NEWPORT’S Chris Gunter hopes he and the rest of the Wales team can create a legacy for generations to come at Euro 2016.

At the age of 26 and with 66 caps to his name Gunter is considered a veteran of Chris Coleman's squad.

After ending decades of hurt to qualify for a first major tournament since 1958 he and his teammates are currently at a pre-Euros training camp in Portugal.

And, as he’s put through his paces in the Algarve heat at the Vale do Lobo resort, the Reading right-back says this summer will be the highlight of his career to date.

Gunter came through the Cardiff City academy and represented Wales at under-17, under-19 and under-21 level before making his full debut in 2007 – a 2-2 draw with New Zealand at Wrexham.

He said: "As a kid growing up my aim was always to play for Wales so making my debut was definitely the high point.

"I remember where and when it was. It wasn’t the greatest result because we drew 2-2 but it was an incredible experience.

"When I finish football that night in Bosnia when we qualified for Euro 2016 will stand out forever,” he added.

"Even though we lost and it was a strange feeling for a couple of minutes until we realised we’d qualified.

“It was special because we'd worked so hard and put so much time and effort into realising our goal.

"Now hopefully we can make new memories and create a legacy for generations to come at Euro 2016."

South Wales Argus:

Gunter was speaking at the National Coaches Conference in Newport and he pinpointed the attention to detail brought in by the FAW Trust's committed army of staff as key in helping Wales qualify.

"Craig Bellamy always used to tell us that at some point this group would qualify for a major tournament,” said the defender.

"But we had seen some fantastic Welsh teams, featuring the likes of Ian Rush, Mark Hughes, Ryan Giggs and Bellamy who hadn’t made it and we didn't seem to be making any progress.

"Then Gary Speed came in and things almost changed overnight. There was an unbelievable difference."

When he was hired in December 2010 Speed utilised the Trust's performance analysis, coaching and organisational staff to ensure the fine details were taken care of every time the national squad met up.

Gunter said: "Ultimately, the help we've been given from the Trust has made the difference.

"You can guarantee that the teams we’re playing against will come out of a top working environment so we need to keep up with that.

"Footballers are the best people in the world at making excuses and we were given the opportunity to for such a long time.

"There were so many reasons why we'd failed in the past and then they were suddenly taken away."

Visit www.welshfootballtrust.org.uk for more details.