FOREST GREEN PARTY
English League Two side are world’s first carbon-neutral club They play their home matches on a pesticide-free organic pitch Ambitious owners are building world’s greenest 5000-seat stadium Arsenal defender and vegan Hector Bellerin is a major Rovers s
If you get an itch to try something new and different – you’re as well going the full hog.
When you’ve already sampled life at four Scottish clubs, is there any point just scratching about until the next comes along?
Not if you can move to a tiny Gloucestershire town and the world’s first- ever carbon neutral football club.
Where your pre-match meal is completely vegan, solar energy panels power the stadium, you play on an organic pitch – and Arsenal superstar Hector Bellerin is a major shareholder.
So that’s why Nicky Cadden decided to join Forest Green Rovers.
When he left Morton in the summer, he could have stayed at home.
But after a trip down to Oxford to see his twin brother Chris – who signed for Hibs on Friday – play last season, it sparked something inside him.
Cadden wanted out of his comfort zone. To test himself against players he didn’t already know.
Granted, for a boy who enjoys a square sausage every now and then, the all-vegan stance at Forest Green was a concern.
But he took the plunge – and has loved every minute of it.
With every aspect of life right now, the impact of Covid-19 has made it more challenging than it should have been.
Without girlfriend Gemma – who’s busy saving lives as a Wishaw General nurse – it has been tough on his own.
And without fans, Rovers supporters haven’t been able to enjoy Cadden’s impressive start to life at The New Lawn in the flesh yet.
But the 24-year-old isn’t complaining. He wanted a fresh start and at, Forest Green in particular, that’s exactly what he’s got.
Cadden, who scored his second of the season in League Two yesterday against Port Vale, told MailSport: “It’s just great to play in a new league, different stadiums, with boys I didn’t know before.
“I could have stayed in Scotland. There were a few clubs interested but, with Covid, concrete offers weren’t really on the table.
“I came down to England last season to watch Chris play for Oxford United and thought: ‘ This is something I’d like to do.’
“The game’s massive down here, that was the appeal for me. I wanted to try it myself. “Thankfully, Forest Green came in for me and it’s been brilliant. I’ve loved it so far. “In Scotland you play the same teams and players four times a year. Everyone knows everyone up there.
“I like testing
myself against different players and I’ve experienced different styles of play down here as well. Behind the scenes, the club does a lot of good eco- friendly work, helping the environment.
“But the only thing that really affects the players is the fact we’re vegan. So the food after training and games is all vegan.
“I’ve found the Quorn chicken and mince doesn’t actually taste that different to the normal stuff. It tastes good.
“I was a bit sceptical about the vegan thing at first, it played on the back of my mind in case I didn’t like it. But I’m always up for trying new things and I’m quite enjoying it, to be honest. Could I be vegan full-time? That might be a stretch too far. I like milk and eggs too much!
“I could maybe go without meat but if I came back up the road I’d probably still want a square sausage!
“And no eggs would kill me – that’s a big part of my diet.
“I haven’t dealt with the chairman (Dale Vince) too much but he runs the club well and does the right things.
“Most importantly, he backs the team and it’s working well for us.
“Bellerin is now a shareholder, having invested in the club. I think he’s vegan so it was a big thing for him.
“I’ve not met him yet but I wonder if, when restrictions are lifted, he’ll come to a game and meet the boys.”
Ordinarily, Nicky would have Gemma down regularly as he begins his new life in England’s League Two.
His family, including exMotherwel l, Columbus Crew and Scotland man Chris, as well as dad Steve who played for Albion Rovers, would also be down to see him play.
But Covid has put paid to that for now.
And if he ever gets bored or lonely down south, he gets a dai ly reminder from Gemma of how lucky he is to be playing football while she’s a frontline hospital worker.
He said: “It’s been harder because of Covid. My family haven’t been able to come down as much as they’d have liked.
“FaceTime is the only way of really seeing them right now.
“Gemma is a nurse and she’s been trying to get down as much as she can.
“But with lockdown, that’s difficult. I’ve not seen her in a couple of months, so that has been tough.
“It’s hard for her too but she knows being here is the best thing for my career.
“She’s under pressure too. She’s stressed with work but then comes home and is stressed because she can’t see me. But with her job, it puts things in perspective a bit if I get a bit down or can’t see anyone.
“The bottom line is I’m still getting to do what I love every day.
“Playing football is more of a hobby to me than an actual job. But Gemma is basically saving lives every day.
“So whatever I might be going through is nothing compared to what she’s doing.”
On the pitch, Cadden is performing well having established himself as a starter in Mark Cooper’s promotion-chasing side.
They’re fourth in the table, just one point off the top, and it hasn’t taken Cadden long to settle in.
He said: “I’ve gone into different changing rooms before in Scotland so that helped me.
“For the first few weeks, I was quite shy and the boys couldn’t really understand me.
“You’re talking to someone and they’re looking, thinking: ‘ What are you saying?’ I was having to repeat myself a lot.
“But they’re understanding me better now. And thankfully, I’ve now got the dressingroom on toast!
“I’m enjoying the football down here. If we can give it a big push in the next few months, hopefully we can win promotion.”
I was about scepti the cal thing vegan .. if I home came want I’d still a squar sausa e ge