Vaulks forever grateful to Bairns for saving him from scrapheap

IT’S the time of year when hundreds of 18-year-olds are discarded by clubs.

The professional dream begins to drift and, as Will Vaulks puts it, can feel like there is no way back. Vaulks knows, because this was him in 2013.

He was championed as the next great hope at Tranmere Rovers for years before suddenly being freed by Ronnie Moore and ending up at Falkirk playing for £1.33 a week and full for despair.

‘It was the toughest time,’ admitted the 24-year-old, who walks out at Wembley today for Rotherham’s League One play-off final against Shrewsbury. ‘I felt hard done to at Tranmere. One opinion nearly ruined my career before it began.’

Falkirk manager Steven Pressley offered a chance but they could not afford to pay him. The £1.33 was apparently for tax reasons.

‘I got lucky with Steven,’ added Vaulks. ‘He watched me at Tranmere reserves. If he’d not gone to that game, I wouldn’t be a pro now. I owe a lot to him.

‘He wanted me but left for Coventry shortly after and I’m then just some guy who’s not even getting paid.

‘It was a tough time in my life. I was on my own in this flat in Stirling, four-and-ahalf hours away from home. I didn’t play straight away, so no appearance bonuses.’

The midfielder tells how a chance came via Pressley’s replacement, Alex Smith — ‘A legend,’ said Vaulks — and that summer he finally signed a proper deal after a string of superb displays.

Vaulks went on to establish himself in the Scottish Championship under Gary Holt and then Peter Houston, reaching the 2015 Scottish Cup final.

He ponders the ongoing restructuring of academies, with Tranmere and Falkirk coincidentally having chopped theirs recently.

Now, though, the chance to join the list of Rotherham greats — which, ironically, includes Ronnie Moore.

‘I couldn’t believe it when I walked in to sign and Ronnie’s picture was the first thing I saw!’ Vaulks laughed. ‘To be fair, he was nice about me on Sky Sports after the semi-final.’