CALLUM COCKERILL-MOLLETT realized the life of a footballer is full of unexpected twists when he was released by Walsall as a 22-year-old.
That's when he decided to take a part-time job at Tamworth and move to a business that had even more ups and downs… selling ZIPS for a living!
Now the footballing businessman can't wait to sink his teeth into Tottenham Hotspur when he faces Ange Postecoglou's Spurs in the FA Cup on Sunday.
The former Republic of Ireland youth international told SunSport how he became the Lambs' Lord of the Flies!
The left-back revealed: “In my last season at Walsall there was a huge turnover of players and anyone who was out of contract was allowed to leave.
“I had some interest from other full-time clubs, but most of them would have required a move to the other side of the country.
“When nothing concrete came of it, I decided to work part-time.
“So that summer I moved in with my dad Neil and started working full time at his zip business.
“While I was playing I spent time in the factory, so I had a rough idea of what the company was about.
“Footballers retire early and I knew I wasn't going to go down the coaching route, so I always had the zip business in the back of my mind.
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'Now I help my father run the company.
“We have about 30 employees and are a wholesaler of zippers.
“You can't come into our shop and buy one or two zippers, we deal in hundreds or thousands at a time.
“We buy raw materials from abroad and make all kinds of zippers.
“Jacket zippers, pocket zippers, shoe zippers, jeans zippers – you name it, we can produce it.
“But our biggest sellers are probably sofa zippers used in sofa cushions.
“We supply some of the biggest banking brands in the UK.”
Cockerill-Mollett admits it's hard to convince people he's not joking when he tells them what he does for a living.
“When I was working full-time at Walsall and people asked me what job I was in, all you could really say was, 'I play football.'
'People look at you strangely when you say that.
“But now when I say, 'I sell zippers,' people look at me even stranger!
“Their first reaction is, 'What do you mean you sell zippers?'
“If they're wearing a jacket, I point to the zipper and say, 'You know this here, someone has to make them!'
“It's only when friends and family see our big factory in Leicester that they realize it's quite a serious matter.
“The company is called Zipex UK and we are one of the few manufacturers still making zippers in the UK.
“Most people import them from China.
“But we're one of the few companies you can call and say I need 48 inches in these types of zippers and we can make thousands of them.
“I suppose we fly the flag of Great Britain.”
However, on Sunday, Cockerill-Mollett will fly the flag for Tamworth as they look to pull off a massive FA Cup killing against Premier League giants Tottenham.
Tiny Tamworth currently costs 2,500/1 outsiders to win this year's FA Cup.
Yet Leicester-born Callum began his professional career at Walsall in 2016, the year Claudio Ranieri's Leicester City stunned the world by beating Spurs and famously romped to the title.
That 5,000/1 shot was called the greatest sporting miracle of all time.
Now Foxes fan Callum is hoping to pull off another sensational upset on Sunday, with The Lambs paying a price of 15/1 to beat Spurs.
“If you're not playing in the league you're hoping to sign one of the big boys from the Premier League,” he said.
“When Spurs' name came to ours I was a bit shocked and my phone kept ringing.
“It's a bit surreal, but it is what it is. If you survived three rounds like us, we deserve a little glamour.
“We earned our Spurs, so to speak, by beating Macclesfield, Huddersfield and Burton Albion.
“As a Foxes fan I will never forget that famous title win. I celebrated with all the Leicester supporters at Victoria Park as the team came on stage and Kasabian played.
“So I know miracles can happen and I wouldn't mind getting James Maddison's shirt on Sunday if he plays, but I think quite a few guys feel the same way.”
Whatever happens on Sunday, it will be business as usual for the only Cockerill in the Tamworth camp when he makes a quick return to the zip trade on Monday!
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