I Had Trials Once...

ay Rodriguez joins Gaz Seddon and Gary Stopforth to reflect on a career that took him from playing for Burnley as a nine-year-old to the Premier League, England and some of the biggest moments in English football. Jay discusses his time at Burnley, learning from Robbie Blake and Ade Akinbiyi, his move to Southampton, making his Premier League debut against Manchester City, scoring his first Premier League goal against Tottenham and representing England. He also opens up about the injuries that shaped his career, including a cruciate ligament injury and a serious infection that nearly cost him his leg. In an exclusive, Jay confirms his retirement from professional football. He also looks back on his time at Wrexham, working with Vincent Kompany and the people who influenced his career. Chapters 0:00 Intro 2:50 Introducing Jay Rodriguez 6:04 How Jay Rodriguez Knows Gary Stopforth 8:10 Jay Rodriguez Confirms He's Officially Retired 12:20 Meeting Ryan Reynolds and Jazzy Jeff at Wrexham 15:35 Football Is Ruthless: Phil Parkinson Under Pressure at Wrexham 20:00 Playing for Burnley as a Nine-Year-Old 27:04 Learning From Robbie Blake and Ade Akinbiyi 32:35 Joining Stirling Albion on Loan and Facing Celtic 36:40 Breaking His Ankle at 19 41:00 Advice for Young Footballers Dealing With Managers 46:10 Joining Southampton From Burnley 48:36 Making His Premier League Debut Against Manchester City 51:00 First Premier League Goal Against Tottenham 55:46 Making His England Debut Against Chile 1:02:20 Cruciate Ligament Injury and Missing the World Cup 1:05:33 Recovering From a Cruciate Ligament Injury and Infection 1:09:00 Moving to West Bromwich Albion 1:13:20 Returning to Burnley 1:17:20 Winning Promotion to the Premier League With Vincent Kompany 1:22:10 Finishing His Career at Wrexham 1:22:24 Quickfire Questions 1:35:46 Outro 👋 Got someone you'd love to see on the podcast? Drop us a message on any of our socials or let us know in the comments. 👌 If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you Like, Comment & Subscribe, and turn notifications on so you never miss a new episode. 👀 Join I Had Trials Once on Patreon for just £3 a month for more exclusive, unfiltered content that we simply cannot get away with on YouTube 👉 https://www.patreon.com/IHadTrialsOnce 🤔 Who should we get on next? Let us know in the comments! 😍 Connect with us: 🐦 X (Twitter): https://x.com/ihadtrialsonce 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ihadtrialsonce ⏳ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ihadtrialsonce 🖥️ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ihadtrialsoncepodcast ⚽ I Had Trials Once is the football podcast where the best stories from the game get told. Every week we sit down with former footballers, current players, managers, coaches, journalists and some of football's biggest personalities for honest conversations, hilarious dressing room stories, untold career moments and behind the scenes insight. 📈 From the Premier League and EFL to Non League, grassroots football and beyond, if you love football stories, football interviews and proper football banter, you're in the right place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gaz Seddon and Gary Stopforth are joined by Matty Mainwaring, the former professional footballer who went on to become a professional boxer, model and actor. Matty looks back on his journey from Manchester United’s academy and Preston North End to Stockport County, a devastating broken leg and his eventual decision to walk away from football at 25. He also discusses modelling campaigns with Manuel Neuer, landing a role in Emmerdale, turning professional under boxing trainer Matthew Hatton, the injuries and setbacks that affected his fighting career, and his work as a physiotherapist. If you are affected by any of the topics discussed in this show, please reach out 24/7 - 0808 500 2222 0:00 Intro 1:44 Gary’s Dragon’s Den idea 5:12 Meet Matty Mainwaring 6:35 Life as a physiotherapist 12:28 Modelling & Emmerdale 21:03 Manchester United academy 23:09 Preston North End 31:31 Stockport County 46:10 The broken leg 52:36 Hull City & Stockport 1:00:12 Retiring from football 1:03:05 Turning to boxing 1:08:05 Becoming a professional boxer 1:10:07 Boxing injuries & setbacks 1:16:01 Walking away from boxing 1:20:11 Football & boxing memories 1:23:18 Outro 👋 Got someone you'd love to see on the podcast? Drop us a message on any of our socials or let us know in the comments. 👌 If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you Like, Comment & Subscribe, and turn notifications on so you never miss a new episode. 👀 Join I Had Trials Once on Patreon for just £3 a month for more exclusive, unfiltered content that we simply cannot get away with on YouTube 👉 https://www.patreon.com/IHadTrialsOnce 👏 A massive thanks to CAPO for sponsoring this week's episode. 