SIX years after kicking a ball around in the Northern Counties East League, former York City youth-team winger Jamie Hopcutt will be playing in Europe next season.

The 24-year-old attacker, who turned out for Tadcaster Albion after being released from his first professional contract with the Minstermen by current City chief Gary Mills, has just helped cause one of the biggest shocks in Scandinavian football after unfashionable Ostersund became the first team from the Norrland region to win the Swedish Cup final.

By doing so, the side from the small garrison town, who are also managed by ex-City left-back and under-14s coach Graham Potter, will now take their place in the second qualifying round of the 2017/18 Europa League competition.

As he continues his recovery from the broken leg he suffered in the first game of last season which caused him to miss the rest of Ostersund’s first campaign in the Allsvenskan – Swedish football’s highest division – Hopcutt was introduced as a 90th-minute substitute in the thumping 4-1 final victory over favourites Norrkoping, who have been crowned national champions 13 times and claimed the scalps of Southampton and Standard Liege during their own past European jaunts.

Trelleborgs, who also once defeated Blackburn the season they won the English Premier League, were seen off by the same scoreline, meanwhile, in the quarter-finals.

The cup competition comes at the start of the new Swedish season after Ostersund had made their presence felt during their maiden top-flight term by beating two-time UEFA Cup winners IFK Gothenburg (2-0) and former European Cup runners-up Malmo (3-0).

Hopcutt and his team-mates can now look forward to the Europa League draw in June, ahead of the tournament starting a month later when many countries will be returning for pre-season as the Swedish League reaches its midway point.

The York-born forward feels that factor, coupled with Ostersund’s strong record in front of their own fans, could benefit his club, who aim to start making international-sized waves by negotiating their way past two knockout rounds and reaching the group stage, where some of the continent’s leading outfits will be waiting.

“If we get a team that is just coming back for pre-season, then I think that will be an advantage for us,” Hopcutt reasoned. “It would be nice to get a big team in the qualifiers, but we’re really trying to go as far as possible.

“We were away on a training camp in the same hotel as Dundalk and they got to the group stage, so it’s definitely possible and that would be really special. We’re such a good team at home as well, so I think the two-legged ties will suit us.”

Ostersund’s domestic cup success came in front of a crowd of 8,369 at their Jamtkraft Arena after they were drawn to host the showpiece event, which is no longer held at the national arena due to the size of the country and logistical problems for travelling fans.

Commenting on the occasion, the man who scored the goal to take Ostersund into the premier division added: “It was an ambition of the club to get into Europe, but there isn’t an easy route and we knew it would be difficult so, to get to the final, was crazy.

“Then, to win 4-1 against Norrkoping, who have finished in the league’s top three for the last three years, was amazing for the crowd and whole city considering, five years ago, we were in the third division and not a well-supported team. We were underdogs, but we had an almost full stadium with more than 8,000 fans there and it was a great atmosphere and a great day to be part of.

“It was really special to get on at the end after I had a nightmare year last season with my injury and I got a really good reception. Hopefully, I can now show everyone what I could have done last season.”

Despite already being in the reassuring position of qualifying for Europe only a handful of games into the new league season, Hopcutt went on to insist that would not change the 21-year-old club’s attitude towards making further domestic progress in 2017.

Celebrations have been low-key and postponed until the end of the season, with Hopcutt explaining: “We struggled for the first half of last season because we didn’t have a goalscorer.

“I broke my leg in the first game of the season and the club wasn’t expecting me to get injured, so it affected the team, but we went on to finish eighth and Graham was named Manager of the Year. Now, we want to try and finish in the top three or four - that’s everyone’s aim.

“We’ve lost two and won one of our first three games, but one was after the cup final when everyone was a bit tired and it was a little hard to get motivated. That won’t be a problem from now on, though, especially with playing Gothenburg this weekend.”

The achievements of Potter, who netted eight goals in 131 appearances for the Minstermen between 2000 and 2003, are slowly being recognised, meanwhile, on these shores and Hopcutt reckons it can only be a matter of time before tempting offers of alternative employment are made to the one-time England under-21 international.

“What he’s done has been amazing,” Hopcutt declared of 41-year-old Potter’s six-year reign. “The whole town revolves around the football club now, which is a big turnaround.

