Troy Deeney joins Adebayo Akinfenwa on the very first episode of the Best Mode On Podcast as he opens up on his experiences in prison and how he was scouted by Walsall after a night out
GOAL's brand new Beast Mode On Podcast, hosted by Adebayo Akinfenwa, welcomes guest Troy Deeney as he discusses a range of topics related to his incredible redemption story, including the three months he spent in prison back in 2012.
Deeney, who scored 47 Premier League goals for Watford – more than any other player in the club's history to date – before leaving for Birmingham City in 2021, gives an insight into how he coped, both physically and mentally, in jail as a result of an altercation with a group of students in Birmingham.
Scroll down to read Deeney's first-hand account of that difficult time in his life, as well as the bizarre moment his football ability was first noticed by a professional club. You can watch the full episode of the Best Mode On Podcast via YouTube and Spotify.
Getty Images'OH, HE'S IN JAIL'
Speaking to Akinfenwa about his first days in prison, Deeney says: "I get locked up on the Monday, a perfect storm and realisation that this thing was meant to happen. And I do believe in a higher power. I get locked up, Watford get bought. So in the midst of that they brought in 42 new players. Nobody at any point goes; 'Where's the No.9?'"
"Fast forward now from June [2012], to September, when I came out of jail, at the end of August, when you can finally do the last changes for the [squad] numbers, [ex-Watford striker Matej] Vydra was like; 'Why can't I be No.9?' And they were like; 'Why can't he be No.9? Who is No.9?' And they've gone; 'Oh, he's in jail'. But at this point they've not done the first letter, written warning, they've not given me anything. It was going to take three weeks for that process to at least get rid of me. I was coming home in 10 days."
Advertisement'300 PRESS-UPS A DAY'
Deeney adds: "In jail, I'm 300 press-ups a day. He (Deeney's son), didn't know I was in jail. He thought I was at football camp. I had to phone home every day at six o'clock. Bearing in mind he's three [years old], it's easy to lie. The only reason he knew I was in jail was someone at his school told him, years later."
When asked to paint a picture of his first night in prison, the former Watford striker replies: "The first two weeks were fine – I was at Winson Green jail in Birmingham and all my friends from home were there. As soon as you go in, into a holding cell, figure it all out. The biggest part about it, you walk in, I think it's six x 12, it's tight anyway. There's a bunk bed, there's a guy on the bunk bed and all I could see was, he was there, and the sh*tter was there. And I was thinking; 'Any time one of us needs to go, this is so compromising'. First thing I said to him was; 'When do we use the toilet?' And he was like; 'When they bring food round, or it's time for a call, then you go at those times'. Turned out his baby's mum was in my class at school."
Akinfenwa points out that, as is often portrayed in movies, Deeney's experience wasn't one that involved him being attacked by fellow inmates. The ex-Birmingham striker says: "Genuinely, it was like; 'This is where I'm comfortable'. And it's horrible to say but you're not going anywhere. You think about your dad being dead, you left your little man at home, you said you're the man, you're the provider, and now Mapsi's (ex-Watford defender Adrian Mariappa) lending me £10,000 to cover the bills. He doesn't like me saying it but I will always champion him for it, he didn't have to do that."
GOAL'I WAS HANGING'
Akinfenwa then asks Deeney about his breakthrough in professional football and how he'd heard he'd scored seven goals in a match, whilst intoxicated, but was still scouted. Deeney says: "I scored a few. What happened was, I used to be a builder, got kicked out of school in Year 10. They let me do Year 11 but I was only allowed to play football matches. I wasn't allowed to take GCSEs. I went to Carillion building school, passed that by 17, just about passed that as I was terrible but I got through. I was doing a job, then the job finished that Friday and you'd get £200. You go home [and say]; 'Mum that's yours, what do we need?'. And then whatever's mine I'm out with the lads. Went out Friday, got home about 4am, my mum, still to this day, cleans on a Saturday, tunes on, works her way from top to bottom, gets to my room [and says]; 'You've got to get out'.
"Check the phone, lads are playing, so I'm like; 'Let's go and play football'. Asda bag, muddy boots, brush the teeth, fly across. After the game I'm walking in, they used to put out chips and chip butties, when I got there, because I was hanging, I had a double Jack Daniels and Coke to level it off. As I'm walking in, this guy, Mick Halsall, who changed our family's life, was like; 'Who are you? Where have you been? How old are you?' I'm just looking over his shoulder counting how many people have gone in to get the chips. I'm fuming. He's like; 'Come to Walsall'. And I'd never been outside of Birmingham at this point, so I didn't know where Walsall was. I'm like; 'Okay mate, no problem'. [Halsall says] 'Monday, be there'."
Deeney then explains how he went out partying that same Saturday night, played in a Sunday league game, where he got in a fight, the day after and then went back out drinking on the Sunday evening. He eventually made it to the Walsall trial, after initially forgetting he had to be there, and, as Deeney says; "The rest is history".
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