BISHOP MAKES RIGHT MOVES!
FORMER PE teacher Colby Bishop’s success this season is a lesson to all – you should never give up on your dreams.
The 23-year-old has grasped his second chance at professional football with both hands, having made the move to Accrington Stanley from Leamington in the summer.
With his goal tally reaching double figures before Christmas – he had 12 in all competitions ahead of the weekend trip to Doncaster – Bishop has been a shining light in a mixed season for Stanley so far.
And no one can argue that he doesn’t deserve his success.
After playing a handful of times for Notts County in his formative years, Bishop had to drop down into Non-League to resurrect his career.
Tenacious
Despite a number of setbacks, including a tenmonth layoff with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, he proved his worth at Leamington last season, netting 29 times for the Brakes.
Days at the school were followed by time at the gym as he aimed to regain full fitness, and his dedication finally paid off when he signed a three-year contract at the Wham Stadium in July.
“I always worked hard behind the scenes and I was quite unlucky going through two long-term injuries so that pushed me back,” he said.
“I always knew there was a chance of getting back in the League but when it happened, I was ecstatic.”
In manager
John Coleman, the striker has the perfect role model, with the former Rochdale boss having been a teacher himself in his younger days.
“When I first spoke to the gaffer, he mentioned it,” said Bishop. “He understood that I had to finish the term at the school before I could come up to Accrington. He was very good to me in that sense.
“I still speak to a couple of the teachers from the school. The head teacher messages me quite a bit to see how I’m doing.
“That’s nice and hopefully when I get a bit of time off, I’ll be able to go back to see all the kids there.”
Right now, though, his focus is purely on helping Accrington, 17th pre-weekend, make progress.
The Nottingham-born striker has already bagged braces against Portsmouth, Ipswich and Bolton, which have gone some way to making him a fan favourite in Lancashire.
For Stanley as a whole, this season has had its ups and downs, with the 7-1 victory over the Trotters in November the standout.
Confident
After one win in six prior to that, Stanley were unbeaten in their next three in league and cup heading into the weekend.
“When a big club like Bolton comes to Accrington, it’s obviously a big occasion, so to beat them 7-1 was the cherry on the cake,” said the former Boston United man. “It’s built everyone’s confidence.
“It’s a weird one because some of the games that we’ve lost or drawn where we’ve thrown away points, we’ve played better than the other teams.
“It was a frustrating start to the season, but in the last few games it seems to have really clicked. “We are playing a lot better and getting better results, but there’s no point in looking back. We’ve just got to go forward now and climb up the table.”