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    I worked as a farmer until I was 25, now I’m looking to knock Man Utd out of the FA Cup

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    WILL EVANS is the cowboy who aims to shoot down Manchester United.Newport County forward Evans was raised on a 3,000-acre farm high in the Mid-Wales hills, where dad Martin tends to 2,500 head of dairy cattle.
    Newport’s Will Evans was working on his dad’s farm while making his way in footballCredit: Huw Evans
    He is set to face Manchester United in the FA Cup fourth round later this monthCredit: Huw Evans
    The Exiles will be bullish ahead of meeting the Old Trafford giants – nobody more so than Evans, who netted the third goal in their 3-1 third-round replay win over Eastleigh.
    That was his 18th goal of the season and he has more than Red Devils trio Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial COMBINED this term.
    So nobody would blame him for milking it if he scores against Man Utd, especially given his less conventional route into football.
    The late starter sees things differently from the average pro after spending five years in higher education before joining Newport in May 2022.
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    The Cardiff Met University, graduate has a degree in sports coaching and is a qualified teacher.
    After leaving university, Evans, 26, played for Bala Town in the Cymru Premier League and scored twice for Wales C against England, prompting Newport to make their move.
    He said: “While I was playing for Bala, I was working on the farm.
     “It was part-time football so the game had to come second. I’d be up at 4.30am milking cows or out working on a building site on the farm land or working alongside my brothers and my dad. That felt normal.
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    “My background surprises a lot of people in football. When I first told them I was a farmer it got a couple of laughs because people didn’t believe me.”
    And his background has already stumped one Man Utd forward.
    He explained: “We had Charlie McNeill on loan from Manchester United last season and he couldn’t believe what a farmer was, never mind playing alongside one!
    “Hopefully, I’ve got a long time to go as a player. But after that I’d definitely be interested in staying in football in some way.
    “Having been a student at university, now I’m a student of the game.”
    Impress against United, and the farmer’s lad could land a big mooooove.
    Evans has already scored 18 goals so far this seasonCredit: Alamy
    Evans used to wake up at 4.30am to milk the cowsCredit: Huw Evans More

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      I’m a Premier League star and champion of Europe – but I almost became a FARMER and still train on potato fields

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      FOOTBALLERS tried many different things to keep in shape during the pandemic, but Jarrod Bowen trained on a FARM.Bowen has become a hero at West Ham since he joined the club from Hull City in January 2022.
      Jarrod Bowen trained on a farm during the pandemicCredit: Getty
      He won the Conference League with West HamCredit: Getty
      The forward scored on his first start for the club in a 3-1 win over Southampton.
      Bowen, 27, would have to wait a while for his next as the Covid-19 pandemic put a stop to football across Europe.
      During the break from football, he maintained his fitness by training on a farm.
      Bowen claimed that the ground on a farm has helped him with muscle injuries.
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      He told BBC Radio 5 Live: “It’s a bit like running on sand, but a bit thicker.
      “I’ve found it really good for muscle injuries and, because I’ve had weak ankles, to work on them and stabilise them.
      “But also because it is really tough to train on because you feel so slow, when you go running on the grass you feel like you’re a sprinter.
      “It’s been my training method for years with my old man.
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      “He is pretty old school, he doesn’t want me to just go running round a normal field doing football runs, he wants me to run around a potato field with weights in my arms.”
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      Bowen also admitted that after rejection from clubs such as Aston Villa, Tottenham and West Brom he came close to quitting football.
      If he had he would have opted for a career in farming.
      He added: “Maybe in another life I could have been up all night on the farm. The way of life back home is very country-orientated. There’s a lot of farms.
      “There’s a lot of routes you can go…and football isn’t usually a route you go down.
      “I used to go to the farm with grandad. Now it’s my uncle who owns one. I’d like a farm but when I speak to him, it’s too much hassle.
      “The thought of it, ‘oh yeah, I want a farm to do things’, is better than the actual reality.”
      Luckily for West Ham, Bowen did get his break at non-league side Hereford and then Hull City.
      Bowen became one of the top performers in the Championship which saw the Hammers swoop in with a £25million offer.
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      Since joining the East London outfit, Bowen has become one of the star players and scored the winning goal in the Europa Conference League final last season.
      The forward has also earned a call-up to the England team and made his debut against Hungary. More

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      in Motorsport

      I was an F1 world champion but now I make ice cream on my 2,500-acre Hampshire farm

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      A FORMER Formula One world champion is now enjoying huge success running an organic farm that specialises in producing buffalo mozzarella and ice cream.This 73-year-old raced in F1 from 1972 to 1980 and won the Drivers’ Championship in 1979 with Ferrari.
      An ex-Formula One star is now enjoying an impressive new careerCredit: Alamy
      This South African star now runs an organic farm specialising in producing buffalo mozzarella and ice creamCredit: Alamy
      This now 73-year-old won the F1 title for Ferrari back in the 70sCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
      He is now enjoying life on the farm in Hampshire, EnglandCredit: Alamy
      And he still holds a place in the history books as the only South African ever to be crowned F1 king.
      He competed for the likes of McLaren, Tyrell and Wolf before ending his career at Ferrari and won ten Grands Prix and enjoyed a total of 33 podium finishes prior to retirement in 1980.
      The icon went on to work for several broadcasters covering the sport but is now setting the pace in a completely different type of way.
      The man in question is Jody Scheckter – the last man to win a championship for Ferrari until the legendary Michael Schumacher ended a 21-year wait in 2000.
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      He originally moved to America following his racing career and started up a firearms company for the police and military.
      Then he decided to relocate to Hampshire in England and bought 500 acres of land.
      Scheckter intended to build a farm to produce organic, healthy food for his family but soon realised too much meat would be going to waste.
      That led to him purchasing the nearby Laverstoke Park Farm, which is spread across 2,500 acres of land, and now it is widely-known across the UK.
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      It annually hosts the CarFest South, a three-day festival that features music and motorcars and other activities to raise cash for BBC Children in Need and other children’s charities and is attended by more than 28,000 people.
      And it is also the base for hit ITV show Sugar Free Farm.
      Scheckter built a charcuterie factory and an abattoir slaughterhouse on it and now makes mozzarella and ice cream.
      He told NS Agriculture: “I have always felt organic is the best way to ensure that – and I still believe that now.
      “We decided to cut down on a lot of our products that were not making money.
      “At one point we had over 120 products in the online supermarket Ocado because we were producing a lot in the abattoir, but it was crazy.
      “So now we’re concentrating on our buffalo mozzarella and ice cream.
      “Pret a Manger has been our biggest customer and, alongside Ocado, we’re now in Waitrose and many restaurants.”
      Scheckter pumped his own money into the farm for over 12 years but eventually realised the business had to stand on its own feet.
      Laverstoke now has around 1,000 ewes, 25 rams and is expected to have over 1,500 lambs after the spring.
      It also has around 23 native Angus cows, an Angus bull and 450 water buffaloes.
      Scheckter added: “Now we are a normal farm and it is now making a profit, because it is running as a farm instead of producing for the factories.
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      “It has taken a massive amount of money over the years. I didn’t want for it to be a failure and if I had closed it 10 years ago, that’s what it would’ve been.
      “But last year was the first year I didn’t put money in and we are making a little profit now.”
      Jody Scheckter’s farm is also the base for hit ITV show Sugar Free FarmCredit: Alamy
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