Callum Davies has thanked Folkestone Invicta for helping him to enjoy his football again.

Davies was ready to quit the sport in 2016, having struggled to find his form after surgery.

He was disillusioned so his meeting with Folkestone boss Neil Cugley couldn’t have come at a better time.

The defender explained: “I was at Gillingham and I had a rare foot condition where a bit of bone got chipped off and was stuck in the cartilage – an osteochondral defect.

“I saw a specialist in London and he said ‘this is rare, there’s a chance you may never play again’.

“He said he’d only done the operation a few times and a couple came back from it and a couple didn’t.

• Davies hailed as Folkestone's unsung hero

“He wasn’t exactly positive but I didn’t have a choice because I couldn’t really walk.

“When I went back to Gillingham I struggled, mentally and physically, and upon leaving, I went to Maidstone but it didn’t really work out.

“It probably wasn’t the right time for either of us and I was at the point when I didn’t like football that much.

“I wanted to go somewhere I’d enjoy it again or I’d have packed it in.

“Thanks to Folkestone and Neil Cugley, I’ve really enjoyed my football and that’s paid dividends from the success we’ve had.”

Davies has started 150 games for Folkestone since then, reaching the Bostik Premier play-offs once and narrowly missing out last season.

• I felt isolated at Gillingham

He’s three years into a quantity surveying degree and already planning for life after football.

Davies said: “I was at Gillingham from seven to 22 so leaving was a massive shock and not being fit either was a struggle.

“I knew in my head where I was but I’ve never got anywhere near that. It was very hard. I felt I was letting everyone else down as well as myself.

“When I left Maidstone, I knew I was going to need a job pretty soon.

“But I had a mortgage and a missus so transitioning from full-time football to getting a trainee job was not great.

“I got a job in London but after paying my travel, I was probably paying them! Football kept my head above water and my plan is that my wages at work go up and my football goes down.

• Neil Cugley on the KM Football Podcast

“The season before last was the best I’d had in a while. It was the first time I’d played a full season at Folkestone, the year we nearly went down, and I wasn’t great but the following season it all fell into place and last year I finished the season strongly.

“When I joined Folkestone, I told Cugs I wanted to get my degree done because that’ll be a weight off my shoulders. I can’t believe I said that three years ago!

“I think I’ve proved myself at this level and could probably play higher but everything changes when you become an adult, move out of home and have kids.

“There are things more important than football. It’s a great sport and you can earn a lot of money, but one injury and you’re gone.”

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