👔 Check them out: https://capouk.com/ 🤑 Use code IHADTRIALS at checkout to save 15%. 🤔 Who should we get on next? Let us know in the comments! 😍 Connect with us: 🐦 X (Twitter): https://x.com/ihadtrialsonce 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ihadtrialsonce ⏳ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ihadtrialsonce 🖥️ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ihadtrialsoncepodcast ⚽ I Had Trials Once is the football podcast where the best stories from the game get told. Every week we sit down with former footballers, current players, managers, coaches, journalists and some of football's biggest personalities for honest conversations, hilarious dressing room stories, untold career moments and behind the scenes insight. 📈 From the Premier League and EFL to Non League, grassroots football and beyond, if you love football stories, football interviews and proper football banter, you're in the right place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're back with another exclusive episode of A (Non) League Of Their Own! Join us every month where we discuss the best Non-League stories from up & down the country, from The National League to The Dog & Duck & everything in between. This week we were joined by Seds, G Stop and Shents as we discussed everything from ranking perfect goals to answering hypothetical questions. 👋 Got someone you'd love to see on the podcast? Drop us a message on any of our socials or let us know in the comments. 👌 If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you Like, Comment & Subscribe, and turn notifications on so you never miss a new episode. 👀 Join I Had Trials Once on Patreon for just £3 a month for more exclusive, unfiltered content that we simply cannot get away with on YouTube 👉 https://www.patreon.com/IHadTrialsOnce 👏 A massive thanks to CAPO for sponsoring this week's episode. 👔 Check them out: https://capouk.com/ 🤑 Use code IHADTRIALS at checkout to save 15%. 🤔 Who should we get on next? Let us know in the comments! 😍 Connect with us: 🐦 X (Twitter): https://x.com/ihadtrialsonce 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ihadtrialsonce ⏳ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ihadtrialsonce 🖥️ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ihadtrialsoncepodcast ⚽ I Had Trials Once is the football podcast where the best stories from the game get told. Every week we sit down with former footballers, current players, managers, coaches, journalists and some of football's biggest personalities for honest conversations, hilarious dressing room stories, untold career moments and behind the scenes insight. 📈 From the Premier League and EFL to Non League, grassroots football and beyond, if you love football stories, football interviews and proper football banter, you're in the right place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former Liverpool goalkeeper Daniel Atherton joins us to tell some unbelievable stories from his time at the club, including Steven Gerrard’s brutally competitive side, Jordan Henderson making him look ridiculous in training, and the bizarre Palmer Violets incident that left him fearing his Liverpool career was over. Daniel lifts the lid on what it was really like training alongside some of the biggest names in football, from Gerrard to Henderson, and opens up about the highs and lows of a career that took him from Liverpool to non-league football. But behind the funny stories, there’s a much more personal conversation. Daniel speaks honestly about battling anxiety, depression and ADHD, reaching some of the darkest points of his life, and how opening up and getting professional help helped him begin to understand his own mind. It’s a brilliant, honest conversation about life inside a Premier League academy, the reality of a football career, and the importance of talking when things get tough. 0:00 Intro 1:47 Liverpool Academy 4:45 Rejected by Liverpool 16:48 Nearly Released 17:46 Steven Gerrard at Liverpool 19:37 Gerrard’s Dark Side 20:58 Career Ending Video 26:46 Pep Lijnders & Liverpool Training 27:40 Jordan Henderson Humiliation 29:12 Imposter Syndrome 31:00 Training With Liverpool’s First Team 34:00 Klopp Plays Him Up Front 36:00 Nearly Scoring for Liverpool 39:27 Leaving Liverpool 40:20 Málaga & Spanish Football 44:00 Football Trials 47:00 Improving as a Goalkeeper 51:00 The New Saints & Champions League 55:00 The Champions League Dream 1:00:00 Losing His Love for Football 1:04:00 Warrington Town & FC United 1:06:50 Anxiety, Depression & ADHD 1:08:22 Drinking to Silence His Mind 1:11:37 His Darkest Moments 1:13:49 Feeling Alone 1:18:29 How Therapy Helped 1:19:07 The Fire Pit Therapy Exercise 1:20:16 Talking About Mental Health 1:22:40 The Don’t Want to Talk Podcast 1:24:35 Outro 👋 Got someone you'd love to see on the podcast? Drop us a message on any of our socials or let us know in the comments. 