WINDASS HAPPY TO WALK HIS OWN PATH

Josh is keen to avoid comparison with his famous father and would like a ‘J’ on the back of his shirt to set him apart

FOR Josh Windass, there is an obvious sense of pride at being the son of a famous footballer who became such a cult figure at Hull City and Aberdeen. Yet having a well-known dad in Dean Windass has also proved a burden to the new Rangers midfielder as he has attempted to trace his old man’s footsteps by making his way in the professional game.

Weary of being constantly compared to his father, and often falsely accused of benefiting from nepotism, the 22-year-old arrives in Scottish football from Accrington Stanley determined to carve out a name for himself in his own right.

In fact, so keen is he on becoming his own man he is prepared to ask for a minor change to be made to the back of his Rangers jersey.

‘I’ve not asked about it yet, but I did want ‘J Windass’ on my back rather than just ‘Windass’ when I was playing for Accrington Stanley,’ he explained.

‘The club told me the FA would not allow that, which I didn’t understand because why would it make any difference? Maybe the club was lying because they didn’t want to put an extra letter on my strip!

‘But I just didn’t want people to perceive me only as my dad’s son, if that makes sense.

‘When I was a young player coming through at Huddersfield, people would say to me: “You are only in the Academy here because of your old man, blah, blah, blah”.

‘I was released by them but when I started doing well at Accrington Stanley people started to say it again.

‘But I have done well off my own back. It has had nothing to do with my dad.

‘People think it’s easy having a footballer for a dad but it’s actually harder. People compare you.

‘My dad played in the English Premier League for a while and I play in a different position, and I don’t score as many goals as he did.

‘Strangely, though, we have both gone through the same route in football. He was released as a young boy by Hull, then played non-league football before going to an English side (Hull again) and on to Aberdeen. Whereas I was released at Huddersfield, went non-league and after Accrington Stanley I’ve come up to Scotland with Rangers.

‘My team-mate Andy Halliday said to me the day I arrived at the club: “You’re going to get pelters when we play up at Aberdeen because of your dad!”

‘We will just have to wait and see about that...’

Windass saw his Rangers career get off to a false start when Accrington blocked him and fellow new boy Matt Crooks from pre-season training until a petty compensation wrangle was resolved.

‘Frank McParland (Rangers head of recruitment) told me I couldn’t train but I thought it was just banter,’ he said.

‘I thought he was joking for ages but then he told me I had to take my kit back off and go home. It was frustrating as the other lads were all training and doing fitness work. It was annoying. I was literally doing nothing, just walking around at home.

‘But I’ve nothing to say on it. The money side is nothing to do with me. But I’ve settled in now at Rangers.

‘It is great for me and Crooksy to come here and play. It is a big step up. I knew it would be fast in training but it has surprised me just how good the players are here. They are a lot better than I thought but I am enjoying it.’

If there have been plenty of grimacing faces in the Rangers squad amid some gruelling preseason sessions in the oppressive heat here in South Carolina, Windass can’t get the smile off his face.

He only need cast his mind back four years to his days working in the freezing cold on a building site in the West Yorkshire town of Guiseley after being let go by Huddersfield Town after a year out with a broken leg.

That forced the young midfielder to go out into the real world, working for a friend of his dad’s while playing amateur football for local side Harrowgate Railway Athletic.

It remains the worst experience of his young life and a world away from the opulence of his new work surroundings at Murray Park and the plush Rangers training base here in Charleston.

But it also serves as a source of perspective. Never will Windass be found moaning about the privileged life of a professional footballer.

‘It does make you work harder because you never want to go back to that. It was horrible,’ he smiled.

‘It was the worst days of my life, honestly. It was freezing cold. My dad’s mate was a builder who owned his own company. I was helping him out two or three days a week to earn some money after I broke my leg. ‘The manager at Huddersfield, Lee

Clark, had told me that I would have a contract as long as he was the manager but he left suddenly— and so did the academy manager — and I was let go after being out for a year.

‘My dad’s mate picked me up in the morning and I went out and did a hard day’s work. I knew I wouldn’t have to do it for long, but my mum and dad wanted me to get some money, so I had to do it.

‘I did it right up until I joined Accrington Stanley for pre-season once my leg had properly healed.

‘Until then, I was playing with Harrowgate Railway Athletic, which was basically Sunday league football in the Evo-Stick league.

‘The football was easy and the pitches weren’t too bad. We trained in an indoor hall on a Tuesday and a Thursday night, but it made me enjoy football again. That was the good part of the whole experience.’

This is a summer that has seen established English Premier League stars Joey Barton and Niko Kranjcar arrive at Ibrox.

But the confident Windass has two words for any fans uninspired by the arrival of himself and Crooks from a modest English League Two outfit. ‘Jamie Vardy,’ he responded. ‘He is the prime example. He was playing at a lot lower a level (Stocksbridge in the Northern Premier League) than I was at Accrington Stanley. Now he’s won the title with Leicester and is probably the best striker in England.

‘It is a bit surreal that I am going to be playing with guys like Joey and Niko. I watched Niko for years in the English Premier League, so it is weird to be training alongside him.

‘But there are a few other examples for us to use as inspiration. Michael Kightly came from non-league to the English Premier League with Burnley. And Andre Gray has done it as well. These lads have set the blueprint for us all.’

Andy Halliday said to me the day I arrived: “You’re going to get pelters when we play at Aberdeen”