KOA special: Bailey Clements on his time at Ipswich, non-league and next chapter

21:34Chambo was very much in your face, have a laugh, make you feel welcome to the group. Obviously coming up you don't want to be all a bit nervous, like you want to get involved in things. So Chambo was very good at that. And then Skusi, very, very good at just having a quiet word with you, checking you're okay, asking how your family, friends are and bringing you in in that kind of more of an emotional kind of sense so they they bounced off each other very

22:06Ross Halls:well yeah very much so obviously cole is the one who's gone into management and obviously luke's doing more of his punditry and stuff like that um obviously doing a really good job at berry town cole and um yeah you obviously on the bench on the opening day against burton that must have been a great moment for you another thing for the family as well you know okay you didn't come off the bench but you're still on the bench in a competitive game. Yeah, exactly that. Again, wasn't expecting it. I don't think I ever expected anything to happen in my time when I was at the club. So yeah, getting named on the bench, I got into the changing room, saw my shirt was up, I thought I'd be on the 19th man.

22:47So I've travelled, I'm happy with that. Named on the bench and I was like, oh, right, better done here just in case I do come on. But no, unfortunately it didn't happen. But yeah, very, very, again, surreal experience to be named on the bench.

23:03Ross Halls:Yeah, but it wasn't that long for you to get your debut in the Cup against Luton. Obviously, unfortunately it was a defeat, but still, you know, you don't want to make your debut, you want to win, but you're still sort of now ticking off different milestones in your career, you know, on the bench for the first time, now making your debut. Yeah, exactly. Like you said, it wasn't the prettiest game to be involved in. Definitely got ran around a bit that day. Obviously, them having gone up with momentum and us having come down without it, it was a very tough game. But again, coming off the pitch then after that, as disappointed as I was that I personally struggled probably, and as a team we struggled.

23:51I couldn't have been prouder of myself because I've just played my first competitive game for the team I support and the team I follow the team and town I love

24:02Ross Halls:Definitely man and obviously you're starting as well you're not making a five minute cameo you're starting in a game and obviously Dobro Armando obviously made his debut in that game and scored obviously it was consolation in the end but that must have been nice to be playing the same game in your debut with your young teammate Yeah exactly that so he's another one who's my age, he obviously joined a bit later, but yeah, having him in front of me, it probably kind of helped with the nerves of playing, having someone that I've played with for a good three, four years next to me, or in front of me, so yeah, it probably did help, and yeah, I was happy for him, obviously, when he scored, although it was consolation, I know he's got a very close family as well, so they would have been very proud of him.

24:48Ross Halls:Yeah, definitely, and I want to quickly ask, do you sort of get told about your squad number? I don't know if you care much about squad numbers. I don't know how, I know there's a big debate with fans. They love to know about squad numbers. Did you sort of get told like you're going to be getting this number and could you choose? Obviously, there's probably not as much numbers free because obviously it's been taken a lot from the main first team. But when you come in as a youth player, did you get sort of told, OK, these are what's available? Yeah, so that's what you get told. You get told, I don't know, 40 to 50 are available.

25:17What do you want? So it's not exactly a great selection unless you've got a specific number that you'd like. But, you know, I remember I think I just kind of said I'm happy with whatever. I'm not too fussed. And got given 46, I believe it was. So, yeah, there was no meaning to it or anything. I just got what I was given. I wasn't really thinking about what number I'd like. I don't think it meant that much to me.

25:42Ross Halls:No. Did you keep hold of that shirt, though? Because obviously it is your debut. I know that's obviously not a rememberable sort of result, but as I said, you know, it's still your first team debut. Have you kept that? Yeah, I've kept every shirt of any significant meaning, whether it be debut in any competition. Yeah, that's good to have. And then obviously going out on loan is probably the next step. Obviously you want to sort of break into the first team, but at the time obviously Paul Lamb was trying to get this team back to the Championship. but you go out on loan, that must have been good just to get proper men's football Yeah well, I went out on loan but it didn't exactly go to plan I didn't play any minutes after Dagenham weirdly though I absolutely loved my time there it was a different experience I moved kind of away from home, I came home on my days off I lived in a flat down there with a couple of the other lads obviously intended to play, didn't play, so came back in the Christmas time.

