“I HAD TO MAKE A SPEECH AT AN AWARDS NIGHT, BUT JUST FROZE AND HID INSIDE THE BATHROOM”

You were kicked out of Garston Boys Club after parents of the opposition complained. What do you remember about that?

I was devastated – I wanted to play football with my friends. When I found out what the parents were saying, it was really hurtful. My dad had to sit me down and say, “You can’t play, they’re stopping the team from picking you.” I didn’t get it, it didn’t seem fair to me. He said, “How about hockey or netball?” but I was like, “I don’t want to do that, I just want to play football.” I remember being so upset and crying all the time. He said, “We’ll find you a girls’ team.” There were no girls’ teams in Watford or Garston, so we had to research it