Nigel Jemson hit the headlines last season with his goals that dumped Premiership high-flyers Everton out of the FA Cup but now the former Nottingham Forest striker is one of many hundreds who are looking for a new club after leaving Shrewsbury Town, who were relegated to the Nationwide Conference. Brian Beard caught up with Nigel in the middle of shopping for groceries.
Q:HOW MUCH OF A SHOCK WAS IT TO BE RELEASED BY SHREWSBURY?
A:It wasn't really because I wasn't released, as such. I had reached the end of my contract and obviously, after we were relegated from the Third Division, I made it clear to the chairman that I am still very ambitious and still feel capable of doing a good job in the Football League, so I informed them that I wouldn't be coming back to Shrewsbury as a player.
Q:SO REALLY IT WAS YOUR CHOICE TO LEAVE GAY MEADOW?
A:Yes, it was down to me. In fact I did apply for the manager's job at Shrewsbury when Kevin Ratcliffe resigned because that is something I obviously want to do after I finish my playing career. Although I feel that becoming a manager was two or three years too early in my plans I thought it would be good experience to see what the situation was at the club. But I must admit that part of me didn't want to be the manager because I wanted to carry on playing.
Q:WHEN DID YOU ACTUALLY DECIDE THAT YOU WERE GOING TO LEAVE SHREWSBURY?
A:It was after Kevin Ratcliffe resigned, in the wake of the last game against Carlisle that condemned Shrewsbury to relegation. My mind was made up then because there was no way that I wanted to stay at Shrewsbury under any manager other than Kevin. That was because I had a good rapport with him and he was very good for me and for my game and I didn't want to stay if he wasn't the manager.
Q:BUT YOU MUST HAVE HAPPY MEMORIES OF YOUR STAY AT SHREWSBURY?
A:Absolutely, I had three great years at the club with some exciting moments but I wanted to try and find another challenge to face and that's the situation I am in at the moment.
Q:SO WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS NOW THAT YOU ARE 'IN BETWEEN CLUBS' AS THE SAYING GOES?
A:I am out of contract so I am looking for a football club for next season. I am only 33 years of age and so I feel I can still do a good job for someone. It was quite a good season for me in the campaign that has just finished and I scored 17 goals so that shows I can still find the back of the net. I am still very passionate and hungry for football. I am still ambitious and know I can do a job for someone, but it is a case of finding a club that will give me a chance.
Q:THE WAY THE GAME HAS GONE, OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, IS IT GOING TO BE MUCH HARDER TO FIND EMPLOYMENT?
A:Yes, I know there are lots of 'free' players around and that will make it harder to find a club but I think people only have to look at my record, and in the last three seasons I have scored 43 goals, so just because I am 33 doesn't mean that I cannot do a job for a club. I am very positive that something can be sorted out and that I will be able to continue to play league football.
Q:WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO A MANAGER IF HE WAS THINKING OF APPROACHING YOU BUT WORRIED ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU MIGHT COMMAND?
A:I would say this; the only way to discover what the financial side of things would be is to make contact and talk. I would hate to think any player would miss out on the chance of finding a club because it was assumed that he wanted too much. That kind of assumption could be way off the mark so the best thing would be to initiate talks and be fully aware of all available information.
* There will be more from Nigel Jemson in the near future here on givemefootball but if any club manager or chairman wants to make contact with Nigel Jemson with a view to talking about a contract then they can do so via the PFA in Manchester.