26:48But yeah, I love my time there. The players, the manager, it was also a bit of a weird time because it was COVID time. So I didn't get the full experience possibly, which also didn't help. But yeah, no, I enjoyed it.

27:05Ross Halls:Why didn't you play? Is it just obviously a time that maybe form-wise for the club or what sort of was going on? Yeah, I think because I was only 18 when I went there, I think they were expecting to be higher up in the league than they were. So possibly throwing an 18-year-old in for the manager wouldn't have necessarily looked good if it went wrong. He did say that to me at the time, I think. I don't want to chuck you in, don't want to put the pressure on you. but I was like, I want the pressure, I'm here to play, I'm not here to sit on the bench, be in the stands, I want to try and help but yeah, sadly it never swung around for me.

27:52Ross Halls:Yeah, that's a shame and in a way that can sort of stop the progress you're making because now you're not playing, you'll be wanting to play obviously the under-21s, during that period you've got that whole year there where obviously you're not playing any men's football, How is that as a play? You're sort of wanting to go out on loan or maybe play games, but you just can't get that opportunity. Yeah, it's frustrating. I'm sure every player will say that. If you're not playing, you're very frustrated. So, yeah, during half the season, I couldn't wait to get back just to play under-21s, which I'd done for the previous two years.

28:29I almost got to a stage where that was becoming not a challenge for me, not my next step. My next step was to go out online and play. So, yeah, having not played, it was very frustrating. But there's nothing you can personally do about it other than try your best every day. Yeah.

28:50Ross Halls:And obviously, during the period at town, we were still in League One. We just couldn't get out of the league. We were there obviously four years in total. and obviously Paul Lambert does get the sack. Can you remember that sort of day when you knew he was going to be leaving? Obviously, he was sort of, I hate to say, a dead man walking for a while because obviously there was a lot of things going on. Obviously, COVID, obviously it wasn't good times at town. But can you sort of remember that day when, as a player, getting told another manager was going to be going? Yeah, it was a very weird situation, I think, for everybody at the club, especially after him just signing the new deal.

29:27so from a perspective of a fan and player we were all kind of in the same boat that it was totally out of the blue because he just committed himself to five more years so yeah it was very oh what's happening now then because it was very out of the blue didn't know what was going to happen yeah and obviously there was new ownership coming in as

29:52Ross Halls:well. I think he was sort of knowing about it, but obviously a new era was dawning, you know, the Americans coming over. What was that like as a player knowing that the club are now going to be under a new ownership? Yeah, obviously it was, you don't know what's going to happen. Obviously ownership goes a bit above the players level in terms of knowing what's going to happen, what's going on behind the scenes. You just kind of turn up and do what you're told to do. so not much probably changed from a playing perspective but to see that they were coming in with all these ambitions of where they wanted to take the club and where they have taken the club yeah it was exciting Definitely Did you ever get in contact with your maths teacher?

30:40Ross Halls:When you were saying you made a few appearances now for Town was he still at the school when you were making those appearances? I sadly never have no would have been good to I don't know if he's still there or not would have been good to get in contact with him and just say hello how are you I'm sure he'd have quite enjoyed it but no I never got back in contact that's fine that's fine and obviously then another Paul comes in so Paul Hurst we had Paul Jewell as well previously then we had Paul Hurst then Paul Lambert and now Paul Cook comes in another great character can you remember that day? Obviously you're still in the academy but did you meet him at all in those early days?

31:25Not really so I'd kind of fully dropped out of the first team picture when he came in under the end of Lambert's regime he obviously decided that I wasn't necessarily for him so I was kind of just pretty much back in the under-21s grafting away I was out of contract at the end of that summer so for me it was kind of maybe a blessing in disguise that Paul Cook did come in because I think he left the decisions of contracts to the academy staff and having been there so long and them knowing exactly who I was, how I was as a person I think that helped me get a new contract come the end of the season but yeah, I didn't necessarily have much to do with Paul Cook as he first came in.

