It may be steeped in history but to me it was just a piece of grass Eton got Hoilett out of a mess
ACCORDING to the Duke of Wellington, the Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton.
Now the 400 acres of green land which lie under the flight path into Heathrow may be on the point of claiming its first Championship promotion too.
Because it was in the shadow of Windsor Castle, using the athletics facilities of the 578-year-old public school, that Junior Hoilett rehabilitated himself from out-of-work winger into one of the most dangerous players in this country outside the Premier League.
For four months just over a year ago, the Canada international dripped sweat onto the famously characterbuilding ground under the watchful eye of former British sprinter Marlon Devonish, ploughing a lonely furrow after leaving QPR when his contract expired in June 2016.
With no game to look forward to on Saturday, it was only the arrival of his young son that helped get Hoilett, right, through the long, empty days – until Neil Warnock rang on his first day at Cardiff City.
“It was a frustrating time,” Hoilett admits now, with Cardiff about to head into the home straight of the season sitting second in the table, seven points clear of Fulham and Aston Villa with a game in hand.
“I had offers – a couple of Championship clubs, but mainly from overseas – but I was waiting for the right one. It is a tough decision to turn down offers when you are a professional footballer who has not got a game. But I had a clear idea of where I wanted to be. I was training by myself. Marlon Devonish was my fitness trainer – we had worked together at QPR.
“He has a track at Eton and he would put me through my paces and I would do my own specialist drills on the pitch.
“I was doing early morning sessions, double sessions as early as 7am.
“We did sessions inside, outside, even in the long jump sand pit. Fitness, endurance, sprint, agility.
“It may be steeped in history but to me the only important thing was that it was a piece of grass. That was what made me happy.
“The rest of the days were spent between doing stuff with the Canada national team and waiting for the phone to ring. Of course, that was a frustrating thing. Luckily I have a good family and group of friends to help keep me motivated and thinking positively. That was a bonus.
“You have to be mentally strong. Everybody has challenges in their career. I knew I was fit and I knew what I was capable of, so it was keeping believing that the chance would come.
“There are always people in worse positions than me, so I refused to look at it as a downer.” Hoilett’s young son is now two and showing early signs of following in his father’s footsteps, although he has some way to go to match his 2017-18 season.
Already the 27-year-old former Blackburn player has got into double figures in the current campaign for the first time in his career, and has matched his 10 goals with 10 assists to help Cardiff get within touching distance of a return to the top flight.
Hoilett credits a lot of that to the faith manager Warnock has in him. The pair seem an unlikely couple, but somehow the chemistry seems to have worked since the day the Cardiff boss walked into QPR as a caretaker manager and rescued Hoilett from exile with the Under-18s.
“He’s just so honest,” Hoilett said. “If you do something wrong, he is not afraid to give you a rollocking. But then he might compliment you about something and give you an unexpected boost.
“He always tells the truth – you get no fibs from him – and that is what every player can relate to.
“At least we haven’t had one of his infamous team-building sessions for a while. Probably that’s a good incentive to keep winning. If he feels team morale needs working on he will probably throw us into a lake somewhere!”