👌 If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you Like, Comment & Subscribe, and turn notifications on so you never miss a new episode. 👀 Join I Had Trials Once on Patreon for just £3 a month for more exclusive, unfiltered content that we simply cannot get away with on YouTube 👉   / ihadtrialsonce   👏 A massive thanks to CAPO for sponsoring this week's episode. 👔 Check them out: https://capouk.com/ 🤑 Use code IHADTRIALS at checkout to save 15%. 🤔 Who should we get on next? Let us know in the comments! 😍 Connect with us: 🐦 X (Twitter): https://x.com/ihadtrialsonce 📸 Instagram:   / ihadtrialsonce   ⏳ TikTok:   / ihadtrialsonce   🖥️ Facebook:   / ihadtrialsoncepodcast   ⚽ I Had Trials Once is the football podcast where the best stories from the game get told. Every week we sit down with former footballers, current players, managers, coaches, journalists and some of football's biggest personalities for honest conversations, hilarious dressing room stories, untold career moments and behind the scenes insight. 📈 From the Premier League and EFL to Non League, grassroots football and beyond, if you love football stories, football interviews and proper football banter, you're in the right place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode of IHTO was filmed last year as a Patreon exclusive, but we thought with Lewis taking over at Avro, it would be the right time to release it for free! Lewis sits down with the boys to discuss all things football from starting out at Blackburn to retiring early at 22 because of a heart condition. The lads start the pod talking about Lewis' time at Blackburn Rovers in the academy with Willem Tomlinson, John Buckley & Lewis Travis. Lewis then talks about dropping into non-league on loan where he played with Gaz & Jordan at Salford and why playing men's football at a young age is so crucial. Lewis chats about his bad decision to join Port Vale on loan where he had issues with manager Neil Aspin, struggling to cope mentally with not being the team and why the move set his career back. The trio then discuss Lewis' move to Barrow, working with Ian Evatt and David Dunn as well as early heart issues starting to affect his career. Lewis openly talks about how heart issues forced him to retire early at 22 years old, how he struggled to deal with his health issues and what life looks like after he hung up his boots. Finally they discuss Lewis journey into coaching and his aims of becoming a first team manager in the near future. 🔗 Join our Patreon below for as little as £3 a month and get access to all of the best unfiltered and unedited stories that normally have to be cut! 👇   / membership   🎧 You can listen to the full episode wherever you normally get your podcasts via the link below! https://podfollow.com/i-had-trials-once 📳 Make sure you Like, Comment & Subscribe & turn on notifications so it lets you know when a new episode drops. Let us know in the comments who you want to see on a future episode of the Podcast! 👇 📲 Follow us on social! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Twitter:   / ihadtrialsonce   Instagram:   / ihadtrialsonce   TikTok:   / ihadtrialsonce   ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 0:00 Intro with Lewis Hardcastle 14:25 Moving into coaching. 18:00 Early life at Blackburn Rovers. 24:08 Dropping into non-league. 35:30 Port Vale loan move. 46:25 Fresh start at Barrow. 52:06 Retiring at 22 with a heart issue. 1:01:15 Becoming a coach. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Grant Shenton joins Gaz Seddon, Gary Stopforth and the NLOTO lads to reveal the inside story behind his move from Avro into the Radcliffe manager’s seat, including how the opportunity came about, what he’s been asked to do and whether Jordan Hulme will remain captain. There’s plenty more chaos too, including the Gateshead “bomb squad” and players being removed from the WhatsApp group, the bizarre Ben Mayhew and anonymous Twitter account (undercover chairman?) row at Bury Town, and Kerry Katona’s alleged video doing the rounds in non-league group chats. The lads also debate whether clubs should prioritise an FA Cup run or chasing promotion, before getting stuck into some classic non-league stories, social media aliases, ringers and a few football games to finish. Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:51 Grant Shenton: The Inside Story of Radcliffe Move 7:06 Grant’s Expectations At Radcliffe 8:45 Will Jordan Hulme Stay Captain? 10:38 Grant’s First Game In Charge 14:23 Kerry Katona Alleged Video & The Non-League WhatsApp Groups 15:26 Gateshead’s Bomb Squad & WhatsApp Chaos 21:47 Gateshead’s Finances & Club Structure 22:44 The Undercover Chairman & Ben Mayhew Row 26:40 Fake Accounts & Non-League Twitter 30:06 Parents, Aliases & Social Media 31:32 Social Media Clips & Player Hype 34:33 The Ringer Story 38:18 The Fan Who Scored 40:32 FA Cup Earnings & Jordan Hulme’s Form 44:46 FA Cup Money, TV & Gate Receipts 46:38 FA Cup Run Or Promotion? 