Rugby gave me hope, away from life in a cell

TO achieve what I achieved, playing 234 times for my hometown club Rotherham, travelling around Europe with them, and playing against some of the best players in the world, is something I am really proud of especially as I was written off as a kid.

- SIMON BUNTING

I was once told by a teacher that I would never amount to anything but I was pleased to bump into him not so long ago and hear him admit he was wrong. It was funny seeing his Nissan Micra next to my top-of-the range Mercedes!

Growing up in a mining village (Maltby), you had to be able to look after yourself, and that’s what I did, on and off the pitch. I was expelled from school at 13 and sold flowers in the local market. Making money was always going to win over education for me back then, and happily I have gone on to have a successful business in the building trade. One of my best customers in the early days was John Bentley, when Newcastle got rid and he came to Rotherham. Mike Yarlett, the club’s money man, paid for him to have an extension to his house, and I built it!

I was one of a few lads from Maltby who went down to Rotherham in our teens and I came up through the colts before making my first team debut against Birkenhead Park in 1990. We were in North 1 back then and to be part of the journey up through the Leagues, right to the very top, was brilliant, and something I don’t think will ever be repeated.

In those days, games were self-policed. If you took a backward step people would take advantage. A big part of our success at Rotherham was that we would always stand our ground. We didn’t have the flashiest of players but our pack was one to be feared and, with having a lot of local lads in the side, we played with a lot of heart. If there was any fisticuffs, we sorted it. The biggest melee I can remember was against Harrogate in the Yorkshire Cup final. It kicked off after about 15-20 minutes and we laid them all out.