What's a footballer from Slough doing in Slovenian?
When Joshua Parker was growing up he only wanted to do one thing when he was older and that's play football. It's a dream many of us have but a simple fact of life is most of us just aren't good enough to make the grade, even at the lowest level. But you can't stop determination and that is something the attacking midfielder has in bucket loads.
We talked to him about football and life and his beginnings at QPR
'My QPR debut was more than I could have ever imagined. More so due to the atmosphere, passionate fans and sheer adrenaline rush I got. Before that I had been playing reserve football so you don't get that same feeling, not even close, nothing can compare to stepping out in front of 10,000 plus people half of whom hate you and half think you're a god due to their passion for your team.'
We then went on to talk about Neil Warnock's influence:
' Neil is a man manager, and even when he let me go he did it in a respectful manner. He said for me to get the form out of myself that I showed in pre season. I needed to be put under pressure, not be sitting at QPR watching my career and years go by as I'm young and I was under pressure to achieve. I did have the option of two years but took his advice as he knows football as good as anyone and I agreed with his views on me. He told me I have the potential to do what I want in football I just needed to be somewhere where I had to fight my way into the team with no option to go back if I didn't like it as l had done on a couple of loans. I had also planted the foundations by playing the games I did at Rangers at a young age and now it was my choice if I wanted to take my career further or become a statistic.'
We moved on to ask about his international career:
'My international call up came about from me and Mikele (Leigertwood, former QPR teammate) talking one day after training. He said he was going away on international duty with Antigua, I mentioned that my father was from there and within 2 weeks I was there. I have been back many times since. I love it there, it's one of the most beautiful islands in the world without a doubt. Hopefully I will be going back in the near future for more games.'
Football is not only about highs, it also has its low moments. Was there ever a time he thought about giving the game up?
'Yes, after leaving QPR and signing for Oldham I went on loan after falling out of favour there and at the time my girlfriend had fallen pregnant. At the end of that season I picked up an injury, but was out of contract and had no way of getting scans or tests done. I thought my injury would heal itself if I rested for a month but nothing changed. Teams had begun training for pre season and I was in no better condition. Someone finally recommended I speak to the PFA which I did. They gave me a grant to be able to get a scan, it turned out I had tendonitis and a crack in my ankle. By this time 3 months had passed and I had only just received my results. I had no income and a baby on the way; it was by far the lowest point of my career, if not my life. It then took me a further 3 months to have all the necessary procedures to heal my ankle and then get fully fit. After finally gaining fitness to an OK standard I signed at Oxford, it was such a low wage but anything was good for me and it was football. This was the one time in my life I thought about giving up, but football is all I know and all I have ever known. It was that or nothing in my eyes.
After that year of hell I said to myself, if I want it that bad I need to do something few English players do. I needed to separate myself from the nightclubs and distractions and focus on football and family, nothing but. So I told my agent I wanted to move abroad. My agent is Serbian and the previous manager was also Serbian. My agent put the deal to me and after weighing it up for 2 weeks I decided to do what I thought was best for my career in my eyes and sign for Slovenian club Domzale.
I would play for any team if it was a positive move for my family and my career. If it benefited my life as a whole I would never limit myself to England or one place or team.'
Josh (23) playing for his current club
Looking to the future, we discussed whether Josh's ambition was to return to England and play for a Premiership club:
'I've had experiences in England and my notion would be to come back to England. However personally it is not the everything to me. If I can play football to a high standard and see the world, let my son see different cultures and learn about other lifestyles, this is my priority, after all, your children are your legacy. I want him to have the best of everything, love he will always have and I by no means play football for money but if I can earn lots and give him the access to be a better person than I try to be then I will have achieved all I need in life. So Premiership/ England is nice and it's a dream I would love to achieve but the dream doesn't stop in England, there is a whole wide world to be conquered; I guess you can say and I'm taking small steps'.
There is little doubt the man from Slough just wants to play football; that he chooses to travel the world while doing so is fantastic.
We wish him all the luck in the world and hope to see him playing back in England one day soon; but at which club?
Written and edited by Paul Moore and Michelle Dovey, football fans.