Non-League and Academy football writer

Damian Scannell would work his way up the footballing pyramid from non-League, where he played for the likes of Greenwich Borough and Fisher Athletic, before later playing in the Football League, where he played for the likes of Southend United and Dagenham & Redbridge. A very creative and skilful forward, Damian would later return to non-League football, playing for clubs such as Sutton United and Dulwich Hamlet, before finishing his career with Tonbridge Angels. I recently had the great pleasure of speaking to Damian, as he looked back on some of his memories of his career in non-League football.

What are some of your earliest footballing memories?

Damian: I was probably what you would consider a late starter. When I first started playing football, I played for a club called Eversley Rangers, with my older brother, Thomas Scannell. They were a grassroots team who played in Beckenham, and I can just remember being a sub there. So those are my earliest footballing memories.

As a youngster were there any footballers that you looked up to, or tried to model your game on?

Damian: When I first started playing football, I didn’t really start watching football. My next door neighbour Gary, he introduced us to Premier League sticker books, and I’ll never forget that I watched a game on the TV, and Eric Cantona scored a volley against Liverpool in the FA Cup final. I idolised him from then, and I started turning my collar up for about three or four years, and that was how I became a Manchester United fan. But from an early age I idolised Ronaldo, because of how good he was, and I kind of modelled my game on his for quite a while.

What are some your earliest memories of playing non-League football? And also, how did you get into playing non-League football?

Damian: This is a bit of a story. So my progression from grassroots football went from one team to another. I did go for district trials, but I was a bit of a chaotic youngster then, and then that chaos eventually got me involved in a court case with my older brother, which we were found not guilty. At that stage I was playing for a team called Downham Tavern, which was a pub team. I must have been about 17/18 at the time, and what actually happened was that I scored two goals against Maidstone United, in what was an agreed game between the manager and the mate of Downham Tavern. Someone was watching that game, who turned out to be the owner of Greenwich Borough. When he spoke to me I said that I didn’t think I was worth his time, because I was in a bit of trouble. In the end though, he helped me out with the court case, and we went on to become good friends. And that guy went on to take me under his wing for the next three/four years, and I played for Greenwich Borough for £50 a week for a season/season and a half. The owner of that club then moved to Fisher Athletic, but bearing in mind I was really a sub at that stage, and more of a 15/20 minute player, who was good to come off the bench in games.

When I signed for Fisher Athletic on a three year deal, I really found my feet. I started taking football a little bit more seriously, and I started earning a little bit more money. So going from Greenwich Borough to Fisher Athletic would be my earliest memories of non-League football, and that would have been at Ryman Premier level.

Did you have any great footballing influences in your non-League career, such as coaches for example?

Damian: Yes, there was a guy called Wayne Burnett, who is the Under 21’s manager at Spurs. During the early stages he was definitely like a father figure to me, and he obviously knew about my family life, and he was very compassionate and he cared a lot. I also had Justin Edinburgh, god rest his soul, as a manager. And he was just a fantastic guy. So I’ve been blessed to have had quite a few people looking out for me at the time, but Wayne Burnett was the standout.

What was the highlight of your footballing career?

Damian: I would say that my move into league football was possibly the highlight, when you look at where I came from. And to be honest I didn’t really set out to achieve that goal of playing league football, but to play as a professional footballer was fantastic, and to see my name in the papers was amazing. Also, to play at some of the grounds, like Elland Road and St Mary’s, those things were just fantastic. I reckon that it was so overwhelming to the point where I felt that it was like I’d reached my ceiling, and that it was a real event for me

Could you talk me through some of your standout memories of your non-League footballing career?

Damian: My standout memories would include winning the Ryman Premier League, with Fisher, which was good. Also, when I was at Eastleigh, we traveled away to Forest Green, which was a real occasion in itself as they were a big club in non-League at that point. I think that the whole thing of being with Fisher Athletic was a really good memory, because a lot of noise was being made about us as a team at that point. So all of those things are really fond memories of mine.

In your opinion who is the best player that you have ever shared a pitch with in football?

