Scott Ward enjoyed an “explosive” start in professional football, saving a penalty with his first touch. “I presumed from that point onwards everything would be great,” says the former goalkeeper, “but physically I really struggled.”
He retired 12 years ago at the age of 26, after countless injuries. His club, Crawley Town, had gone into administration that year and Mr Ward was out of pocket. He found work as a refuse collector in the area where he grew up. “People knew me as Scott the footballer and the next day I’m collecting their bins and they’re saying: ‘What are you doing here?’”
Having signed a professional contract before he left high school, and coming from a footballing family (his brothers Elliott and Darren have played in the Premier League), the game was all he knew. “There was no mental or skilful preparation for the ‘what if’ moment, so it creates that even more dramatic cliff-edge,” he says. He struggled to deal with the expectations of those around him and a “loss of identity”.