Joe: In my head I wasn’t going to be a footballer
Joe Morrell revealed how he seized his chance during a loan spell at Cheltenham in 2017.
The Pompey midfielder was a late addition to the starting line-up in his first game for the Robins, on loan from Bristol City, after a team-mate was ill – and never looked back.
He said: ‘For my first game I was named on the bench against Stevenage, only for Nigel Atangana to turn up ill, his face was yellow. So I was handed his place. I went on to start 38 league games that season.
‘It shows you it’s never smooth sailing.
I was desperate for an opportunity, I would have gone anywhere, but in my head I was never not going to be a footballer.
‘I’m five foot nothing, not quick, not strong, that’s why I wouldn’t be here now if I wasn’t that player. I have to be aggressive, I have to be horrible to play against.
‘There are plenty of amazing players I’ve played with in youth teams who have dropped out of football, while plenty of worse players than me have had better careers through a bit of luck and opportunity.
‘It’s not always binary. You’re a good player, you work hard and so you’ll be a footballer. You need luck as well.
‘I missed out on that at the start of my career and then had a massive slice which put the opportunity into my hands – then it’s down to you to take it.’
Morrell would go on to make six appearances for Bristol City, before being loaned to Danny Cowley’s Lincoln in 2019-20, and then sold to Championship club Luton in October
2020. To date he has amassed 37 caps for Wales.
Since August 2021, the 27-year-old has been at Fratton Park.
Morrell added: ‘I’ve played 100 times for Pompey and I want many, many more at this club.
‘I would imagine they’ll take my (contract) option up in the summer, seeing me contracted for 2024-25.
‘That would be fantastic. I will never take for granted that I’m playing at a club I love playing for, at a good level and getting paid well.
‘It’s a job which is so competitive that it’s easy for good players to drop out. Thankfully, I had an opportunity and took it.’