32:17Ross Halls:Yeah, because he had obviously a lot of work to do and obviously it was a new ownership coming in, so I'm sure they were trying to do a lot of things with the infrastructure and everything at the club. Obviously, Mark Ashton comes in. And then that summer was mental, because there was 19 summer signings. Obviously, Demolition Man was Paul Cook's sort of nickname. Can you sort of like, obviously, I'm sure you've got a lot of family and friends who are obviously town fans, and obviously they know what was going on, but 19 summer signings and obviously a lot of players leaving you know obviously Chamber, your captain leaving that must have been a weird feeling that these players you've been with for a long time at the Pine Yeah very very strange having basically the whole squad ripped apart but then again another thing fell in my favour first day of pre-season I think there was about five players so So pretty much the majority of the under-21s team went over to train with the first team.

33:17So that again got me in the door with a new manager. Again, another pre-season where I've got myself in great condition, ready to go. He took a liking to himself. So it's now the third manager as such that I've impressed in front of in pre-season. Yeah, and gradually the players came in one by one. the 21s started to filter out of the first team training but I managed to stick in there

33:43Ross Halls:yeah you were probably hoping please don't sign on a left back please don't sign on a left back and obviously he does go and sign a few left backs but yeah 19 summer signings that must have been just yeah a well wind and obviously I'm sure the car park was empty and by the end of the summer window it was full of cars um but yeah that must have been like you thought maybe have a chance to maybe play on the pool in those early days, but it just didn't work out in the end. Yeah, no, I still looked at it. I was only 20 when he came in. He obviously signed Matt Penny and Hayden Coulson. Myles Kenlock was still in the building as well.

34:21So I technically was fourth choice left-back still at the club. So I thought, if I can again get out alone or if I stay and I'm going to nick a few cup games. But yeah, I wasn't necessarily looking to go and be number one, playing every week in, week out.

34:43Ross Halls:Yeah, obviously you do get the opportunity though, because obviously there's injuries, and you make your league debut against Oxford at Portman Road, so now you've made your competitive debut at Portman, because obviously you've played there many times for the Under-21s and the youth teams, but sort of making a league debut against Oxford, of course, clean sheet, You know, a goalless draw. Not the most prettiest of games, I have to admit. But that must have been a proud moment for you, though, making your debut, your league debut at Portman Road and getting a clean sheet. Yeah, exactly. Again, the situation, like you say, so injuries helped me out.

35:17I think as well that year, Myles wasn't registered to play in the league. So he was getting the cup games, which killed me a bit. But then it also opened up the opportunity for myself to get into the league fixture. So, yeah, that day again, all the proud moments that me and my family had had building up to that, that was then just raised again and it was absolutely top. I couldn't be any more proud of myself and for my family.

35:49Ross Halls:Yeah, yeah, really good game. And can you remember sort of Paul sort of telling you what to do in that game and sort of, you know, after that as well, I know there was, I think, some quotes from Lee Evans after the game, obviously was captain for that one, who obviously praised you as well. That must have been nice to hear from a senior pro and obviously your manager. Yeah, exactly that. Having gone in, I personally felt, not necessarily thinking about it when you're on the pitch, but when I finally came off it, I was like, I've done all right there. I've not done too badly. Like you say, clean sheet, defender, not my job to score.

36:21So if I can keep them out. and again I think Oxford's winger that day was Mark Sykes who had a lot of hype around him as well at that time so for me personally to keep him fairly quiet on my debut like big day, big nerves I think I dealt with it all really well and yeah, I'd like to say comments from Evo he was another guy who came in was really outgoing for everybody around the club great, great guy I looked after everybody, wanted the best for everyone. So, yeah, any positive comments I received after that game, even Carl Robinson on the pitch came up to me after and was praising me for how well I did.

