Released as a teenager, the goalkeeper did the hard graft in the non-league and was rewarded for his fine performances in a Cambridge shirt with a Molineux move in July 2017.
Learning His Trade
Royston Town | 2011/12
It was a time when I didn’t have a football club. I was still at school and just needed 90 minutes on a Saturday really. One of my school coaches was Royston Reserves assistant manager, so I went there but it was 50 miles from my house door to door. The first-team goalkeeper got injured so I ended up playing in a team which won the league, two cups and kept a lot of clean sheets. It’s next to Cambridge so they picked me up after Royston’s chairman kindly released from my contract with a sell on clause.
Vital Minutes As A Youngster
Braintree Town | 2015/16
I couldn’t get a game at Cambridge so I went to Braintree in the Conference for a season. I did well and really enjoyed my time there, it was a good place where I worked under Danny and Nicky Cowley who are at Lincoln now – excellent managers. Then the Cambridge manager was sacked and Shaun Derry came in and asked me why I was out on loan. I spoke to Braintree and told them of my end goal being to play for Cambridge. They needed me and that’s what a loan is for and thankfully Braintree understood that and let me return early.
Big Break With The U’s
Cambridge United | 2012-17
It was a really good experience at Cambridge. We pushed for the Play-Offs both years but didn’t quite make it. It was brilliant to play for a club I cared so much for. I’m from Watford originally and moved to Cambridge for five years, so I’m a Cambridge fan now. It’s a family club with a strong set of core values and beliefs which I bought into from when I first went there. It’s a really well-fun football club in a nice part of the world.
Wembley Winner
FA Trophy Final | 23rd March 2014
This was when Cambridge were in the Conference. When had Chris Maxwell, who is now at Preston, but he got recalled by Fleetwood when they went into League One. I played the second-half of the season for Cambridge and we got promoted into the Football League. In the FA Trophy we had a two-leg semi-final against Grimsby and the second leg at Grimsby was my favourite game for Cambridge. We were 2-1 up but it was an onslaught and we defended for our lives, so to get to Wembley and win there was a real highlight for me.
Penalty Master
Cambridge United | 2016/17
It was a strange one when I saved a lot of penalties at Cambridge. I saved two in stoppage time of one game against Accrington when we won 2-1. I’d saved five by Christmas and six overall. I had a knack for it but it was also thanks to a lot of homework from the goalkeeper coaches and staff, so it was nice to do my bit when called upon.
