Team mates laughed at me for leaving training in a suit - now they're my clients

In the blink of an eye Jack Mackreth can picture himself on the halfway line at Wembley, hoping the penalty shootout does not reach sudden death. He is down as the sixth taker.

In another, he can recall the shock of opening an unexpected £10,000 tax bill. It was a surprise that cost him the deposit he had saved for his first house.

Both memories stand out across a football career that saw him impress in junior leagues in Liverpool before taking him through the youth set up at Tranmere Rovers and onto esteemed clubs from Grimsby Town to Bury, Macclesfield and Wrexham via a return to Prenton Park.

His career has been restricted by injury but his past has taught him the lessons that underpin his present - and his future. As for that tax bill, the player once laughed at for leaving training in a suit so he could gain valuable work experience is now a leading accountant working to make sure footballers, including players at Premier League clubs, are equipped to deal with the issues he himself once faced.

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A talented winger, Jack’s ability earned him an impressive career as it led him from FA Cup matches under the lights and live on national TV to the National League play-off final. His Grimsby side lost 5-3 on penalties to Bristol Rovers that day, the shootout not lasting long enough to require him to step up. It was a disappointing end to a memorable season in which he made 40 appearances as the Mariners finished third. Jack played every minute of the final.

It was less than a year after one of the highlights of his career that one of the harder moments hit, the tax bill