Damian: Whenever I’m asked this question I feel as though I’ve changed my answer a number of times, based on how I feel at that moment. But, I think that if you were talking about a pound for pound player, then I would probably go with a guy called Nick Bailey. He wasn’t the best player in terms of quality, but he was like a Steven Gerrard-esque player, who was a no-nonsense player who would cover the ground, and who could strike a ball really well. So he was someone who I was in admiration of in terms of his weekly performances. I’ve played with a number of players with a lot of ability, like Dean McDonald, who was a fantastic player, but pound for pound I would say Nick Bailey.

Did you ever have any ambitions of playing International football?

Damian: To be honest I never thought at any stage that I’d be good enough, to play for say Ireland for example. Looking back, if I had been smart, then maybe I could have looked at playing for Jamaica, as at the time they weren’t as good as they are now on the international scene. So maybe I could have got a cap for them at the time, but it’s not something that I ever really thought about. Ireland had players like Damien Duff at the time!

What was the favourite goal that you scored, during your footballing career?

Damian: My favourite goal, not my best goal, was my first league goal. It was against Carlisle at home, and the ball had bounced over a player after being misjudged by a defender, and I ran through and chested the ball down and went to shoot the ball, but I did a Scannell-esque drag-back over the defender’s foot. And I then struck the ball sweetly with my right foot, on the half volley into the goal.

From when you started your footballing career in non-League to when you returned to non-League football towards the end of your career, did you notice much of a difference to non-League, for example the quality of the football?

Damian: Definitely! non-League has come on leaps and bounds. When I was at Fisher, we were one of only a couple of teams who actually played football, but when I came back into non-League football, there were a lot more teams that were spending money and trying to compete, in what people would consider being the right way. I actually came back into non-League football last year, in a coaching role with Dulwich Hamlet, for a short time. And non-League has come on in so many ways, from the quality to the dynamics, and also the professionalism as well. 

Is coaching something that you would consider returning to again in the future?

Damian: No. I say it lightly, but I find too much joy in what I do now in my work, and it’s a similar amount of fulfilment with working with people. I love football, but I think that the best that people are going to get out of me is the odd charity football game  or five-a-side game.

Do you still follow non-League since retiring from playing the game?

Damian: Obviously my brother Sean is at Hornchurch, so I follow them. But I do follow a couple of teams in non-League, and I am a fan of grassroots football as well which has become a big thing now. But, I definitely follow non-League as much as I follow the professional game, if I’m being honest with you.

What would you say was the biggest challenge of your footballing career?

Damian: It was probably the shift in seriousness from non-League to league football. Whereas I didn’t come from academy football, when I went into league football I was surprised by how much that the players took on, and also how independent they were. So I feel that the fun got taken out of the game a little bit, and I do think that I struggled to find my space in that space.

What would you say was your favourite moment/time in non-League football?

Damian: My favourite time in non-League football was my time at Fisher. In terms of clubs I’ve only really had good experiences, apart from one club which was Bromley, and my time there was short lived. I’ve had some fantastic times and clubs in non-League, such as at my last club Tonbridge Angels, and also Dulwich Hamlet was good. 

What would your advice be to youngsters who are starting out in non-League football, and who are looking to make it higher up the leagues, and into the Football League?

Damian: So the way in which I went about it was probably not the best way. I worked hard, which is compulsory, but I think that there’s a lot more strategic ways that you can do it in football. Such as presenting yourself in football, such as on social media and also getting a gym and nutrition routine, because as good as you are and there are some fantastic footballers that I’ve seen, where the timing just didn’t come together for them. So I think that you’ve just got to tick all of the right boxes, and then you put yourself in the right kind of stead.

Finally, your brother Sean, who is now playing for Hornchurch, has had a great career in the professional game and like yourself he has achieved some great things in football. Would you like to say some words on Sean’s career in the game?

Damian: My brother has achieved things that most youngsters would dream of. So to watch him and see him for Huddersfield for example, at Wembley in a play-off final was a wonderful thing. So it’s been fantastic to be a part of his journey, and to see his growth in football.