Since my university team only trains once a week, I needed to find another team environment where I can excel. At that time, I still train individually 3-4 times a week to fast track my development on top of doing gym work and analysing football matches. Deep in my mind I knew it was not enough. Team environment is very crucial in a team sport like football.
At some point back then, I went to my laptop and search local football teams around my area. Since my aim is to develop my game, I reached out to my connection that I have built. I also sent out tons of emails to clubs that are playing in a higher league but still within my reach of commute. I had reached out to a lot of clubs that are playing in the 4th division to the 2nd division. Unsurprisingly, there are a few clubs that gave a response. The majority came from the 4th division since they play in a regional league system.
Never an Easy Start
To be specific, I went for a trial with two 2nd division teams. Three 3rd division teams. Four 4th division teams. I know the numbers seems like it is a coincidence but that is how it actually turned out.
One of the 2nd division teams got folded at the end. It was very disappointing as I was doing well with them. The other 2nd division team dropped me to their u23s squad but later on said they going to dissolve the squad since there was not enough resources to keep the team going. So, these two were out of the equation for my 2020/2021 season.
Then, I moved on to the first 3rd division team that came about through my 1 on 1 coach. He was appointed to be the first team manager of this team and he invited me along. I was there for a couple of months but then the season got cancelled due to the pandemic. On a side note, the whole 2020/2021 season sadly had to be cancelled too for an obvious reason.
A Bit of Light at the End of the Tunnel
Fast forward to summer 2021, I went to another 3rd division team which had response to my email. As soon as I arrived at the facility, I met with the head coach. He put me straight away into their reserve team training session without giving me any chance to prove myself in the first team. I said to myself, “Okay, if this is the route I need to take, then I will do it”.
Honestly, training went well, the players and the coaching staff were all impressed as I did really well. They wanted to see more of me so they invited me back for another session. Next thing I know, they were keen to sign me. However, I postponed it since I wonder if I can get into the first team set up straight away. The coaching staff could not guarantee it but he will surely going to keep an eye on me. I told to myself that I am going to let this opportunity past and focus on getting on a first team set up.
The week after, I went to a different 3rd division team and it was a first team set up. At that moment it was still pre-season and the team have been doing friendlies against other teams, I was asked to play in a friendly straight away so that the manager can see how I play. I did well in that game and the manager was impressed so he invited me to come for training sessions the week after. In my head, I thought “this is it, I finally find the team”.
The Journey Moulded You
Little that I knew that everything was going to turn sideways. After a couple of training sessions, they said they wanted to sign me. Without a doubt I said yes to them. The following week, I received a bad news where the football association told the club that they could not sign me as I am there with a student visa where it does not allow me to play in a division 1-3 as they are considered as a professional league. Dissappointed? Yes. Angry? Yes. Annoyed? Very. I called my family and my coach for comfort. But then realised that it was outside of my control so I moved on.
The fact that I cannot play in the top three divisions is a hard pill to swallow since it has not got to do with my ability. But I saw the positive side of it where I have tried my best and expose myself out there. I decided to focus on the best team that I can go into in the 4th division where the level is still high enough.
Out of a few 4th division teams that I went to, one of them was keen to sign me but the manager cannot guarantee a game time since I have not had enough experience in this league. So I had to delay the offer to see the other options.
The other two teams in the same division both were open to sign me and I decided to go with the one who has a reserve squad since it guaranteed playing time even if I did not get picked for the first team squad. The last 4th division team I did not even consider since the manager was not serious about improving the team.
Picking the Right Environment
The team called Canton Liberal and the reason I picked this team was the fact that the manager was always seeking improvement. His coaching points were top class for this level. I always have asked feedback from him after the session to see what I needed to work on. I believed I have made the right decision by joining this club.
Fast forward, I finished half of season with them until the winter break. I performed well to be fair and I had my moments, however, it was not enough for the manager to put me in the first team. He explained that my physicality is lacking even though on the ball I’m technically tidy. I took that on the chin and the search for a new team continued.
In my mind at that moment, I thought that I only need consistent game time so that I can apply what I have been doing into real game scenario. So I dropped my ego and went to a team called Cardiff Jets which basically the same level of Canton Liberal reserve team. The only difference was that it was a first team set up and the players’ attitude approaching the game was better. In short, I finished the remaining half of the 2021/2022 season with them and bagged myself 3 assists out of 10 games, mainly from a full-back position.
I would not say it was ideal but it was a step forward. You know what they say, sometimes you need to step back before you can move forward. Thanks for taking the time to read, I will catch you in the next one!
