Before I even turned professional, I knew Crystal Palace was a special place: the home and heart of south London football.
As a teenager, I shared changing rooms with some of their most successful players, including Victor Moses and Nathaniel Clyne – one was a future Premier League and Europa League winner, the other went on to be a Champions League runner-up. After matches, I’d walk into the canteen and see Iain and Bob Dowie, or former England Under-21s manager Peter Taylor.
Yet, at 24, I ended up in prison. How? Explaining that takes a bit of work. For the papers, mine is a story of match-fixing, corruption and being one of the first UK footballers convicted of bribery charges. For me, there is no glorification. It is about how gambling and organised crime groups are able to prey on young people with dreams.
Everything started in my childhood. Growing up in south London meant I was accustomed to hearing bad news, as people around me fell into gangs or prison or, worse, lost their lives. But I was very independent. Dad would give me £5 to travel to and from school or borough-level football, and I knew the London Underground by the age of 10.
I spent a lot of time on my own, always deep in thought, deciding what I wanted to be while alone on the buses and trains that filled my early years. Seeing my brother bring home trophies or medals every week made me determined to become a footballer. Thornton Heath, where I went to school, was down the road from Selhurst Park, the home of Crystal Palace. I used to walk behind the Holmesdale Road Stand and feel inspired. I loved that club.
By the time I was in secondary school, a friend of mine got a job as a Palace steward and we often
