PART TWO: Colin Daniel on life after the EFL and eventually heading back to non-league

You can see part one of the interview HERE.

Having helped lead Mansfield to a memorable promotion, Daniel then scored three goals in 32 games in League Two as the Stags consolidated their place back in the Football League.

But his time at the club would then end.

He said: “My contract was up but the club then offered me less money than I was already on. I felt that having done well for a couple of years and helped get them promoted, I deserved more than that.

"So in the end I went to Port Vale. Jake Speight, who I’d played with at Mansfield, was just starting out as an agent and had taken me on. We spoke to Vale and I opted to sign for them.

"I was there for two years. It was a totally different club with a very experienced team so I felt like a kid again and it was hard to get in the team initially and I was a bit of a super-sub at times, but I enjoyed it.

"At one point Adam Murray took me back to Mansfield on loan. I’d answered back to Vale boss Rob Page at half-time in one game so didn’t play for them again! It was my fault but I was sent out on loan for the rest of my contract.”

Daniel again didn’t remain at Stags and instead opted for a move to Blackpool, which once more meant a relocation for Daniel to the north-west, and ultimately another promotion via a Wembley play-off final against Exeter.

He said: “I was getting used to it by now, it’s part of the game and what players do. Blackpool had a respected boss in Gary Bowyer and I wanted to give my all and I probably played my best football there, which showed as we got promotion.

"It was hard because there were a lot of off pitch problems there with the fans and chairman – even at Wembley there weren’t that many fans who went.

"I remember the goal Exeter scored as it was my fault and put us behind, so I was praying it wouldn’t be my fault if we lost, but in the end we came back and won the game.

"I then had a good season in League One as I knew more what to expect and how to manage myself better, and what to do to perform best.

"I also got moved to left-back due to injuries and I was fine with that – I still had the attacking mindset but had the confidence to try things and worked really hard.”

A move to Peterborough followed, but Daniel would only be there for half of the 2018/19 season before moving on.

Daniel added: “When I left for Peterborough I felt like I deserved the money I was on as I’d achieved things and done what I set out to do. I was at my peak.

"I'd signed for two years and by Christmas had played every game and we were in the play-off places, but then the manager Steve Evans told me the chairman had said I’d be leaving.

"I wasn’t sure why but they’d got another left-back in and in the end Nigel Clough took me to Burton which was also closer to home, and I loved playing under him as he respected us all and treated the older players really well too. He knew how to look after his squad.

"Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink then took over when we were struggling and he moved me back to left wing but then I got a back injury in training and was out for nine or ten months. It was so frustrating as I couldn’t do a thing in training.

"It was a big test for me when I eventually left Burton. I was 30/31 and was struggling to see a future, but I eventually found a surgeon who specialised in backs and I owe him so much.

"Eventually I trained a bit with Basford to get fit but then ended up at Exeter. The club put me up with a lady called Julie in a big house with other players and it was brilliant – I still speak to her now. I lived there for a year and she helped me a lot.

"My wife and kids stayed in Notts so at times it was a bit lonely, but a lot of the lads wer ein the same boat. The sea and the beach were nice but I knew I wouldn’t be there long – we got a promotion but I was in and out of the team with the injury.

"I moved on to Scunthorpe but that was hard as we didn’t get paid for a couple of months, then got relegated and other offers started to come in from non-league.

"I didn’t want to be travelling as much now with the kids starting school – I’d earn less money locally but would enjoy playing part-time so I went to Worksop and we just missed out on the play-offs."

That then brings us to the present day, as Daniel moved to Ilkeston at the start of this season and has helped his new side – including his old friends from Eastwood – climb the table to be firm play-off contenders.

And he’s enjoying life being back where it all began – or at least five miles down the road.

He said: “Non-league is totally different now. Pitches used to be like a farm but there are so many good surfaces now and teams play the right way, by and large and there’s not much difference between steps two and three.

"The 3G pitches don’t bother me – I actually prefer them. You know what you’re going to get with the ball and the bounce. Some players struggle with them if they’ve got bad knees or joints but it’s no issue to me even with the back injury.

"It’s my focus now to get Ilkeston promoted. I’m not playing for the money any more – when I was at Exeter I learned to trade in Forex so I do that now as well as being a teaching assistant in a school for kids excluded from mainstream establishments, so that’s rewarding even if a bit challenging at times!

"But as someone who has fulfilled my dreams, it’s good to try and help those kids do the same.”