Walsall new boy Josh Gordon wouldn’t change a thing on football journey

Gordon, who was released by Stoke City at the age of 16, had carved out a career in non-league at the likes of Newcastle Town, Nantwich Town, and finally Stafford Rangers, where his 11 goals in 2016-17 proved the catalyst for a Premier League switch.

Leicester’s academy boasted talents such as George Thomas, Hamza Choudhury, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Harvey Barnes during Gordon’s 16-month stint.

The forward briefly worked under Claudio Ranieri, who masterminded the Foxes’ fairy tale Premier League triumph, before being taken under Walsall legend Craig Shakespeare’s wing.

“I was with Ranieri on the first week when I was on trial. It was just before he got the sack, but Craig Shakespeare was instrumental to getting me the deal,” Gordon reveals.

“I was with the first team for the majority of my time there and Craig really helped me develop as a player.

“It was a massive culture shock. I’d gone from training maybe once or twice a week if everyone could train to suddenly walking into the facilities of the Premier League champions.

“We had lots of physios and people working on our mechanics everyday. Even little things like having your kit washed. It was all just so surreal.”

But Gordon had little chance to reflect on his career-altering transfer.

“I didn’t feel like I could pinch myself. I was there and I had to take it with both hands,” he insists.

“At the start, I was in that honeymoon period, so I felt like I could go everyday. Then came pre-season, but they understood they needed to manage me and help me build my way into it.

“When I signed, some people mentioned the Vardy comparison. It was big pressure already because of the fantastic career that he has had.

“But you’ve just got do your own thing, and I was able to speak with Vardy in training a few times to see where I can improve.

“I always felt like I tried to get to that next level every day and it was a real blessing to be around those first team players.”

Gordon scored six times in 31 appearances in the Premier League 2, including a pair of braces in heavy victories over Tottenham Hotspur.

It soon dawned on the forward that the time had come for him to spread his wings and pursue a career in the EFL.

That was the moment when Walsall first came knocking in the summer of 2018. “I was 22 almost turning 23. It was a very important decision for me to make,” the now 29-year-old recalls from Mat Sadler’s office seat.

“Do I wait around, hope for the best, and try to get into that team? Or do I leave and try to establish myself in the Football League?

“When I first signed for Walsall, it was the right time. They were a League One team and it was the right move for me at that stage in my career. I would never change the way I’ve done football and my non-league roots.

“Even on your bad days, you don’t want to take advantage of what you’ve got.

“You have rollercoasters in football, but to be able to do what you love doing, and from where you’ve come from, you just take it as a blessing everyday.”