“I’m originally from Barbados and moved to Brixton when I was 7 – it was a bit of a culture shock, not least of all the change in weather! I don’t really get back to see my family much as it’s quite expensive, although I’m saving up and hope to fly over next year.
“I started playing football – I’m a goalkeeper – when I started secondary school in Westminster. The pitches were amazing. After school I started working at Moss Bross and worked my way up to Assistant Manager. After that I did several other jobs in retail, at Strada, O2 and Suits You in Kingston.
“I’m a generous guy and like treating my friends to this and that and this proved to be my downfall. A lot of people become homeless after they fall into drink or drugs, but my problem was spending.
“I got evicted from my house in Kingston and things went downhill from there. I was crashing on friends couches but didn’t want to feel like a burden - I was always the person giving favours, not receiving them! I had no money, nowhere to live and the relationships with friends was getting strained, but I found out its not as simple as just popping into a hostel.
“The hostels hold interviews to get an idea of what kind of person you are, like whether you’re a drug addict, an alcoholic etc. I eventually got into a Guildford hostel but I had to share a room with a recovering alcoholic. Seeing and living with him though spurred me on – it was either join them or get out, and I had far too much ambition and pride to get involved in problems like that.
“I then moved onto the Pitstop in Leatherhead which was amazing. There was the internet so I could look for jobs. When I first became homeless, I thought I could sort myself out within two weeks, but I was was without a proper home for a year.
“It was while at Pitstop that the football team came about. The Pitstop Wanderers team already existed but hardly anyone had jumped on board with it. I decided to give it another go and got a few others interested. We see it as a great way to get fit and keep motivated.
“I hope the team look at me and see that you can turn your life around. They’re from the same background as me and I hope that I’ve demonstrated that with hard work you can make things better for yourself and get off the streets.
“The Wanderers are a great club to play for. We can compete with the top teams and while we may not win we certainly play good football. Compared to how we played a year ago - losing 5-0 and 10-0 – we now have structure and cohesion.
“Right now I work at the restaurant Strada and live in Dorking with friends. Looking ahead, I’d want to be married by the time I’m 30 and have a family, showing my children the values that you should have.
“In terms of employment in the future, I’d love to be playing football. I have a trial coming at non-league Iselworth, but I’d still continue with Pitstop – it would be nice to leave a good legacy!”