Wing-back Nicky Cadden quick to work out that Barnsley FC was the right move for him

The accountancy student’s days in professional football could well have been numbered when he was shown the door by Motherwell in his teens. Instead, it has proved the making of him.

The left-sided wing-back, 25, now finds himself at a club of comparable stature to the Steelmen in Barnsley – after previous spells at Airdrieonians, Livingston, Ayr United, Greenock Morton and Forest Green Rovers.

So far 2022 has been a very good year for Cadden.

After helping Rovers to the League Two title and earning some personal kudos by way of a place in the PFA League Two Team of the Year in 2021-22, Cadden has now secured a move to Oakwell.

Cadden will offer a pacey and dynamic outlet on the left and fits into the playing ethos of head coach Michael Duff.

Crucially, in terms of mentality and character, the Scot is also just the sort of individual who Duff is drawn to, given his particular journey in overcoming of adversity and steadfast refusal not to feel sorry for himself when many others might have.

That was forged when he was rejected by Motherwell.

The sting was all the more painful, given the fact that his twin brother Chris – now plying his trade at Hibernian and a full Scottish international – was offered a deal at Fir Park.

On how those early experiences defined him, Cadden told The Yorkshire Post: “It has left me hard-shelled and rough-skinned. I have had setbacks in my career and have not had an easy ride.

“I have had to work hard and thankfully it has paid off for me. Hopefully, we can do well this season and I can play in the Championship next year.

“Even when me and my missus went to the EFL awards at Park Lane in London, I was thinking ‘this is too posh for me’.

“She said to me ‘Just enjoy it – remember when you got released from Motherwell and now look how far you have come.’

“It takes a wee while to take things in, but it makes all the hard work worth it.”

It is not hard to deduce from the above that Cadden has good people around him, certainly given the sentiments of his partner.

He is from a football family. His father Steve won a lower division title with Albion Rovers and appeared in a Youth Cup final for Motherwell.

Yet Cadden and his sibling were never forced into the beautiful game, far from it.

His family were always wise enough to preach the importance of sporting success not coming at the expense of a good education.

Cadden, who has signed a two-year deal with Barnsley, continued: “My dad – and mum as well – were keen for me and my brother to do well at school as we did not know if we would make a career out of the game.

“Chrissie went full-time at 16 or 17, but it was still: ‘Is he going to make it or not.’ It was a big point for us to have a back-up plan.

“I’d done quite well at school and then got my degree in accountancy and it is something that is always there for me.

“I don’t think I will do accountancy again as it is quite boring, but if it is something to do with money, then I’d quite like that.

“I remember being at college from nine to three or something and then training was on Tuesday and a Thursday and sometimes a game on a Monday and it was three nights a week and sometimes six to eight or eight to ten.

“It was a totally different landscape, but I wouldn’t have changed it as I love my job.

“I’d never take things for granted and it is something that has made me.”

Cadden combined his studies with playing part-time at Airdrie after being released by Motherwell.

They are days he looks back at with genuine fondness.

He said: “I remember being at school and there was a game against Rangers in front of 45,000 as they were down in the lower leagues and it was mad that I was 16 and 17 and playing first-team football.

“Some of the boys I played with when I was coming through never got a sniff of the first team. I wasn’t a strong boy and was quite lean and it made me bulk up a bit and get stronger; I needed to put my body about more.”

For the Cadden family, there is pride at both their boys’ feats in the game, north and south of the border. Not that watching the fortunes of both remotely is always easy from the family home in Scotland.

Cadden continued: “Last year my mum and dad had an i-Pad down and a laptop up so my dad could put up two screens. But trying to watch two games is murder.

“When I was injured for one particular game, I once tried to watch Chris’s game and a Forest Green one at the same time, so I don’t know how my dad does it with my mum..

“But we are a very close family and they are proud we are both professional footballers. It’s worked out quite well.”