37:08So I took that as very, very big confidence because you don't really necessarily adjust and think, how have I played while I was still on the pitch or even after the game, it took a couple of days to sink in until I actually watched it back and reviewed it. Yeah, I did do all right.

37:29Ross Halls:Did very well, my friend. And obviously it was a sort of well-win because obviously you played a lot of games in that period because obviously you actually played against Colchester the Tuesday before. I think I've actually looked. And then you then played Oldham in the FA Cup replay, which was not what we needed because we couldn't beat them in the first game. But obviously you go there and win 2-1. I think Idris scored an absolute well goal to win it. But now you're sort of back-to-back game starting. Yeah, exactly that. So the Colchester game was an opening for me. Myles came off ill at half-time again, so I probably wouldn't have came on in that had he been fit and healthy.

38:10I took my opportunity, obviously done well in that in the half that I got. And that obviously allowed Paul Cook to have the trust in me to go in on the Saturday. done well again and then yeah they got the ball rolling and I'm quite happy to be fair that we got a replay at Oldham because that then meant that I have played for town in every competition available league cup cup and the Papa Johns at that time so yeah although it wasn't a pleasant trip or game again it was the only FA Cup game I played for at such so to have now played in every competition. I basically ticked every box.

38:53Ross Halls:That's a great start, to be fair. I'd never thought of that. That's actually really good. Obviously, most of them have been not bad results. Maybe the Carabao Cup game will scratch that, but still, you say you've done that, which is great. Obviously, then, you got a trip to Stadium of Light. Obviously, sadly, it was a defeat, but you're playing in a big stadium, like Stadium of Light. What was that experience like? Unfortunately, a defeat in the end, but obviously Sunderland had some good players. Yeah, so by then, to be fair, although it was only a couple of games after I'd been put into the team, I felt really comfortable.

39:30I felt as though I was part of the team and that's a credit to the manager and the players for getting me involved, making me feel part of it. Yeah, the big occasion, I'm quite a relaxed character. I'm not never too high, never too low kind of person. So going there, big stadium, it was weird because it felt like fairly empty. And then they read out the attendance and it's like 38 ,000. And I'm like, not sure about that, but the atmosphere was still electric and still buzzing around you. But yeah, I felt very comfortable and it was a disappointing game more than anything because we should have won.

40:18Obviously, it was two late goals. One was a penalty that wasn't. But the amount of chances recreated in the first half, especially, we should have probably been 2-0 up at halftime.

40:33Ross Halls:Yeah, definitely. That was the story of that season, in a way. We were just so close, but just too far away in the end. Obviously, Paul Cook, the word was time to gel because that team was leading the time to gel. That was the phrase a lot of people hated to say, but it was the thing. Obviously, it was 19 different players having to come in. Those first-team players, they've got some great characters and obviously some of those players are still in the team now and obviously have been part of this amazing journey. Connor Chaplin to Sam Morsey. Who were you close to just going through that time?

41:06A big one for me was probably Genoi. I remember the first time I ever travelled to a first team game was Swansea away under Paul Hurst when we won 3-2 and I sat next to Genoi on the bus and obviously that was my first real time of being around the first team squad and he was just top class with me like so asking questions about me wanting to get to know me as a young kid and it was like he actually does care about me um obviously everyone was top top class. There wasn't any bad people in that team and I think that's a credit to Paul Cook because even when I went up to Chesterfield he then built the same change room was unbelievable no bad people in it so yeah I could rattle off a couple of names but as a whole it was a great great team.

42:04Ross Halls:Yeah right very true and obviously it proved it because of what they went on to do. So, obviously, some other players signed that Kieran McKenna brought in. But in terms of the Paul Cook, you know, some of the players he did bring was obviously a very good thing. And obviously, you go and play a game against Rotherham. Won't talk about that because they always have rubbish games against them. But you do, you know, have an appearance in a win at Portman Road, obviously the game against Crewe. That must have been nice. I would sort of tick off your list of Itridge Town appearances, getting a win at Portman Road in a competitive game.

