Birmingham teen went from street robber to soccer star

Jun 28 2009 by Jonny Greatrex, Sunday Mercury

Scouts began to take notice when at the age of just 12 he scored 120 goals in just two seasons for Nechells side Continental Star.

James was taken on by impressed Birmingham City’s youth set-up where he had the chance to play his way into a professional contract and a life-of-luxury.

But he admits he was shown the door because his ‘bad attitude’ meant he did not train properly and occasionally skipped sessions altogether.

James said: ‘‘I was at Blues for a year and a half but eventually got kicked out of there for having a bad attitude.

‘‘Then girls came into my life and I would be more interested in them than football and I stopped playing for about a year.’’

Before being dumped by Blues, James was kicked out of Heartlands High School in Nechells when he was 14 years old and placed in a special education centre with other troubled youngsters.

James, who does not speak to his dad, was rocked by the death of his mum in October 2007 – before going on to commit the street robbery which almost landed him behind bars.

As well as the suspension order and electronic tag, he was placed in a Young Offenders’ Hostel in Erdington.

He was also placed on the Youth Justice System’s Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme in a bid to keep him from reoffending.

James said: ‘‘The tag drove me crazy.

‘‘Living in the hostel wasn’t too bad, but I had no privacy.’’

With little parental support and no qualifications, James looked to be heading into the deadly world of street gangs, like the infamous Johnson Crew or Burger Bar Boys.

But with the help of Aston youth worker Scott Burrell and his anti-gang project City United, he began working to turn his life around.

“This young man was part of one of the local gangs and was a major player,” Scott told the Sunday Mercury.