WAKEFIELD winger Kevin Penny will be out to provide Warrington with a reminder of his talent when he lines up against his old club this evening.

The lightning-quick Penny was marked out as a star of the future when he burst onto the scene with 13 tries in as many appearances for Wolves at the back end of the 2007 season.

Just 19, his fairytale start was enough to earn him a place in the Super League Dream Team and a spot in then England coach Tony Smith’s train-on squad for the New Zealand Test series.

He was a first-team regular with his home-town team the following season but virtually disappeared from the scene in 2009 and ended up playing for the reserves last year in between a loan spell with Harlequins.

Penny admits the success may all have come too soon but he was thrown a lifeline in the winter by Wildcats coach John Kear, a master of rescuing ailing careers, and is grateful for a fresh start.

“Maybe moving away from Warrington was for the best,” he said.

“I had to look to the future.

“Time stood still probably. I came unstuck about how to progress myself as a player and, as time went on, they signed some quality players and it became that more difficult to get in the side.”

Penny was a late starter in rugby league and turned his back on a promising basketball career when he got his chance at Warrington but, still only 23, he is confident his best days are ahead of him.

“Maybe it had something to do with not playing amateur and being a latecomer into the game but I’ve gained a lot of valuable experience and played with some outstanding players,” he said.

“I forget sometimes that I’m still young.”

The Wolves are resting skipper Adrian Morley and full-back Brett Hodgson, who have minor injuries, but will give another run-out to exciting three-quarter Rhys Evans after his try-scoring full debut in last week’s win over Leeds.