The Premier League? Well , it beats working at JD Sports or 6AM starts as a scaffolder

SORBA’S EXTRA MOTIVATION TO TAKE HUDDERSFIELD UP

FOOTBALLERS have several different motivations to make it to the top.

For Sorba Thomas, it was to get away from dealing with awkward customers at JD Sports and 6am starts as a scaffolder.

He did these jobs while playing part-time for Boreham Wood after being released as a 16-yearold by West Ham, where he played alongside Declan Rice in their academy.

Thomas (above) threw his football boots in the bin because he was so upset at being dumped by the Hammers... only to then find himself surrounded by them at the JD store in central London.

He found serving customers and lugging poles up ladders as a scaffolder equally unappealing.

The Huddersfield winger said: “When I first went to Boreham Wood, I was working at JD’s in Oxford Circus and I was there for a year. I didn’t like it at all. As soon as they found out I played football, they put me upstairs selling football boots because apparently I had all the knowledge in the world about football boots...

“There was one customer who came in and asked for a 40cm shoe, not a size this or that, just 40cm. I looked at her like ‘what you are talking about?’

“Then, I thought Huddersfield was cold, but not when you’ve done scaffolding at 6 o’clock in the morning. Then it’s freezing!

“I didn’t enjoy that at all and those experiences made me think I needed to make it as a footballer.”

As much as Thomas hated these jobs, he would not change his journey and says it has given him the drive to succeed.

“Going into non-League and being in that environment of working in JD’s, working in scaffolding, there are young players who don’t experience things like that,” he said. “I feel these experiences have helped me grow.

“Working as a scaffolder on a cold day when you can’t do any more but you’ve got to fit one more pole on, that’s helped me massively in my career.” His rise since arriving in West Yorkshire from Boreham Wood in January 2021 has been rapid.

Now Thomas is just one game away from the Premier League.

He has experienced Wembley play-off finals before and was a substitute in Boreham Wood’s defeat by Tranmere in the 2018 National League shoot-out.

“It was an amazing experience and I had a lot of family in the crowd,” said the 23-year-old.

“To get there again with Huddersfield has made me even more motivated to win.”

He has been one of the stars of the Terriers’ surprise promotion push and has scored three goals and made 13 assists – including creating Jordan Rhodes’ winner against Luton in the play-off semis.

The Eastender was due to represent England C in 2020 before Covid put paid to that and instead chose Wales through his Newport-born mum Gail.

Thomas (left, against Czech Republic) has the small matter of Wales’ World Cup play-off final next Sunday following tomorrow’s Championship play-off against Nottingham Forest.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “My dreams of playing in the Premier League and the World Cup could come together in the space of a week. I don’t think anything could top that.”