Josh Walker has never needed a second chance to make a first impression.

But he admits living up to the initial hype is something he has rarely had the chance to fulfil.

That is until, at least he hopes, it comes to Scunthorpe United.

The 22-year-old midfielder made an encouraging start to what he is keen to see become a lengthy Iron career with a goal after just eight minutes of his debut at Colchester United last week.

But getting caught up in a haze of hyperbole is something the Newcastle-born schemer finds easy to avoid.

He is just desperate for a sustained opportunity to showcase the fact that his enterprising afternoon at the Weston Homes Community Stadium is not the exception, rather the norm.

"I made my debut for Middlesbrough when I was 17, but my whole career has been stop-start. I'm the first to admit that," Walker told the Telegraph.

"I've probably been a bit impatient and showed my age when I was younger. I wanted to run before I could walk.

"It's been very frustrating, to say the least.

"Moving from Middlesbrough to Watford (from whom he joined Scunthorpe on loan last Friday), I felt I was at least going to be given an opportunity but it never came.

"I wanted a chance to come and if anything I probably hung around a bit too long, but I had to give it my best shot while I was there.

"Now Scunthorpe has come along, I couldn't say no to that kind of opportunity.

"I'm 22 and I want to be playing regularly in front of crowds rather than reserve games where 50 people are watching.

"When Alan (Knill) gave me the call to ask if I wanted to come, it was a no-brainer."

As a wide-eyed teenager, Walker earned his Premier League bow as part of a Boro bunch that drew admiring glances from the national media during a 1-0 defeat at Fulham in May 2006.

The entire visiting team picked by Steve McLaren that day were English youngsters, 15 of the 16 – the Newcastle-born midfielder included – hailed from within a 30-mile radius of the Riverside Stadium.

The reason behind such a fresh-faced line-up was because the Craven Cottage clash came just four days before Middlesbrough's first-ever European final, a UEFA Cup test against Spanish side Seville which they lost 4-0.

It added extra embellishment to the already-promising careers of David Wheater and Adam Johnson and, albeit partially, opened football's eyes to the potential of Walker, already at that stage a captain of his country at Under-16 and 17 level.

Further hype followed during a loan stint at Aberdeen, where within two weeks of parking up at Pittodrie, the genial Geordie had opened his goal account in the finest fashion – curling in from 20 yards to help the Scottish side to a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich.

The seventh strike of Walker's career, at Colchester, was much less mentionable given his side-footed shot took a wicked deflection off defender Tom Eastman before ending up at the same destination as his Munich masterpiece.

But after a nightmare 24 hours, in which FIFA rules forced him to make his switch from Watford temporary rather than permanent, it heralded the start of what the combative midfielder hopes will be a game-laden future.

"In my eyes I'm a Scunthorpe player now," said the shaven-headed schemer.

"I'm going to enjoy myself while I'm here, but hopefully things can be sorted out sooner rather than later for a permanent deal.

"That's what was going to happen and it had all been signed, but we had to rip it up because it couldn't happen.

"As debuts go, it had been a long time in coming – but it was great to just get back out onto the pitch and even better to mark it with a goal.

"I was screaming for Jordan (Robertson) to pull the ball back to me and when he did I managed to get a toe on it and the goal opened up.

"It was a bit fortunate. I've gone to side foot it in and it lobbed over the keeper, but I'm sure it was going in anyway."

It is one of those twists of fate that only football seems to produce that Walker will make his home debut for United against Stevenage.

Twice the midfielder has spent time on loan at Broadhall Way, including a spell earlier this season where he came off the bench to score against the Iron in a 2-1 Scunthorpe success.

Much like the path his career has taken during the past few years, only two of Walker's eight appearances for Boro were starts.

But he is looking forward to facing a group of players he says will contain 'many friends' and he insists the side placed sixth in the table will be no less of a challenge for the exit of their manager Graham Westley, to Preston, a week ago.

"They're having a great season," Walker acknowledged.

"To come from the Conference to get to League One in a couple of years is a fantastic achievement. To be where they are is testament to what Graham Westley has done there.

"He's obviously moved on now, but whoever gets the job will inherit a good solid group of lads.

"I was surprised in a way to see him leave.

"Preston obviously is a bigger club, but the job he was doing at Stevenage I felt he could have been the first manager to get three promotions. That was high on his agenda.

"But Mark Roberts is a good leader and they're a good set of lads that work hard – they've had to do that under Graham."

He may have been a Scunthorpe player for only a week, but the importance of furthering a three-game unbeaten run is not lost on a player who spent the second half of last season battling relegation at Northampton Town – the fifth loan spell of a career still struggling to get off the ground.

"We really need to kick on, starting against Stevenage," concluded Walker.

"Looking at the team and the ability we have, we should be a lot higher than we are.

"On the back of the last three results hopefully our season is starting now."

The same will no doubt be said about the midfielder's personal campaign.