42:33Yeah, exactly that. I've played all these games, obviously managed to scrape a win against Oldham. But, yeah, it's a win at Portman Road in the league. It was probably a bit less comfortable than it should have been. But, yeah, that just ticked off any final thing that I hadn't completed or achieved so far. So, yeah, it was, again, another achievement.

42:58Ross Halls:Yeah, and obviously Selena scored an absolute weld in that game. Can you remember sort of watching that? Yeah, obviously Fridge had the ball, George Edmondson I'm obviously just next to him waiting for him to pass to me he slaps it over the top and I'm like, alright, better get up and next thing I know I'm walking back for kick-off because he's just put it in the top corner with an outrageous chip and I'm like, that is the best goal I've ever seen whilst playing on a football pitch it was just like the vision to do that was, how have you even seen to do that? I wouldn't even be thinking about that in my head.

43:39So, yeah, it was weird, weird goal because it was so outrageous.

43:45Ross Halls:It was. Yeah, it was incredible. And obviously, Selena was such a great player that sometimes I know he frustrated some fans. What was he like, you know, as a bloke as well? Because obviously, through the Man City youth team, obviously, he was a low-knee prior to this. But I don't think many people know much about Selena sort of maybe sort of behind the scenes yeah i can't say i know too much either he was a fairly quiet guy like there was no he was polite and nice guy i can't say i was too close to him um but yeah i think he kept himself to himself more away from the training ground um but yeah i don't i don't know him too well to say he was this or that but from what i got from him He was always a pleasant, nice guy to speak to.

44:30Just fairly quiet.

44:32Ross Halls:Yeah, I think he's just a sort of grounded sort of lad who just loves his football and just wants to be as best as he can, pretty much. And obviously, you play in Paul Cook's final game against Barrow, which was dreadful. But it was just one of those guys. Obviously, Barrow came here to try to get a result. And obviously, in the end, it was a draw. But that was a crazy sort of afterwards because he obviously gets the sack. That must have been surprising potentially for you with players? Yeah, obviously we knew the results necessarily weren't good enough for what was required. But yeah, I don't think anyone thought it was going to happen then, especially having, like you say, 19 players coming in.

45:21It does take time. and I think, again, I know you want instant success from it but you look at many of the best teams, the managers need two, three, four years before they actually build what they want their team to be. And obviously, yeah, McKenna obviously coming in inherited a squad that was pretty settled and he's obviously added his players to it and his flavour as such to it. to then build but yes um going back to the Barry game wasn't a pretty pretty game at all um but it was a normal team talk after um and then yeah I got home that evening I see it on Twitter it was a bit oh again similar to the Paul Lambert experience of well that's that didn't that didn't that shouldn't have happened that's not meant to happen but it did so yeah

46:23Ross Halls:Yeah I'm sure the group chat the players group chat just went crazy like what is going on because obviously he had just signed 19 players obviously a lot of them I think in the end were just some of them were low knees and obviously left it eventually but it must have been a weird feeling like oh the manager that brought me in is now gone and a new manager comes in I may have a future here That's the thing a lot of the players that he brought in the core of them were all players that he'd had previously so that they they knew that was the pull of coming to Ipswich as well as the club. They knew they were playing for a manager that they knew liked them.

47:00So, yeah, obviously having about four months or five months and him going, it leaves everybody in the unknown of it's a fresh page again. Everyone's got to restart and you don't know where you stand with a new manager coming in.

47:17Ross Halls:And obviously that new manager was Kieran McKenna. And obviously, he'd been assistant manager at May United, but I think there was a lot of fans thinking, who? And obviously, there was a lot of going, I don't know, this could backfire, but obviously, it hasn't backfired. But as a player, you're seeing a manager who's worked with youth players, who's had a great time at May United. What were you thinking when he came in? Yeah, no, obviously, I was excited. I'd heard good things about other coaches from him.

