The Sussex County FA recently published an interview in its Sussex Born & Bred series with Alex Cochrane, former Colt and Brighton and Hove Albion player.
Alex started playing for Chailey and Newick Colts as a Little Kicker at the age of six years old, joining his older brothers Ben and James at the club.
Alex told the Sussex FA: “It was great fun playing there at that age. I used to love going down there and playing with my mates.
“Despite being the age I was, at the time, Adrian (his Chailey and Newick Colts manager) was quick to try and get me to use my weaker foot more, because I could hit the ball really hard, but Adrian wasn’t having that, and was always on me to practise, which is a memory that certainly still sticks out!”
Alex now plays for Scottish side Hearts but reflecting on his time with the Colts, he feels that it had a big impact on him getting into football professionally.
He said in the Sussex FA interview: “Looking back though, my time with the Colts really did have a big impact on me growing up and getting into football, because Adrian was just great with me and all the lads there.”
It wasn’t long though before Alex was attracting the eye of other clubs in the area, most notably Brighton & Hove Albion.
“Every Thursday I remember we’d go along to a little tournament that was held in Brighton, and because I just wanted to play as much football as possible, I didn’t think anything of it at the time,” he said.
“Anyway, it turned out that Barry Cooper, one of the youth coaches from Brighton was there, and he was looking to start an Under-8s team, and he spoke to my parents about bringing me down for a trial.
“So, we went down, and I trained there, and next thing I knew I was starting in a game against Gillingham, and I used to be a striker at that point, so I just wanted to score as many goals as I could. So, when he put me at left-back I remember not being too happy about it.
“Then next up, we had a game against Millwall, and my dad had warned me they’d be a tough team, and sure enough after I played my first pass, I got stamped on. But, I must have played well, because after the game Brighton wanted to sign me.
“I was a bit oblivious to everything at the time, so my parents just had to sit me down and tell me that I wasn’t going to be playing for Chailey and Newick Colts anymore, I was going to be playing for Brighton.”
And so it began. Alex’s football career had started and he wasn’t even eight years old yet!
In the years that followed Alex has played for Brighton and Hove Albion, amongst other clubs and even got an England call up. He has had ups and downs with injury but has always stayed positive.
When asked what his advice would be for the next generation of grassroots players in Sussex looking to follow in his footsteps, Alex responded:
“The number one mantra I always come back to is that hard work always beats talent.
“If you’re always giving 100%, with whatever it is you’re doing, whether you’re having a good or bad day, if you keep up the work, you’re on the right path.”
Read the article on the Sussex County FA website to find out more about the path Alex’s career has taken to date.
Comments