48:36 Blind Ranking Footballers 52:05 Name That Player 52:24 The Footballer Link Game 54:16 Outro 👋 Got someone you'd love to see on the podcast? Drop us a message on any of our socials or let us know in the comments. 👌 If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you Like, Comment & Subscribe, and turn notifications on so you never miss a new episode. 👀 Join I Had Trials Once on Patreon for just £3 a month for more exclusive, unfiltered content that we simply cannot get away with on YouTube 👉 https://www.patreon.com/IHadTrialsOnce 👏 A massive thanks to CAPO for sponsoring this week's episode. 👔 Check them out: https://capouk.com/ 🤑 Use code IHADTRIALS at checkout to save 15%. 🤔 Who should we get on next? Let us know in the comments! 😍 Connect with us: 🐦 X (Twitter): https://x.com/ihadtrialsonce 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ihadtrialsonce ⏳ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ihadtrialsonce 🖥️ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ihadtrialsoncepodcast ⚽ I Had Trials Once is the football podcast where the best stories from the game get told. Every week we sit down with former footballers, current players, managers, coaches, journalists and some of football's biggest personalities for honest conversations, hilarious dressing room stories, untold career moments and behind the scenes insight. 📈 From the Premier League and EFL to Non League, grassroots football and beyond, if you love football stories, football interviews and proper football banter, you're in the right place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Danny Meadowcroft joins I Had Trials Once to tell some incredible stories from a career that took him from Stockport County into the professional game & deep into the chaos of Non-League football. Danny discusses playing at Stockport alongside future stars including Ashley Williams & Rickie Lambert, working under Carlton Palmer, his remarkable 40-yard goal, a wild tour of China, becoming captain at just 19 & making the jump into full-time football with Morecambe. He also opens up on the reality of Non-League contracts, including contracts being left in the “top drawer”, discovering he wasn't actually under contract after an injury & the chairman who the hosts describe as a bit of a gangster. There are stories about Steve Morison, Jamie Vardy, Christmas bookings, dressing-room drinking games, Chester, Colwyn Bay & Danny's experiences in management. Then comes the unbelievable finale: Danny takes over at Barnton, wins the League Cup, wins the play-offs... and gets sacked. 0:00 Intro 6:36 Danny Meadowcroft 7:55 Stockport County & Carlton Palmer 12:19 Ashley Williams & Rickie Lambert 17:16 Danny Shittu: “The Beast” 20:20 Danny’s 40-Yard Goal 24:00 Mossley Captain at 19 25:07 Non-League Dressing Room Chaos 31:39 Morecambe Move & Failed Medical 38:39 Bradford Park Avenue Contract Drama 44:50 Steve Morison Battle 46:16 Jamie Vardy in Non-League 58:35 Shoulder Injury & No Contract 1:00:35 Non-League Drinking Challenges 1:07:18 10/1 Bet & Pitch Invasion 1:14:11 Colwyn Bay & Welsh Football 1:31:47 Management: Won the Cup & Got Sacked 1:34:30 Outro 👋 Got someone you'd love to see on the podcast? Drop us a message on any of our socials or let us know in the comments. 👌 If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you Like, Comment & Subscribe, and turn notifications on so you never miss a new episode. 👀 Join I Had Trials Once on Patreon for just £3 a month for more exclusive, unfiltered content that we simply cannot get away with on YouTube 👉 https://www.patreon.com/IHadTrialsOnce 👏 A massive thanks to CAPO for sponsoring this week's episode. 👔 Check them out: https://capouk.com/ 🤑 Use code IHADTRIALS at checkout to save 15%. 🤔 Who should we get on next? Let us know in the comments! 😍 Connect with us: 🐦 X (Twitter): https://x.com/ihadtrialsonce 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ihadtrialsonce ⏳ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ihadtrialsonce 🖥️ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ihadtrialsoncepodcast ⚽ I Had Trials Once is the football podcast where the best stories from the game get told. Every week we sit down with former footballers, current players, managers, coaches, journalists and some of football's biggest personalities for honest conversations, hilarious dressing room stories, untold career moments and behind the scenes insight. 📈 From the Premier League and EFL to Non League, grassroots football and beyond, if you love football stories, football interviews and proper football banter, you're in the right place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gareth Seddon is joined by Grant Shenton and Daniel Atherton for another episode of I Had Trials Once. The lads discuss Chester FC, Cole Palmer withdrawing from England duty due to load management, Peterborough’s manager sacking and those bizarre text messages, Kristi Montgomery’s Scotland call-up, football bonuses, plus some questionable Spice Girls stories. Daniel Atherton also joins the conversation after starting his career with Liverpool, playing for FC United and now training with Harrogate Town. 