From Concord Rangers away to Hampden Park: this story proves you should never give up on your dream
THE sight of Steve Evans on the prowl with something to get off his chest rarely bodes well. But when the Stevenage boss intercepted Jamie Reid on arrival at the training ground last week it was to tell his top scorer that the best season of his life was about to get better.
Northern Ireland have selected Reid for upcoming friendlies in Romania and Scotland. A first senior call-up as recognition of fine form and 21 goals in all competitions this season amid the rise of Stevenage under Evans.
Also a reward for the 29-yearold after years grafting through non-League to rebuild a career bedevilled in its early years by injuries and bad luck.
‘It’s crazy when I think of the time when we had our pre-match in a petrol station,’ he said yesterday, as he prepared to report for international duty. ‘Or the time I went to Chester away in the kit van or when the minibus had broken and we had to drive to North Ferriby away.
‘I loved it all, and all these little things have been amazing to experience but in the space of five years, I’ve gone from playing away at Concord Rangers in the National League South to potentially pulling on an international shirt and playing against Scotland at Hampden Park.
‘ I’m excited and I’ll be immensely proud. I always believed I was good enough but I was never sure I’d get there, especially when you drop down it’s quite hard to come back up.’
Among the first to call with congratulations was Aston Villa and England striker Ollie Watkins. They have been close friends since they were at school together at South Dartmoor Community College and came through the academy ranks at Exeter City. They have 43 goals between them this season, a magnificent haul that will not pass unnoticed in Devon.
Reid was 18 when bursting on to the scene with two goals on his full Exeter debut. Northern Ireland recognition quickly followed at Under 20 and Under 21 level before progress was stifled by 16 months out with injuries to his groins and abdominal ligaments.
There were loan moves either side of this to Dorchester, Truro, Weymouth and Torquay, his home-town club, a move he made permanent in 2017.
‘I had four seasons at Torquay,’ said Reid. ‘The first was my first season back and the club was in a tough place, changing managers, relegation, but I loved it and that’s where I grew up.’
Goals started to flow again once Gary Johnson took charge at Plainmoor, switching Reid from a wide position to one up front through the centre.
He scored 32 as Torquay won promotion from National League South and had smashed through the 20-goal barrier again when the pandemic struck and curtailed the following campaign.
Reid’s contract was expiring and all but two of the EFL clubs who were after him cooled their interest because of sudden financial restrictions. It was a tough time to be a young footballer in the lower leagues. Clubs avoided risks with shorter deals and Covid rules made integration difficult, with limits of three per changing area, no chance for social bonding and empty stadiums. Reid moved to Mansfield for a season, which did not go as he envisaged, then on to Stevenage, which started badly. They were fighting relegation from the EFL when Evans was appointed two years ago.
Since then, they have survived, won promotion and are now eighth in League One, chasing a play-off spot despite Saturday’s defeat by Leyton Orient and Reid has blossomed. ‘As I’ve got older, I’ve realised I play my best football under a manager I’m a little bit afraid of,’ he smiled. ‘Steve will give you a rollicking but we’ve built a trust and I’ve been able to thrive. Everyone is on the same page with him. Everyone knows what they’re doing.
‘Coming into League One for the first time, I wasn’t sure what to expect. After the first game I thought, I’m fine. I always felt I was good enough to play at this level and now I’m getting the chance to show that.’
Reid is eligible to play for Northern Ireland through his maternal grandmother Mary and the call from Michael O’Neill came just days from the anniversary of her death.
‘She would be proud as anything,’ he said. ‘My family will be proud, especially my Mum, with the call-up. The next step is to show them what I can do in training and hopefully get on the pitch.
‘I feel a little bit like I’m making up for lost time. I just want to look back on my career and know I’ve given it everything. Probably in my early years, I wasn’t doing that but in the last five or six years I’ve given it a right good go, and I’ve got to here and that’s not the end. I want to kick on, learn more and improve more.’