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6 short stories – Baggie raised by a Blue & going from warehouse work to Walsall

Admin 4 hours ago

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With 18 EFL matches live on Sky Sports+ on Tuesday evenings, we look at some stories featuring six players from the Championship, League One and League Two.

The Man Utd fan from his childhood who now plays for one of his heroes

Bali Mumba grew up a Manchester United fan, so playing under Wayne Rooney at Plymouth Argyle must seem a little surreal at times.

“Obviously the first few days and the first few weeks he was here, everyone was the same,” the 23-year-old full-back said.

“The name speaks for itself, and sometimes you just think, 'Oh my God, he's there!'

“But as we got to know him, he became like a partner that we can go to and help us progress in our careers.

'You have to see him as the gaffer now. He is also a friend who is there to help you get where you need to be.”

The old-fashioned number 9 that struck a rare thunderbolt

Michael Smith doesn't often have the ball at his feet and the chance to shoot from 25 yards.

Perhaps he should do that more often, as his lightning strike for Sheffield Wednesday at Portsmouth won him Sky Bet Championship Goal of the Month.

The 33-year-old striker is usually a predator in the penalty area and target. Not surprisingly, he says it was by far the best of his career.

“Without a doubt!” he says. “Aesthetically, I haven't scored that much, even in training. I'm usually in and around the six-yard area.”

But what caused it?

“I guess I was too tired to accept a touch!” he jokes. “If I hadn't been, I probably would have let Baz go [Barry Bannan] have the ball, because he is better than me outside the box. But I managed to get a good connection with it.

'I'd be lying if I said it wasn't [watched it back a few times]. The following days I received perspectives from various people. It was fun to look back.”

Greenwood: I learned from my red card

It was a bad tackle. Sam Greenwood recognizes that. A late lunge and he was dismissed in Preston's game against fierce rivals Blackburn.

The important thing, at 22, is that he took it as a lesson. And it's a mistake he won't repeat.

“I was just hungry for the ball, and it's in me to go get it,” he says. “I was a bit late and it was a bit of a washout.

“But it's over now, and that's actually a good thing. Because I now know that in such situations I have to take my time.

“It's been a big learning curve for me. And since I've been back, I've hit the ground running. I have to keep my form now.”

He is not wrong in that. Since returning from suspension, he has scored four times in seven games for Preston.

Fellows: The Baggies boy raised by a Blue

Tom Fellows is a hero at The Hawthorns, but he grew up with a father who occasionally took him to St Andrew's… but only under specific circumstances!

“We went every now and then, but only if we got a few freebies,” the West Brom winger says with a laugh. “So it won't happen very often.”

However, it was his father who taught him the magic of the championship.

“He has followed Birmingham a lot and he always says the Championship is the best league in the world because it is so unpredictable,” Fellows added.

“You can pick six teams and often at the end of the season there are as many as four or five teams that aren't even in the top six. It's brutal and everyone is so competitive. It's fun to be part of it .”

Despite the fun, Fellows laughs as he says he still wants to get out.

“I know it's the best league in the world, but we want to get out and into the Premier League!”

Apter: I still look to Grealish & Coutinho to help my game

Blackpool winger Rob Apter says he watches clips of Premier League stars in his spare time as he looks for an edge in his development as a player.

The 21-year-old, who joined the Tangerines in 2020, has become a regular under Steve Bruce after spending the past three seasons on loan at Bamber Bridge, Chester, Scunthorpe and Tranmere.

He has one goal and three assists in 17 appearances in all competitions so far this season.

“You look at the players in the Premier League and the Champions League, the top players when you are young,” he says.

“As a kid there was always Messi, but he's just stupid, isn't he?! I would probably try to play the way Jack Grealish plays and the way he dribbles the ball, or – because I'm Liverpudlian.” fan – how Philippe Coutinho used to play.

“I used to watch him when he was at Liverpool and go out and practice little skills that players like him did.

“Sometimes I just go to YouTube and see what other players can do and what I can bring to my game. I think it's helpful because when I see their jokes and turns, when I'm one on one with my husband, it helps me because it comes to my brain automatically.

“As a young player coming through, you want to play at the highest level possible. I have confidence in myself to play at the highest level and that's what I'm trying to do at the moment.” By Dan Long

From warehouse work to Walsall

When Jamie Jellis retired from football in 2020, things really could have gone either way, especially in the middle of the pandemic.

But he nodded and got to work – literally and figuratively. He switched to the part-time game and fought his way back.

“It was difficult to give up football at the age of 19 or 20,” he admits. “It was also during Covid, so everyone was scrambling around.

“For me it was about putting my head down and finding a job, and doing the side of life that I hadn't experienced before. I had to stay mentally strong and just believe that I could have that opportunity to be the pyramid again.”

He has certainly done that since joining Walsall from non-league Tamworth at the start of this year. An injury initially held him back, but this season he has been brilliant for a side flying high in the promotion race.

He never takes it for granted, and he has his uncle to thank for that.

“I had so many jobs,” he continues. “I started in warehouses and then went into bricklaying with one of my brother's friends, which was so difficult to combine with training.

“Then I went to work for my uncle in his air compressor business. He helped a lot because he allowed me to be flexible with my hours so I could train and improve.”