Doncaster Rovers v Oxford - John Bostock now putting his faith in Darren Moore

Recent Doncaster Rovers signing John Bostock should know. He has been one of its victims.

Rated as a ‘wonder kid’ at the age of 14, the Londoner had the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea beating a path to his door.

A signed poster of Ronaldinho arrived at his home from Barca, plus the offer of a 10-year deal.

He was ultimately destined for boyhood side Crystal Palace. A first-team debut followed at 15, then a big-money move to Spurs. Greatness surely beckoned. What could go wrong?

Quite a lot. Eleven more stops have followed on a nomadic career taking in spells in Canada, Belgium, France and Turkey. Now he finds himself at Doncaster.

His career may not have mapped out in the way most expected when he was a teenager.

But he has found something more valuable in subsequent years; a sense of inner peace, stability and well-being in his life which is built around his faith.

He has arrived at Rovers with a smile on his face and the expectancy of a young player starting his career and not a senior professional who has just turned 29 and is prone to bouts of cynicism.

Rovers are his 14th club, but you would be forgiven for thinking it was his first.

After hitting rock-bottom nearly a decade ago, Bostock, seasoned by life experience, is counting his blessings and in a good place at the promotion seekers.

It is a far cry from when he left Spurs at the age of 20 – a turning point in his life when he contemplated whether to finish playing or carry on after falling to cope with the pressure to succeed.

A player who was built up, but knocked down just as quickly.

Bostock said: “I will be honest, I prayed. People know I am a Christian and I said: ‘If you want me to stop this game and go into something else. I am ready.’

“My confidence was that low, but I knew in my heart that there was a lot more work to do and unfinished business.

“You have to remind yourself why you do things and sometimes you get lost in other people’s opinions. Going abroad just allowed me to play. I did not worry about the politics or the agents or anything like that.

“I have great people around me, I have been married for 10 years and my wife has been everywhere with me and my son is five. I have a network, family, great friends and my pastor and a church network around me.

“There is also a network called Ballers in God – footballers who have faith and we encourage each other through the week and it has been huge. No man is an island and we all need help and encouragement and I am no different.”

Out of the game for three months until signing an 18-month deal with Rovers, Bostock’s quest to find a club has been documented on his own YouTube channel.

In its own way, it also provides inspiration to footballers who find themselves in the same boat.

Bostock, who left last club Toulouse in October and was on loan at Nottingham Forest last season, added: “People do not really know the sacrifices of players and see things behind the scenes.

“Now, more than ever with social media, people have more access to see how players are and I wanted to put a different feel on it and give people a view of what life is like for players without a club.

“We are not just twiddling our thumbs waiting for a call and sitting on lumps of cash like people think. It is about keeping motivated every day and keeping going and believing and trusting yourself. Footballers are more than footballers and hopefully it will resonate with a few people and inspire them”.

Bostock now finds himself working with an innovative and enlightened manager in Darren Moore, also a devout Christian.

Should Moore get the best out of Bostock, Rovers have a potential trump card in their run-in.

There is also the presence of one of the midfielder’s boyhood idols in Rovers’ No 2 Jamie Smith.

Bostock commented “I was a Palace fan growing up and a season ticket holder and had posters of all the players on my wall and he was one of them.

“I am not afraid to say it. I was five or six years old and he (Smith) was a stalwart in the Palace team of my generation.

“He has been phenomenal and a real asset and the players can approach him.”

On his debt of gratitude to Moore, he added: “Relationships are built on trust and I can only say how grateful I am.

“We tried to do something earlier and he said we’d revisit it and try our best and he is a man of his word and got me in.

“I want to help the work he has started come into fruition here.”

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