New Ayr United striker Sam Ashford on bouncing back from Tottenham Hotspur rejection

dailyrecord.co.uk:

New Ayr United striker Sam Ashford admits it took him years to fall back in love with football after being shown the door at Tottenham Hotspur.As a teenager in the White Hart Lane Youth Academy, the striker had stars in his eyes.But while close pals like Harry Winks went on to make the Premiership grade, a young Ashford was cut adrift by the London giants.The frontman readily admits it took him a long time to get over the news that his career had been stopped in its tracks.But now he is on a long and winding road back to redemption - and determined to make up for lost time.Ashford has penned an 18 month deal to become Lee Bullen's third signing of the January transfer window.

He told the Ayrshire Post: "I went to Spurs when I was only eight, and like any kid it was a dream come true to be in that kind of environment. "Harry Winks is one of my really close mates and played in the same year group as me, so it's been great to watch his progression."But when I was given the news about my release, it definitely knocked my confidence.

I was young and took it personally."For a few years I went and played Sunday league with my mates just to get back my enjoyment for the game more than anything."I suppose it would have been easy to have a chip on my shoulder and think 'I'm better than this' but I just wanted to play football and score goals."The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now.Get all the local news in your area – plus features, football news and the latest on the coronavirus crisis – at your fingertips 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories while you can customise your page with the sections that matter to you.The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now on iOS and