Tears have been shed with all the memories
SHWAN Jalal was on a bus to Walsall as he struggled to hold back the tears. The experienced goalkeeper had just announced on twitter he was to be a goalkeeper no more – and the messages started flooding in.
Less than two weeks into his new role as head of academy goalkeeping at Rochdale, Jalal was travelling with the youth team knowing the days of those long journeys as a player were over.
“I was absolutely overawed with all the good will messages I received,” the 37-year-old told The NLP. “My son James is a massive Bournemouth and football fan and I think it hit him harder. He sent me a voice message which I think will stay with me forever. It’s not really kicked in yet but I’ll probably have a moment along the way when I sit back and reflect on things.”
When Jalal does get a moment to properly reflect on his 20-year career he will surely be filled with pride. It has been a far from easy ride for the Iraqi, who was born in Baghdad and moved to Hastings with his family when he was six.
Disappointment at not being offered a scholarship with Gillingham followed and Jalal was left to start his career in Non-League at Hastings Town.
“I had to deal with adversity at most stages,” he said. “I was given a fantastic opportunity by a man called Dean White, the Hastings manager at the time who said he’d turn me into a professional footballer. He introduced me to men’s football at 16 and within the space of 18 months I’d signed my first professional contract at Tottenham.”
He signed with
Spurs on the same day as striker Teddy Sheringham and that afternoon spent an hour in goal against the England international in a private training session. Jalal travelled with the first team to South Africa and went on their Christmas do to Dublin, where he sat drinking alongside global rockstar Bono.
“I think I’d have preferred more memories on the pitch,” said Jalal. “I don’t think I grasped the opportunity as much as I should have.
“Things might have changed had I not picked up a cruciate ligament injury in the last year of my time there. I had to reinvent myself again. I’d already been out on loan to Woking and they picked me up when I got fit.”
Great Escape
At the Cards, he played 85 times over a two-and-a-half year spell and represented England C on five occasions alongside the likes of George Boyd, Aaron McLean and Craig Mackail-Smith, who were all picked up by Peterborough United. “We were all together at England C and then six months later Barry Fry and Darragh McAnthony deicide to buy all of us,” he said. “I don’t think I really got to show what I could do there but that paved the way for me to go to Bournemouth. “That’s probably where people saw the best of me and I made a name of myself. We had the Great Escape where we stayed up despite starting on minus 17 points, two promotions and a play-off semi-final.”
His time there remains the best of his career under a manager in Eddie Howe, left, who he still speaks to today. “I spoke to him when I made the decision to retire and on the route I want to take with coaching,” Jalal said. “Working under him was a special time.”
A brief spell at Bury followed but Jalal says his ‘face didn’t fit’ with then manager David Flitcroft and a transfer to Northampton Town under Chris Wilder was arranged.
Jalal has never been relegated as a player and at Macclesfield more success came. He left the club after a season for Wrexham in 2016 but returned a year later as John Askey led them to the National League title.
“Winning the league was a miracle,” he said. “It’s heartbreaking to see what’s happened to the club this week.
“The resources we were short of. The manager used to turn up with a kitbag full of Tesco meal deals and would beg people externally to aid the team, to fund overnight stays, coach journeys, team outings, stuff like that, even new signings.
“Winning the league by ten points, especially in that league, is incredible. I don’t think it’s revisited enough and people don’t appreciate what a big thing that was.”
Jalal’s plan was to retire on a high at the end of that season but a phone call from Martin Allen at Chesterfield was too good to turn down.
Now, though it’s time to move on to the next chapter.
“I’m not getting any younger, the economic climate and football climate is changing rapidly,” Jalal added. “I was offered a fantastic opportunity at Rochdale working with the young goalkeepers.
“My next plan is to take my goalkeeping A Licence at the start of the new year and keep progressing from there. My ambition is to go into goalkeeping coaching at the highest level possible.
“There’s been lots of ups and downs, but I’ve enjoyed every minute of my career.”