👋 Got someone you'd love to see on the podcast? Drop us a message on any of our socials or let us know in the comments. 👌 If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you Like, Comment & Subscribe, and turn notifications on so you never miss a new episode. 👀 Join I Had Trials Once on Patreon for just £3 a month for more exclusive, unfiltered content that we simply cannot get away with on YouTube 👉   / ihadtrialsonce   👏 A massive thanks to CAPO for sponsoring this week's episode. 👔 Check them out: https://capouk.com/ 🤑 Use code IHADTRIALS at checkout to save 15%. 🤔 Who should we get on next? Let us know in the comments! 😍 Connect with us: 🐦 X (Twitter): https://x.com/ihadtrialsonce 📸 Instagram:   / ihadtrialsonce   ⏳ TikTok:   / ihadtrialsonce   🖥️ Facebook:   / ihadtrialsoncepodcast   ⚽ I Had Trials Once is the football podcast where the best stories from the game get told. Every week we sit down with former footballers, current players, managers, coaches, journalists and some of football's biggest personalities for honest conversations, hilarious dressing room stories, untold career moments and behind the scenes insight. 📈 From the Premier League and EFL to Non League, grassroots football and beyond, if you love football stories, football interviews and proper football banter, you're in the right place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jack Mackreth joins I Had Trials Once to look back on a football career full of unbelievable stories, from non league football and unpaid wages to Wembley heartache with Grimsby Town. Jack reveals what it was like being paid just £150 a week in non league, before explaining how he and his teammates went without being paid and threatened to boycott an FA Cup tie because of it. He also reflects on his time at Grimsby Town, including the experience of playing at Wembley in front of 56,000 people and the disappointment of losing on penalties, despite their confidence of winning the showpiece tie. Jack also tells the tale of being wrongly arrested and taken into police custody after a night out with the Grimsby squad, alongside plenty of brilliant dressing room stories from throughout his career. There's plenty more too, including the story involving Jermain Pennant and a Champions League medal, his experiences at Macclesfield and Tranmere, the injury that eventually ended his playing career, moving into accountancy and finance, helping former footballers with their finances and the phone call from Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish. A proper football career full of brilliant stories, unforgettable moments and plenty of lessons from life after the game. _ 👋 Got someone you'd love to see on the podcast? Drop us a message on any of our socials or let us know in the comments. 👌 If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you Like, Comment & Subscribe, and turn notifications on so you never miss a new episode. 👀 Join I Had Trials Once on Patreon for just £3 a month for more exclusive, unfiltered content that we simply cannot get away with on YouTube 👉 https://www.patreon.com/IHadTrialsOnce 👏 A massive thanks to CAPO for sponsoring this week's episode. 👔 Check them out: https://capouk.com/ 🤑 Use code IHADTRIALS at checkout to save 15%. 🤔 Who should we get on next? Let us know in the comments! 😍 Connect with us: 🐦 X (Twitter): https://x.com/ihadtrialsonce 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ihadtrialsonce ⏳ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ihadtrialsonce 🖥️ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ihadtrialsoncepodcast ⚽ I Had Trials Once is the football podcast where the best stories from the game get told. Every week we sit down with former footballers, current players, managers, coaches, journalists and some of football's biggest personalities for honest conversations, hilarious dressing room stories, untold career moments and behind the scenes insight. 📈 From the Premier League and EFL to Non League, grassroots football and beyond, if you love football stories, football interviews and proper football banter, you're in the right place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Gaz Seddon is joined by Gary Stopforth and Avro FC manager Grant Shenton for another trip through non-league football.On the menu we’ve got poisoned Lasagne, a £10K non-league wages debate, talking XG on a night out, football nicknames, blind ranking managers and a pitch-invading alpaca (yes, you did read that right!) plus Avro FC’s fascinating history in our AVRO FC In Focus quiz.Another absolute shambles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices