A PRO footballer who played more than 200 games before stepping up as captain has opened up about why he blew the final whistle on sport.
Josh Staunton, 28, called it time on his footie career recently – and made a transfer to greener pastures.
The centre-back, who played more than 200 games for a range of clubs in the National League South, has dug in and started his own business – as a gardener.
Staunton was captain of Yeovil Town when he retired, but had played for Woking and FC Halifax Town, too.
But after running into issues with his knee the dad-of-one decided he should consider slowing down – and give up the salary of less than £50,000.
And it was a groundskeeper he met during his footie days that inspired him to start Staunts On The Grass.
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Staunton said: “I’m glad I’ve got gardening and that I stumbled upon it, but it’s a career path I didn’t foresee.
“If you’d told me at 16 I would be doing this, I wouldn’t have believed you.”
The dad continued: “I’ve had problems with my knee for the last four or five years.
“Then last year, my knee got really bad and I couldn’t walk on Sundays. I was in a bad place.
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“Retiring from football was always in the back of my mind, but it came a bit sooner than I had anticipated.”
The former captain now calls himself lucky – he says many players don’t know what path to follow when they call it time.
Staunton said there was a mutual agreement his contract would be terminated from Yeovil Town.
But it was the club’s head groundsman, Stuart Antell, who gave him the push he needed.
The 28-year-old continued: “I’ve always liked gardening, but I became fascinated with grass when I started playing golf properly.
“Playing football, I became interested in pitches and one of my old groundsmen, Stuart Antell, was a mentor to me.
“He got me on the way and now we look after a couple of cricket pitches together.
“I used to joke around that I would start a gardening company because that’s where my passion was.”
Staunton said his new career is a far different pace to his last, but he’s happy with it.
I might even do more miles these days because of the amount of walking I do with a lawnmower.
Josh Staunton
He explained: “In football, you’re not there for long and it’s very intense.
“Gardening is the other way around: it’s slow work but you’re there for longer hours.
“I find real peace in it. I love it; It’s more like a marathon than a sprint.
“I might even do more miles these days because of the amount of walking I do with a lawnmower.”
The dad said he believes more should be done to prepare young players for life after the game – as “football careers always end”.
Staunton said: “These young boys have neglected school.
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“Unless you are playing in the Premier League, you’re not going to earn enough to never have to work again.
“There has to be a backup plan.”
Quitting Premeir League for something new
By Ellie Grant
IN the world of youth football, dreams are often shattered as young players struggle to breakthrough onto the professional stage.
And former Wolves star Jacob Gibson is one of those victims – who gave up his footballing career in 2013 but is now thriving as a manager at Lloyds Bank.
Gibson’s journey at Molinuex did not end dramatically but rather he had a realisation that top-flight English football was not for him.
In his first year as a full-time scholar at the club Gibson was struck with injuries and sent on loan to Doncaster.
This meant it was going to be hard to land a professional contract during his second season.
He said in an interview with The Express and Star: “I’d been really looking forward to getting in full-time, giving it a proper go and seeing how I could do.
“Then in the first week of pre-season I did my ankle, and, when I came back, I had a nightmare with my hamstring.
“By the time I was fit, the Under-18s were on an amazing run, winning 11 in a row, and I was sent to Doncaster on loan.
“That was a different experience, and I didn’t really want to be there because the lads were doing so well at Wolves and the atmosphere was brilliant around the place.”
At the age of 19, Gibson was released from the West Midland’s club and then failed to secure a place at League Two side Accrington Stanley.
And it was after his axing he realised his career in football was no more.
He continued: “Having barely played in my first year, by the time I got into my second there were already conversations about how it was going to be a real struggle to get a pro deal.
“I kept my head down and tried my hardest, and always had the belief I would take my chance if it came.
“But deep down I knew it wasn’t going to happen and I had to prepare for what was coming next.”
Gibson decided to have a dramatic career change and enroll at university and obtained degrees in Sport Science and Sport and Business Management.
He then joined Lloyds Banking Group through their graduate scheme and has since achieved success in his career, currently working as a Senior Sourcing Manager.
Now 29, Gibson achievements in his very different career have not gone unnoticed.
In 2022 he was nominated for the ‘Future Leader’ accolade at the Ethnicity Awards alongside the likes of Bukayo Saka, Alex Scott and Leigh-Anne Piddock from Little Mix.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
