Not many footballers can drive four hours to play for a team rock-bottom of the National League and remember it fondly for the rest of their lives.
Rob Atkinson may only be 23 but the centre-back has already learned the core principles of being a professional footballer, away from the glitz and glamour that can ultimately be part of the job.
Atkinson could have settled into a cushy existence in the Fulham academy, taking advantage of the top facilities on offer biding his time until a sniff of an opportunity arose in the first-team. But he wasn't prepared to sit on the periphery, playing matches where nothing was at stake which made him slowly fall out of love with the game.