47:48and unfortunately I got injured in the Barrow game so I did my back so that wasn't good timing for me when his first day he came in the first time I met him I was on the physio bed with my head through the table and I think I had needles in my back at the time so I couldn't exactly like I was kind of trying to lift my head up to say hello So I was like, this is not exactly the best way I wanted to meet the new manager. It's not the best first impression to give myself. But no, when I got back fit and I got training, you could see why he'd been brought in. And you could see his vision and how clear and how detailed his sessions were to what he wanted to produce.

48:34Ross Halls:And then obviously, was there a conversation that, because you obviously went out on loan to Stevenage, was there just that conversation from McKenna saying that, you know, I've got to try and get this team in the playoffs. obviously in the end we didn't. Were you okay with that? Because you've just been playing first team football, but obviously you just got injured, obviously. I think they brought in Dominic Thompson and a few other players as well. But did you just feel maybe disappointed that you weren't going to be maybe fought in the first team or do you think a loan was needed? Yeah, I definitely was disappointed because having broken in, I feel, although the team wasn't necessarily doing well, the performances I did for myself.

49:15I think I made a good account for myself. I don't think I ever, maybe the Rotherham game, I struggled a little bit, but that was more of a physicality thing. I was still a kid physically. But yeah, I think obviously I understood his perspective. He was open with me. He had a chat. He said, look, like you say, I need to get this team in the playoffs. we'll be bringing somebody in in January you probably won't be playing I was like yeah that's fine that's open and honest with me that's all you can ask for from a manager to be fair so yeah as soon as he told me that I knew I needed to get a loan because going back to the under 21s again wouldn't have been any use for me

50:01Ross Halls:Definitely Stevenage that was a good move I think they were league two at the time obviously Paul Tisdale was a manager but annoyingly he obviously I think gets a sack a month into it and then you get Steve Evans big Steve Evans what was he like in that spell as a whole at Stevenage yeah so obviously he pulled his down signed me sold me his plan they were obviously battling relegation so to go in there I thought right this is a good opportunity you're playing for something at the end of the season it wasn't going to a mid-table team who necessarily didn't have anything to play for. Yeah, going in there, played a few games at the start, was enjoying it.

50:47He then gets the sack. And to be fair, a couple of games leading up to him getting the sack, he took me out of the team because I think he was scrambling at that point. He was changing it here, there and everywhere to try and find something to get the results. Steve Evans came in and it rapidly went downhill from there

51:14Ross Halls:Yeah, I can imagine and I've heard different stories about Steve Evans I'm sure a different character to Keira McKenna Yeah I don't necessarily want to speak ill of somebody on here but I don't know whether he took a liking to me, I don't think he did from what I was received back off him. It just didn't work out either way. Yeah, you're probably not alone there in terms of... Once again, you're a loan player as well. Obviously, when a new manager comes in at a club and they see a loan player, I went, I didn't sign you, so see you later, mate. Which is a shame, but it is what it is. Obviously, you come back to town, but obviously, you get told you're going to get released.

52:01Ross Halls:Did you sort of knew that prior when you're still on loan? Did you sort of get told you maybe your service is probably going to be up? Yeah, I kind of expected it, obviously. Not initially when I went out on loan because I thought if I go do really well here, I was only 21 still. If I go and do well, rip it up here, I go back, I can get a new deal or whatever. Maybe then impress in the pre-season, maybe then get another loan. maybe next year if the club did then go up. But the longer the loan went on, I thought, I think it's fairly obvious that with the Americans coming in as well, the budget obviously went up and the desire to go up became stronger because of another year in League One.

52:56The club needed to go out of the league. So, yeah, replacing me with Leif Davis wasn't exactly a bad bit of business in the end for the club. So, yeah, I was kind of expecting it.

53:11Ross Halls:Yeah, Leif was all right. It was fine. But, yeah, that must have been a sort of sad moment, though. Sort of, you know, ending your time at town. But as you said, that wasn't just out of nowhere. You felt like it was coming and it wasn't just like you get phone calls, Was there, yeah, it's still out of Baylor you're going, but you sort of knew it was coming and, as you said, it was a new era at the club? Yeah, probably weirdly didn't feel as sad as it probably should have, maybe, because I was possibly more waiting for it to happen rather than thinking, is it going to happen? But also, I knew I wasn't going to be playing there, so from my perspective, it wasn't sad.

