No regrets for Walsall's big man
He's made 310 appearances, kept 102 clean sheets, played in two World Cups campaigns and lifted one title - but Clayton Ince signs off with no regrets.
He's made 310 appearances, kept 102 clean sheets, played in two World Cups campaigns and lifted one title - but Clayton Ince signs off with no regrets.
When Ince officially hangs up his well worn gloves after Walsall's final game of the season tomorrow at home to Milton Keynes Dons, there will be a sense of satisfaction and achievement.
An ambitious goalkeeper came to England in 11 years ago aiming to make his mark and, while Trinidad & Tobago international colleague Dwight Yorke stole the headlines, Ince stole the hearts.
The 37-year-old has entertained from Maine Road to Gresty Road and beyond but – providing he is granted one final swansong tomorrow – Ince's classic crowd pleasing antics will be no more.
An ambassador for the Football League, some see it as a sin he never graced the Premier League but Ince refuses to consider missed opportunities.
He said: "I've got no regrets, I don't want to come out of the game disappointed and at a loss. Most players think they can stay and play and then it's because of ill fate they come out of it. I want to go out on a high.
"I can't say I've had a bad career. It's all been good and I've achieved in so many ways. I have to thank the man above for the blessings as other players haven't got to the heights I've been at. It's one of the things you have to be grateful for.
"I've never been to the Premier League but that's not to say I haven't achieved things at all the clubs I've been at. When I went to Wrexham I was the first Caribbean player to play in a Welsh Cup final, then I went to Crewe and got a clean sheet record.
"I did the same at Walsall, got promoted with Crewe and won the championship with Walsall.
"I went to the youth World Cup in 1990 in Portugal and the senior World Cup in 2006."
But, despite never leaving the bench in Germany four years ago, it's a measure of the man that he shows no remorse – it was another experience to chalk off the list and there are so many others to talk about.
He said: "I didn't play but being there was a great part of it,. I played against England in a friendly a couple of years after the World Cup.
"I was playing against the likes of Jermain Defoe, Dean Ashton, David Beckham - those kind of things are experiences every player would like to have.
"Every player would like to play in the biggest stadiums like the River Plate or Azteca in Mexico - that's everybody's dream.
"Some professionals have never been in those situations so it's a great achievement."
The 79-cap Trinidad and Tobago international will return to hometown Arima in June ready to catch up on years of missed birthdays and anniversaries with the family left behind.
There aren't many professional footballs who can call themselves a grandfather, but grandchildren Shalissa two and one-year-old Cheyenne won't be the only ones to benefit as daughters Melissa, Tuana and Aliya get to spend time with their dad.
He said: "I have one kid in England. The thing is being around them. I have grandkids too back in the Caribbean. The key thing is just spending time with my family.
"I have not been there with my sisters and brothers because I left when they were pretty young and they are all grown now."
"Everybody is looking forward to seeing me coming back and spending time with my family.
"That's a joy for me."
