“It was an absolute dream move”, exclusive interview with Wigan Athletic striker Jamie Proctor

A name that will be familiar to those who follow EFL football, 28-year-old striker Jamie Proctor has played for a handful of teams such as Preston, Swansea and his current team, Wigan Athletic.

Zak Armitage recently caught up with the striker to discuss a variety of different topics such as playing for his boyhood club, his move to Swansea and his recent move to Wigan Athletic.

1.) What’s your earliest footballing memory?

“My earliest football memory is of Euro 96, which is when I became obsessed with football and got my first ever England kit. I’ve got photos of me sat watching the games mesmerised, which at four years old is quite an achievement.”

2.) Did you always want to be a footballer growing up?

“To be honest, no. I always loved football and it was a dream but I was always smart enough to know that very very few make it and so I always wanted to work in the police or in a school as a teacher of some sort.”

3.) You made your debut for hometown club Preston in 2009, what was that like?

“Making debut was one of the proudest moments for me, especially for my family too. I had been at Preston since I was eight and to make it all the way up to first team level was so special. There were moments when I was close to being released a number of times at different ages so to keep working and go on to have the career I have makes me extremely proud.”

4.) You left Preston permanently after a couple of spells away and joined at that time a Premier League team in Swansea. How do you reflect on your time with Swansea? Were you frustrated at the lack of game time you go there?

“At the time it was an absolute dream move. At such a young age it was hard to say no to a club who was in the Premier League. I was sad to leave Preston as I was just finding my feet there. But I was ultimately told I wasn’t part of the plan moving forward and they wanted to move me on (that’s a whole different story). This also reflected bad on me as if I forced a move away from Preston which was simply not true.

“I knew I wasn’t going into Swansea to play for the first team instantly, I knew were I was at and what I needed to do to improve but ultimately it didn’t materialise. I had gone from first team football to u23s football and hated it so I left for Crawley soon after and don’t regret that for a second. I loved my time there (Swansea). I don’t have any regrets about my lack of game time either, ultimately I wasn’t good enough and it’s as simple as that.”

“Regarding crowds I never expected it to be this tough. It completely changes the matches to be honest. Home and away is now irrelevant and the lack of atmosphere is difficult. The build up, the fans outside the ground, the fans afterwards, the heckling from the sides.

“It’s all part of the game which we love, so to have it missing for the first time in 10 years for me is tough. It has got slightly easier as time goes on but let’s hope for some normality come the start of next season.”

Prost International would like to take the opportunity to thank Jamie for taking the time to answer these questions. The 28-year-old still has undoubted goal scoring prowess, and has already opened his account for Wigan Athletic. If Proctor can stay fit, he could prove to be vital for the Latics, as they bid to retain their League One status.