WATCH: Inverness teenager signs contract with football club in England
DANAR Strzelec is set to realise his dream of becoming a professional football player when he is set to move to England next month.
The Inverness teenager will move south of the border after agreeing a deal with Abingdon Town who play in the Oxfordshire Senior League Premier Division, in the seventh tier of English football.
The move came as the goalkeeper spent time on trial within the youth set-up at English Premiership club Chelsea. It has gone on to him attracting the attention of Abingdon, as he hopes it will help establish himself in senior football.
It is a massive turnaround for the 17-year-old, who during his career suffered an injury as a result of an extra bone which snapped his hip tendon that threatened his career. He was also released from Inverness Caledonian Thistle after being told he wasn’t good enough.
But he has recovered from those set-backs to get his football career back on track and is looking forward to pursuing his dream of becoming a professional footballer.
Strzelec will be moving to England next month and says after suffering the lows of injuries and rejection, is hopeful of achieving a bright future in the game.
He said: “I am looking forward to joining Abingdon Town on December 4. They are part time at the moment, but in January they are going full time.
“After being on trial with Chelsea, they have sorted out a deal for me to play with Abingdon Town for the next two years to see how I get on.
“They want me to prepare to adapt to playing first team football with the senior team at Abingdon Town and I am looking forward to the challenge.”
Strzelec had played football all his life starting his career at Balloan before going to within the youth set-up at Highland League club Clachnacuddin before going on to spend two years with Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
However, he was released when he was 16 which left him considering his future in football. However, he then went to a UK Football Trials day hoping that he would catch the attention of a club.
It was a gamble that paid off as he ended up going on trial with London giants Chelsea for six months.
He said: “I was playing with Inverness Caledonian Thistle for two years, but the coach told me that I wasn’t good enough.
“I felt like that they were putting me down and eventually I was released.
“At the start it was hard and mentally in the head it was sore.
“It wasn’t the best, but afterwards I found out about the UK Trials Camp. I thought if people don’t recognise me and my football there, I am just going to stop.
“I went there for and I was scouted by the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Portsmouth and Tottenham.
“I then got a trial with Chelsea, where I spent six months and I am lucky that such a big club saw my talent, so that gave me a mentality boost that I could make it.”
Strzelec has suffered setbacks during his career when an extra bone was found growing on his hip which snapped his tendon.
It has kept him out of action for two lengthy periods of his career as a youngster. His injury was originally misdiagnosed as bone cancer before it was then found out it wasn’t.
He said it was a hard time dealing with his injury, but says he is now completely recovered and looking forward to the future.
The first time I had an issue with my tendon was when I was 14 and I was told that I had bone cancer.
But after an MRI scan, it was discovered it wasn’t bone cancer and it was discovered it was extra bone on my hip that was growing and sliced my tendon off.
“For six months I was scared about my diagnosis, but the injury is now healed.
“I travelled to Chelsea and was there for six months and that time I got an injury on my hip. I snapped my tendon on my hip and needed an operation and to contact them when I was fully healed.
“When I was invited back to train with them, Chelsea sorted out the contract with Abingdon Town.
“I had an operation eight months ago and now I am back to football full time.”
Strzelec is now preparing to leave his home in Dalneigh and start a new life in Oxfordshire with ambitions of becoming a professional footballer.
He says he has learned whatever setbacks occur in life, they can be overcome. He is now looking forward to pursuing his dream of becoming a professional footballer in England.
He said: “What I have learned from the experience is to never give up. My doctor told me when I was receiving treatment that I will come across a lot of things during my life.
“But the one thing I can do is take them on and move on.
“I do have ambitions of becoming a professional football player as it is what I love doing. I have played football since I was four years old and it is all that I have ever wanted to do.
“I am looking forward to the challenge, but every day is a challenge in football. It is an adrenaline rush and I am excited for the challenge which awaits me in England.”
