Foster: I’d love to end my career at Albion
BEN Foster wants to finish his career at West Bromwich Albion – but not until he’s spent at least a decade at The Hawthorns.
The 34-year-old picked up what could be the first of many awards this season as he was named the club’s Disabled Supporters Association Player of the Season yesterday.
Foster is enjoying a superb campaign which has already included a new deal that runs until 2019.
But with things going so well on the pitch and off it, he says he has no intention of stopping then – nor wearing another club’s colours.
“I feel in a real good place,” Foster said. “As you get a little bit older you don’t take things too seriously.
“I feel I have got a pretty good lifework balance and I think that’s reflected in my football.
“I will go as long as I can, I really will, while I am still enjoying it and while I am fit and everything seems to hold up.
“I have got a real good balance where I haven’t really got to train as hard as some of the other lads in the team because of my knees and stuff like that.
“As long as it stays like that, they keep looking after me and I keep looking after myself I will keep going for four or five years hopefully.”
Even the lower estimate would take the former Birmingham City and Manchester United goalkeeper beyond his 38th birthday.
Easily long enough for him to have changed his childhood allegiance.
“I will definitely finish as an Albion player – without doubt. I am super set-up. This is my sixth season I would love to get to ten years and go beyond that as well.
“It’s a lovely club, it’s part of me now, part of my family. The whole family are Baggies fans, it would be really nice to finish here.
“The two kids are both Baggies fans, it’s nice to have them supporting a team – not necessarily a local team because I live further towards Leamington – but a proper team, not sort of glory hunting.
“I was a Tottenham fan – from Leamington – so I kind of had ups and downs but now, when you get older I am a Baggies fan and going forward when I am retired, grey and old I will always be a Baggies fan.”
Foster, who earned a move to Stoke City after being spotted playing for non-League Racing Club Warwick, joined Albion initially on loan from Blues in August 2011.
He went on to play 39 times that season before making a permanent £4 million switch a year later. Since then he has gone on to play 176 times for the club.
ALBION have been selected for two more live TV games in the final 10 days of the campaign.
The Baggies’ Hawthorns clash against championship leaders and title-favourites Chelsea has been brought forward to Friday, May 12 with an 8pm kick off.
And Albion will then play their rearranged game against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, May 16 (8pm).