It’s been a long time since I have been able to write a player special blog as I lost the spark in writing and as the chant goes “Can’t start a fire without a spark’. But with a playing squad showing fight, grit, blood, sweat and tears for the shirt in the infancy of the rebuild it has relit my spark of wanting to write one again. It only feels right to pair that Springsteen inspired chant with the player who has been on fire offensively: AJ George. The Number 10 has been involved in 4G/A so far this season and was the player who lit the spark ending the 195 days wait for victory with his Penalty away at Barwell. Additionally George was at the forefront in our win versus Leiston creating a wonderful assist to Prince Henry to secure our first Home win since the end of January. With AJ on fire and soon to be tearing the Stratford apart, I have had the pleasure to get to know the man behind the player who possess a high amount of respect across the Non-league pyramid with his infectious energy.
When you think about December, your mind might conjure images of icy windscreens and early morning frost, perhaps even the frantic scraping of the ice with an old CD case as you rush of to work. But this journey kicks off 4,044 miles away from that chilly scenario on the 6th December 1996, in the bustling capital of Antigua and Barbuda, ST Johns – AJ George was born. A city brimming with life, colour, and rhythm, AJ lived in the picturesque capital with sandy white beaches and Turquoise seas for the first four years of his life before moving to England. Despite the move, the love for Antigua runs deep. “I’ve been back so many times though, so I do have a lot of memories of the place. It’s always nice to go back, play for the country, and see family.” During his infancy of the move to England, AJ grew a strong bond for football thanks to the influence of his family and also recognises that he still remains in football because of his friends.
Having grown up in the Oxford area, George began his football journey with Oxford United playing together with familiar youngsters such as Aidan Hawtin and Miles Welch-Hayes. From the age of 9 the Midfielder progressed through the academy and youth system before being offered a professional contract at 17. A taste of senior football came at Banbury United for 3 games in the 14/15 season before micheal Appleton put him on the fringes of the first team. During the 15-16 season AJ was a part of the first team squad ultimately being part of the team that achieved promotion from League 2, featuring twice most notably coming on in a 5-1 victory against Stevenage. Despite being included in the promotion-winning squad nine times and receiving praise from Oxford United skipper Johnny Mullins, who remarked, “They have been comfortable in their surroundings, but ultimately they're in the team because they're good enough,” AJ was not offered a new deal at his boyhood club. Reflecting on the disappointment, the 27-year-old said, “Not getting a new deal was definitely tough. It was a surprising decision to me and took a while to process, but it’s part of the game.”
After a spell with Mansfield and a nasty injury which saw him suffer with a fractured ankle, ATFL and CFL tear keeping him on the sidelines for 9 months, AJ George found his feet again in non-League. Now he has taken football back in his stride and It was the past two season he has really hit some form with Tamworth and Redditch respectively. During his time at Tamworth, George experienced promotion along with fellow Puritan Gift Mussa as Tamworth ended a 5-year stay at step 3. The season later saw George and Gift Mussa move across the M42 to Redditch as The Reds sought experianced players to propel them into the playoffs after finishing 10th the previous season. With 19 Assist and 3 goals, showcasing his best numbers to date, AJ George helped the Worcestershire club earn a playoff spot, only for Leamington to put the ‘Brakes’ on their season. With the feeling of being content at Redditch AJ was preparing for a summer ready to stay at the club but after multiple conversations with Simon Hollyhead, AJ had belief in the project at Banbury United.
Leaving Redditch was no easy decision, especially after a fantastic season filled with brilliant memories. “I had a very good year at Redditch with a great group of people, not just on the pitch but all the staff at the club,” he recalls. But Banbury called, and sometimes, you just have to follow your gut. “Having spoken to Simon and Terry, seeing where the club wants to go, the aspirations, and the feeling that Simon is trying to harbour in the group, it was something I wanted to be a part off.” AJ believes the club has the right ingredients to bounce back to Step 2 and go even further, with Simon Holyhead vison and the backing from the Banbury fans can be a formidable force in this division. The 27-year-old reflected on the passion of the Puritan faithful during Andy Whings tenure with a raucous atmosphere as Banbury swept AFC Rushden and Diamonds aside that day. “Everyone in this league knows how good the Banbury fans are. Nobody wants to come to play us knowing they’ve got to go against 1,000 Banbury fans. It means a lot, and I love playing for the fans.”. This sentiment is already building as the home attendance has increased 25% over the first two fixtures, along with over 100 fans making a rapture of noise as Banbury Put on a show away at Alvechurch on Bank Holiday Monday.
However, Aj hasn’t just impressed on the Non-League stage he has also made his mark on the international stage. At the age of 19, George received his first senior international call up and was handed his debut against Aruba in the 2016 Caribbean cup qualification. Playing alongside former Puritan Duran Martin, It took only 23 minutes for AJ to mark his Antingua and Barbuda debut with a goal, doubling the score line, ultimately being the winning goal. Yet 47 minutes into the match George was subbed and had to wait until April 2018 for his next opportunity. A Start in a 2-0 defeat v Jamaica in an international friendly was his last taste of international football but AJ is still aiming for a recall as he described the experience as ‘like something he can’t really explain’. With the ambitions of playing at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium again, AJ is hoping for a good start to the season to get back on the radar. AJ Jokes ‘I need the club and all the fans to tweet them whenever I do something well till I’m back playing for them’. As AJ said himself ‘nobody wants to go against 1000 Banbury fans’ so I’m sure former Premier league player and current Antigua and Barbuda boss Mikele Leigertwood would feel the same, so you know what to do Banbury fans….
Yet, George’s creativity does not just stop on the pitch, off the pitch he has developed a luxury fashion and personal shopping service which has been successfully running since January 2019. Basically, AJ George is born to assist, as he does so often on the football pitch and assisting people of the pitch to help them secure high end fashion products. This allows the Footballer/businessman to stay as flexible as possible to work around the gruelling non-league schedule. However, it still can be a juggling act as he explained “I try to stay as organised as possible, plan ahead with everything, My to-do list at the minute has about 50 things on it, so I’m a bit behind at the minute,” he laughs.
Others might stop there and believe they are doing enough, but AJ is driven and always has one eye on the future. The 27-year-old has already achieved his UEFA B Coaching Badge and is now eager to obtain his A license. He is keen to complete these qualifications as early as possible to prepare for his transition into coaching. To further his coaching development, he returned to his boyhood club, Oxford United, through a coach development scheme, where he worked closely with the U9-15s. Looking ahead, there’s no doubt where his heart lies. “I’d love to be a coach one day, and I’m sure I will be,” he says confidently. “I love the thinking side of football and being able to communicate it to others.” His wisdom and experience have already shone through in the early stages of this season, showing these traits in an abundance through constant communication on the pitch, nurturing a vast amount of young talent in the squad. Despite the eye on the future, football is short lived career so for now AJ has ambitions still to achieve on the pitch such as a return to international football and help Banbury bounce back to Step 2 football.
This is AJ George’s story, a man who offers a creative, dynamic spark weather he goes. And remember you can’t start a fire a without a spark, AJ George is on fire, he’ll be tearing the Stratford of the park.
“Nobody wants to come to play us knowing they’ve got to go against 1,000 Banbury fans. It means a lot, and I love playing for the fans.”
I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog. As always to help get this blog the exposure to a wider audience of Banbury Fans or just non-league fans in general any Retweets/quote tweets, shares, likes, Comments are Much appreciated. WE ARE UNITED.
Thank you for reading.
UTP
Spencer Reds.
❤️💛
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