53:56And it was happy almost because it gave me an opportunity to go out and play, which I needed to do. So it was sad, but it wasn't because I needed to become a man and needed to start my career properly.

54:11Ross Halls:That's the thing, because, yeah, obviously it's sort of your dream to play for Richardstown and you've done that. But obviously you want to make sure you have a career yourself. You know, obviously a lot of people, they try to stay at a club for as long as they can. But for you, you know, you moved on. and then you re-announced with Paul Cook at Chesterfield. Was that pretty quick? Fairly, yeah. Obviously, he got the job there. He took Gary Roberts with him. I messaged Robbo. I said, hi Robbo, obviously out of contract here now. If you're looking for a left-back, let me know. So, he replied back pretty swiftly.

54:51Yeah, hi, we'll keep in touch or whatever. I'll let you know within a couple of weeks I was on my way up there to sign the contract so fairly

54:59Ross Halls:swiftly yeah yeah and obviously you're moving away probably for the first time properly as well I assume you moved up to near Chesterfield yeah so I was quite lucky to be fair so my girlfriend luckily got family up there so when I initially moved up I moved in with them which gave me a bit of time to find a place for myself yeah and obviously now you are becoming a man because just sort of moving away. Were you already out of your parents at that point? Did you have your own department at that stage? No, no. I was still at home with them. I've managed to work my way back in now. But, yeah, I needed to move out and become a man, like you say.

55:40Ross Halls:Definitely. And, obviously, National League and, obviously, Chesterfield were, you know, very ambitious because I've been a football league club for so long. And in your first season there, obviously, it was a play-off defeat at Wembley. Okay, it was a defeat at Wembley, but playing at that sort of stadium, I'm sure that was a sort of now a dream come true. Exactly that. The biggest stadium, the best stadium that you can possibly play at as an English person. In front of 40 ,000 people, it was a dream come true. That was probably more exciting for me than playing at Portman Road for the first time in a competitive game, just because not everybody gets the opportunity to play at Wembley.

56:30A lot more people have played at Portman Road than they will have at Wembley. So to get that opportunity at such a young age as well, it was very, very exciting. I think I can remember standing on the line up, waiting for the songs or whatever to come on, ready for the handshake, look up, see my family. They're all there. It was a very, very exciting moment.

56:59Ross Halls:Yeah, I can imagine. and yeah, I've played at Portmore Road a few times and I'm just, you know, an average footballer. So there we go. It sort of proves that, yeah, Wembley, probably a bit too far away from me, but you never know. Still can dream. Yeah, definitely, mate. And yeah, so really not a poor cook. Obviously, you go and get loaned out to Eastleigh. How did that sort of come out? Was that just to play more games? It was, again, very unfortunate timing. so I've either had extreme luck or extreme bad luck in my career it seems so again I had a crack in pre-season we played both Sheffield clubs and Derby in pre-season I've done unbelievably in all of them games I feel like I've nailed down my spot then I got injured a week before the season started I tore my quad so I was then out for eight weeks with that by the time I come back I think the team maybe lost one game in about 12 they were winning every week so again good open honest conversation with the manager he was like I'm not going to change my team here because we're winning every week I was like yeah that's totally understandable obviously hadn't had any conversations with him while I was focused on getting back fit but once I was back fit he mentioned about a loan just an initial one month to go and get myself match fit again ready to come back but obviously I went down to Eastleigh and the team kept winning so there was no reason for me to necessarily come back because he wasn't going to change it Yeah and obviously you're travelling to another place now because Chesterfield are now down south to Eastleigh but you do obviously come back to Chesterfield and obviously helped them win the title.

