Portsmouth’s Jamal Lowe: ‘I thought, is this worth it, shall I pack it in?’

27 March 2019 10:00
Sunday’s Checkatrade Trophy final marks an impressive shift from when the forward could not get a non-league game“Sometimes you do think: ‘Bloody hell, that could still be my reality,’” says Jamal Lowe, nursing an envelope with a stash of Wembley tickets for 34 friends and family. When Portsmouth take on Sunderland in the Checkatrade Trophy final this Sunday in front of a record crowd of more than 80,000, it will be almost three years since Lowe helped Hampton & Richmond Borough thrash Brentwood Town 5-1 in the seventh tier, in front of 727 people.After being released by Barnet at 20, occasions such as this final were a pipedream. “I’m just thankful I have managed to progress my career back into the league. All of my mates still play in the Conference South. They will be telling me how they’re going to this game on a Tuesday night and they have to make their own way there, a two-hour drive after finishing work at 5pm. That is very real to them, and it was very real to me. It is a completely different world.” Related: Raheem Sterling emerges as a leader in football’s fight against racism Continue reading......read full article

Source: TheGuardian