“I’ve enjoyed working with him and, if he carries on doing what he’s doing, I don’t know how he will turn down the big clubs who will surely come in for him. Not many managers could do what he’s done and, maybe, he’ll try England soon, but he’s happy where he is at the moment and still has targets to achieve.”

Likewise, Hopcutt is contracted to Ostersund until the end of the 2019 season, but is not ruling out a move back home, pointing out: “There are not many players left from when I first joined the club.

“A lot have moved on and, sometimes, players want a new challenge. I thought that as well a little.

“When my contract was running out, some of the big clubs in Sweden wanted to sign me but, even though it’s flattering and financially some people think it’s something you should do, I didn’t feel it was the right time. The club here were also good to me when they gave me the new deal after my injury.

“I think I’d also rather move back to England or go to a big European team, rather than join another club in Sweden. Quite a few players in this league have moved to the Championship, so I feel I could do the same.”

Looking back on his departure from City, meanwhile, Hopcutt reflects that it was a blow, but has no regrets considering how his career has developed and is hoping his old club can go on to secure National League survival.

“It’s always tough when you get released at a young age, because you’re thinking what do I do now but I managed to get a bit lucky with a great opportunity that I grabbed with both hands,” he reminisced. “I never really stopped training either and carried on working hard, hoping something would come along and, five years ago, I made the best decision of my life because, if I’d stayed in York, I’d have never played in the Europa League.”

Back at Bootham Crescent, Sean Newton has jumped up to third on The Press Player of the Year leaderboard after winning three points towards the contest as our man of the match during Easter Monday’s 3-1 home defeat to Wrexham.

The other Press points went to Amari Morgan-Smith (two) and Jon Parkin (one) as our second and third-highest rated performers respectively.

Newton was awarded the two Player of the Month bonus points, meanwhile, after receiving the most man-of-the-match votes in our Twitter poll.

The Press Player of the Year standings: Letheren 34, Whittle 27, Newton 23, Heslop 21, Parkin 19, Connolly 17, Oliver 16, Parslow 16, Brodie 12, Klukowski 12, Morgan-Smith 12, Kamdjo 10, Loach 9, Bencherif 8, Flinders 8, Fry 8, Lappin 8, Higgins 7, Holmes 7, Rooney 7, Felix 5, Galbraith 5, Racine 4, Murphy 3, Clappison 2, Dixon 2, Moke 2, Wright 2, Cooper 1, Nti 1, Oyebanjo 1, Rzonca 1, Simpson 1, Walton 1.

The Press Player of the Month standings for April: Loach 8, Holmes 5, Morgan-Smith 5, Newton 5, Parkin 5, Moke 4, Oliver 4, Bencherif 2, Whittle 2.

Goals: Parkin 12, Oliver 9, Brodie 7, Morgan-Smith 6, Heslop 5, Connolly 4, Fenwick 3, Klukowski 3, Newton 3, Fry 2, Own Goals 2, Galbraith 1, Hall 1, Holmes 1, Kamdjo 1, Lappin 1, Murphy 1, Nti 1, Racine 1, Rooney 1, Rzonca 1, Wright 1.

Assists: Parkin 9, Connolly 7, Morgan-Smith 5, Newton 5, Oliver 5, Rooney 4, Klukowski 3, Bencherif 2, Felix 2, Galbraith 2, Hall 2, Heslop 2, Holmes 2, Moke 2, Parslow 2, Whittle 2, Wright 2, Cooper 1, Fenwick 1, Fry 1, Higgins 1, Muggleton 1, Murphy 1, Racine 1.

Bad boys: Rooney 11 yellow cards; Brodie nine yellow; Heslop one red, seven yellow; Fenwick, Newton, Oliver all six yellow; Parkin one red, four yellow; Higgins, Morgan-Smith both five yellow; Fry, Whittle both four yellow; Holmes, Nti both one red, two yellow; Bencherif, Klukowski, Wright all three yellow; Connolly, Kamdjo both two yellow; Moke one red; Clappison, Dixon, Galbraith, Hall, Johnson, Lappin, Letheren, McDaid, Murphy, Parslow, Racine, Thompson all one yellow.