58:57Ross Halls:So that must have been nice, though, to sort of be back at Chesterfield and sort of be part of this team. And obviously, Dobbera's there as well, sort of get, you know, win promotion. Yes, I was almost given an ultimatum at my end time of Eastleigh. We got to the second round of the FA Cup. We had Newport, managed to get a replay. And the third round was drawn against Man United. So Chesterfield were in contact with me. said, if you beat Newport, we're going to let you stay at Eastleigh to have the game against Man U. If you don't beat them, you'll come back here. So it was kind of a win-win situation.

59:36Experience-wise, it would have been good to play Man U, but career-wise, it was better to go back to Chesterfield. So we obviously lost to Newport. I got called back, I think it was literally the day after. And, yeah, I managed to get 10 games come the end of the season. and we played some pretty important games I managed to be involved in. We played Barnett and Bromley, second and third in the league. So, yeah, to actually play my part in it, although the team were probably, I think, about 15 points clear by the time I'd gone back, we extended it in my time that I got back. So, yeah, to actually play a part and feel a part of it, it was a very, very good feeling again.

1:00:23Ross Halls:Yeah, definitely. You know, you still got a winner's medal. You still, you know, was part of it. I know you said they're sort of running away the league at that stage, but they still had to sort of make sure, just make sure. You never know. You could go on a bad run, but that must have been nice, though, to sort of lift the trophy. Yeah, exactly. It was definitely a promotion. So, I've now played in two years at Chesterfield. I've played at Wembley and got a promotion on my CV. So, yeah, it was a great feeling, obviously. it was known that it was coming for a while we'd won the league with about five games to play so yeah it was possibly not as exciting as it should have been but it was still a great experience Definitely mate and I don't want to take too much more of your time up but I want to quickly just talk about sort of your journey since then obviously as we said at the start of the chat and obviously you've seen Itchwich Town do what they've done I'm sure as a fan it's been sort of lovely to sort of see that and you know obviously some of those players who have done that were your teammates as well what's that been watching that from afar yeah um obviously absolutely buzzing for the club um having been a fan all my my life we never really had any success in terms of mid-table championship the playoff campaign was really as high as it got for me as a fan growing up so obviously now seeing us in the Premier League is a very very different feeling it's a very very exciting feeling for younger fans as well and obviously for the older fans it would probably say they've suffered for many many years but yeah the club's gone in the right direction the direction that it needed to go so I'm just happy for everybody at the club all ex-teammates all new players all staff you can't complain with the job that anybody's done to get them where they are now Definitely my friend and obviously now at Kings Lynn sort of now time to sort of platform to resurrect your career how are you feeling for next season and you know a big season with Kings Lynn obviously got in the playoffs last season new manager now though new players coming in yeah you looking forward to it?

1:02:43Yeah can't wait to get going obviously getting back into full time, getting back into the rhythm of it. I can't wait to just hopefully get playing games again and stay injury-free, touch wood, and just kick on again from where I've been before.

1:03:01Ross Halls:That's good to hear, mate. And final one as well. Any advice for any young footballers maybe listening to this who are in academies or looking to get into academy? Because you're obviously joining the academy at age seven. So any advice for them breaking through? Yeah. never stop believing obviously there's been plenty of times in my career especially in my time at Ipswich where I'm out of contract at the end of the season I think it's all over I get another year I take that opportunity you've got to grasp every opportunity with both hands that you get given because as much as you may get opportunities you can have opportunities taken away from you as well so never stop believing and grasp every opportunity with both hands oh dear my friend well perfect way to end it thank you so much mate cheers Ross thank you

1:04:23Thank you.

1:04:48Thank you.

1:05:31Andy and Anna here from your new favourite podcast, No Such Thing As A Fish.

1:05:36Ross Halls:Yes, we are two of the four hosts of the podcast that stuffs fascinating, amazing, weird, mad facts into your ears on a weekly basis. You got any good facts, Andy? Yes, how about this one? Anteaters have evolved on 12 separate occasions. Wow. Mysterious, wonderful. The world really wants them to exist. What about this one? When Ronald Reagan left office, he left a note on the White House lawn for the squirrels warning them to beware of George Bush's dogs. So there you go. If you like fascinating facts and much more besides, We are No Such Thing As A Fish.