my spare time when I can. It was a dream come true to play for them but I felt it was the right time for me to move on.

“I felt coming through at Motherwell, I was always going to be seen as this young boy, this young fan who got to live the dream when I was ready to move on from that and become a first team player. I’ve moved to Harrogate and played almost the same amount of games in one season than I did in five years at Motherwell.”

Cornelius couldn’t have picked a better time to move to League Two, in terms of interest in the division. Hollywood-backed Wrexham - now in League One - and a bolstered TV deal incoming have brought fresh eyes to the league but that’s only a good thing for the Harrogate star and others. Disney putting a fresh focus on the action perhaps couldn’t have been scripted, but it is a platform for opportunity.

He explained: “Their stadium was filled out when we went to play them at their place. The media coverage, look at their Instagram page and the amount of followers, they have their own Disney show. It’s frightening the way football is moving, that media aspect.

“It’s only good for me and other players in the league that it’s bringing coverage from all sorts, more attention and more opportunities. It’s similar to Rangers and Celtic in that grand scheme of things as even though they are not filling out a stadium of 60k, they are then getting a viewing from all over the place. You see the boy up front Paul Mullin, he’s in the Deadpool movie!”

What moving away from home has done is make Cornelius more mature. He had a tendency for the contrast of his all-action style on the park within his four walls, and did have the chance to remain a Motherwell player. He’s shook off the housework cobwebs and believes his transition from boy to man is off the ground.

He explained: “Looking back, I was quite lazy around the house, I didn’t do much. I used to say it’s not because I couldn’t do it but because I couldn’t be bothered doing it! When living yourself, you haven’t really got that option. I think it has matured me off the pitch and even as a player going on the pitch, I don’t feel like a young boy, I feel like a man going into the first team environment wanting to play every week.

“Even when I first came in to Harrogate I was given the number eight shirt, straight away that was it, I was a first team player and it was up to me to stake a claim. I spoke to Stuart Kettlewell and he loved what I was doing towards the back end of the season.

“Unfortunately, I think with the conversations we had, my mind was already made up before he came in. He made it a difficult decision but before he came in, my mind was pretty set that I was ready to explore new options.”

As Cornelius vacated a spot in the Motherwell midfield, Lennon Miller walked in to establish himself as the club’s prized asset. It’s sparked speculation aplenty as he continues to turn heads with his performances, with a former teammate far from surprised.

Cornelius insisted: “Everyone in the club knew Lennon was going to go on to big, big things. He’s doing it now and taken his chance with both hands. It’s credit to him. You could tell from training he had the quality, he’s always had that, it was just whether he could show it on the pitch and deals with the pressure of first team football. He is dealing with that fine.”

Now attention turns to the new League Two season beginning later this month. A look to one of their league rivals show the 23-year-old how quickly things can change.

He added: “I don’t want to speak too soon but with Wrexham, Mansfield and Stockport going, three very good sides last season, it is only going to help the others. All it takes is one bit of form, look at Doncaster last season. They were near the bottom all the way up to Christmas, hit great form and ended up in the play-offs.”