'There were tears, but we are looking forward to it'

World Cup qualifier: Wales v Liechtenstein

Venue: Cardiff City Stadium Date: Friday, 6 June Kick off: 19:45 BST

Coverage: Live connected BBC One Wales, S4C, iPlayer, BBC Radio Wales and Radio Cymru, the BBC Sport website and app, positive unrecorded substance commentary.

David Brooks took the plaudits erstwhile Wales players were past unneurotic successful March aft scoring the 96th-minute equaliser successful North Macedonia which preserved Craig Bellamy's unbeaten grounds arsenic caput coach.

There were much congratulations for Brooks erstwhile the Wales squad reconvened for World Cup qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Belgium this week, but for wholly antithetic reasons.

Brooks and woman Flora revealed connected societal media earlier this week that they are to go parents, with their babe owed connected 1 November.

For Brooks, who was diagnosed with crab successful 2021, the quality is particularly joyous fixed that determination were questions astir whether this clip would ever come.

"I ever wanted to commencement a family. My woman and I wanted kids astatine immoderate point," the 27-year-old says.

"Obviously erstwhile I was diagnosed, you person those conversations and determination were ne'er immoderate guarantees that I would beryllium capable to person children successful the future. There was a accidental it wouldn't person been possible.

"But I was truly fortunate that it came naturally. After my attraction things went backmost to normal, truthful of people I was truly happy. There were a fewer tears, but we are truly looking guardant to it."

Brooks was 24 erstwhile helium was diagnosed with Stage Two Hodgkin lymphoma successful October 2021.

There were "dark times" for the attacking midfielder but, aft respective months of chemotherapy, helium was declared crab escaped successful May 2022.

He returned to first-team shot with Bournemouth successful March 2023 and was backmost successful the Wales squad that summer.

Two years on, Brooks acknowledges that helium is present 1 of Wales' "more elder lads".

Joe Allen's status means different of the nation's greats has gone, portion skipper Aaron Ramsey is again missing from this campy owed to injury.

Brooks, who has 33 caps, says helium relishes the work that comes with being 1 of the much experienced players successful a squad which is rebuilding having mislaid the likes of Allen, Chris Gunter and Gareth Bale since the 2022 World Cup.

"Bale is astir apt the champion British subordinate of each clip and Joe Allen has been 1 of the champion Welsh players of each time," helium adds

"They are evidently are a large miss, but there's a batch of young endowment coming done and determination are a batch of lads, including myself, who person been waiting for an accidental to showcase ourselves.

"This is astir apt the archetypal run we person had without them. We are each looking arsenic a corporate to effort to determination guardant alternatively of it being astir the peculiar individual. I deliberation we are doing a bully job."

Wales volition expect to marque it 9 games without decision since Bellamy took complaint erstwhile the minnows of Liechtenstein sojourn the Cardiff City Stadium connected Friday.

But a sterner situation awaits successful Brussels adjacent Monday, erstwhile Wales tackle Group J's apical seeds Belgium.

The unbeaten grounds looked acceptable to spell during the erstwhile planetary camp, erstwhile North Macedonia went up successful added clip successful Skopje lone for Brooks to prod location his 5th planetary extremity with astir the past footwear of the game.

"It was not 1 of my champion but arsenic agelong arsenic it trickles implicit the line, I americium not excessively fussed," helium says.

"If felt similar a large extremity successful North Macedonia and it makes the array looks a batch amended for us."

Wales are 2nd arsenic things stand, down North Macedonia connected extremity difference, though Belgium are yet to play a crippled successful the group.

The Red Devils spell to North Macedonia connected Friday earlier returning location to conscionable Wales.

In years gone by, Wales whitethorn person viewed a travel to a heavyweight federation similar Belgium with immoderate trepidation, arsenic a fixture wherever a gully would beryllium a superb result.

But nether Bellamy, who rejects the conception of his broadside being underdogs, Wales volition question with anticipation alternatively than specified hope.

Brooks echoes team-mates by describing Bellamy's attack arsenic "intense" – but says Wales' players are bare to present for their boss.

"He is evidently a very, precise passionate guy, particularly astir Wales, and that can't beryllium a negative," Brooks adds.

"We privation to play good for him and play successful his system. We person had a bully base, going unbeaten truthful far, and present we are looking to physique connected that and go much of a menace and minimising our hazard of conceding goals.

"I consciousness similar we are connected a bully journey."