Alan Wright showed there’s life in the old dog yet in the recent Masters Event at the NIA, when he starred for Aston Villa against the thirtysomethings of Birmingham, West Brom and Wolves.
However, at the ripe old age of 37,
Wright is hoping to ply his trade in the Football League once again next year. The full back was released by
Cheltenham at the end of last season but, with over 700 career games under his belt, feels he still has plenty to offer.
His career has taken him to
Blackpool,
Blackburn,
Aston Villa,
Middlesbrough,
Sheffield United and Cheltenham along with loan spells at
Derby,
Nottingham Forest,
Doncaster,
Cardiff and
Leeds.
Yet, as Wright told Givemefootball’s Ian Clarkson in an exclusive interview, he feels as though there is another station left on his long journey as a professional footballer.
Q: Were you surprised to be released at the end of the season?
A: I wasn’t surprised as the club was talking about going into administration at one stage. To be fair to the Chairman he dug deep into his own pocket and paid off whatever was necessary, but I knew that the budget was likely to be changed for the following season.
The age I was and the fact I would have been one of the higher earners always meant I was likely to be released so I knew it was coming.
Q: Is that the first time you have experienced that?
A: Actually, when I left Villa six years ago, I struggled to find a club. The Bosman ruling had just come in and I thought I would get somewhere quickly but it didn’t pan out like that.
I ended up signing for Middlesbrough for a year and I experienced a similar situation at Sheffield United who were relegated and the wage bill was cut and I didn’t find a club until October.
Sheffield United were great though as they let me train with them, but I thought that my time might be up until I got a phone call from Paul Peschisolido.
He told me that Keith Downing had just taken over at Cheltenham and was looking for an experienced defender and I signed a short-term contract initially, but ended up staying for two years.
Q: How was last season at Cheltenham?
A: It was a difficult season as we changed the manager very early on in the season and he had a massive shake up. It was difficult from there.
We didn’t start the season too well but I still thought it was a little bit early for Keith Downing to get the bullet and we brought in a lot of new players. The season was a struggle for the club. Results really picked up in the last 10/12 games when the pressure was off.
More from Alan and his fight to extend his career by another season here on Givemefootball later.
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