📸 Photo

- BANGED UP ABROAD: HELLHOLE -

I really should have stuck with my football. I used to be pretty good at it, but I always felt it was more about what my dad, Steve, wanted for me. He'd pumped it into me, would kick me out of bed in the mornings to get me to go to training, and I just got fed up of being bossed about. So, I'd jacked it in, really as a way of rebelling against him. I body-swerved his plan and decided to take my own path.

Along with this, my parents had recently been through a messy split, and my dad was living in Germany. That really took its toll on me. I felt abandoned, isolated and hurt. And with no father figure around, I became pretty uncontrollable.

I knew Paul from my schooldays, and we'd share a spliff together while playing computer games at a mate's house when we couldn't afford to go out, which was pretty much all the time.

Life was shit. There were no jobs and no prospects. We'd get pissed and stoned, and in the morning, we'd still wake up with no money in our pockets. It would be pissing down with rain and there'd be no way out of the boring hole we were in.

Paul had been in the army, but got discharged from his basic training on medical grounds after twisting one of his bollocks after five weeks. They'd sent him home, and told him if he wanted to be re-admitted to the Forces, he'd have to start the whole training over again. 'Five more