TRAVAILS & TRAVELS

It's not always been easy for Archie but he's glad football journey brought him to Dundalk

- PAUL O'HEHIR

ARCHIE DAVIES needed directions as he mapped out his route to Europe but feels emboldened for the journey. 

He is proud of the resilience he has shown as he prepares for his second taste of European football in a week.

The Englishman, 24, is a product of Brighton’s academy and took his first steps in the pro game with Albion.

There he played alongside current internationals like England’s Ben White as well as Ireland duo Jayson Molumby and Aaron Connolly.

Other team-mates dropped out of the game completely so, when Davies was released three years ago, he feared what would happen next before joining League Two Crawley Town.

He had his ups and downs but Davies played regularly for two years before moving to non-league Aldershot and then Dundalk this year.