In December 2014, Jake Hesketh fulfilled his lifelong dream when he came on for his Premier League debut in Southampton's game against Manchester United.
Hesketh, 27, who is a boyhood United fan, came on for the final 20 minutes as Saints were beaten 2-1 by Louis van Gaal's side at St Mary's Stadium, with Robin van Persie scoring a brace for the Red Devils. Five days later, Hesketh made his first top-flight start in a 1-0 defeat at Burnley.
Playing in the Premier League was what Hesketh wanted to achieve since he was a child. Speaking to Mirror Football on that experience, he recalled: "It was my first time on the bench, I was never expecting to come on and it happened so quickly.
"You don’t have any time to process it, but I have looked back and realised that I’ve just played against some of the best players in the world. It’s obviously what you spent your life dreaming of really. It couldn’t really get any better at that point. I think playing in the Premier League was my dream."
However, the midfielder had to wait almost another two years before making his next senior appearance. Hesketh scored his first and only Southampton goal in a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace in September 2016, before playing in the Europa League against Hapoel Be'er Sheva.
He added: "Playing in Europe was mental, it was an atmosphere that you would have thought you would play in ever again. It was hostile and to just play in that kind of competition was really surreal.
"There is nothing like that kind of atmosphere, it happens a lot around Europe but as soon as you go to warm up there’s boos and whistles. Everything and it was the most hostile thing I have ever played in and in comparison to England, you won’t come across anything like how they do it over there."
During that time, Hesketh was being linked with a shock transfer to Man Utd. The Daily Mail reported in 2016 that the Red Devils were considering a move for then 19-year-old Hesketh as they tried to compete with Manchester City’s academy recruitment policy.
"It was a bit weird but as far as I know there was nothing to it," Hesketh claimed on the transfer interest. "My family is from Manchester, that’s where I was born and I am a United fan so that made it a little bit weirder."
After another season in the Southampton academy, Hesketh decided to go out on loan for the first time in his career when he signed for Burton in 2018. The Brewers had just been relegated to League One and wanted to add quality to their squad.
It is safe to say that the midfielder impressed during his time at the Pirelli Stadium. He played a key role in Burton’s run to the semi-final of the Carabao Cup against Man City and scored the winner in the quarter-final win at Middlesbrough. Hesketh scored a further two goals in a highly successful loan spell at the Brewers.
"I went to Burton until January, and then to MK Dons until the end of the season and got promoted," Hesketh added. "At Burton, we got to the semi-final of the League Cup, which for a League One club, doesn’t happen very often.
"To score the winning goal in the quarter-finals was one of the highlights of my career. I was playing the best football of my career at that point, those two clubs that season, I was enjoying my football so much."
Hesketh's loan spell at Burton was cut-short in January 2019 and he immediately made the switch to promotion-chasing League Two outfit MK Dons for the remainder of the season. That was another move that paid off as The Dons snuck into the top-three on the final day.
Hesketh continued: "It was a great feeling because they had only just come down, and they were expecting to come back up. When I got there in January, they were eighth, a little bit off it, but we had a really good run, got ourselves into a good position. It came down to the last game of the season but the feeling after that game and the weekend was unbelievable."
Unfortunately for Hesketh, his career trajectory has plummeted downhill ever since that summer. He spent time out on loan at Lincoln and Crawley but never really found a home before he was released by Southampton at the end of his contract in 2021.
Although it was disappointing to leave Saints, Hesketh didn't have any regrets about his time at the club. "I knew it was coming as I was 24, on loan at Crawley that year in League Two and I was realistic," he said.
"I knew I wasn’t going to get another contract at a club that is playing in the Premier League. So, in that sense, it was fine because it didn’t come as a shock. Obviously it was disappointing and weird to move away from what you have known your whole life. I think having them loan spells, you get used to spending time away from the club, and where I was in my life, it was fine."
Hesketh immediately found a new club following his departure and joined National League side Eastleigh. He made 60 appearances for the Spitfires, scoring six goals in a two-year spell before leaving at the end of this season.
Once again, it didn’t take Hesketh long to find an employer. He made the two-tier drop to sign for Southern League Premier Division side Sholing on May 31. The news came as a huge shock to many fans on social media after what Hesketh achieved at Burton and MK Dons only a matter of years ago.
But Hesketh has explained the decision. He said: "I am really pleased to get the deal over the line. I first spoke to them around three to four weeks ago maybe. I went to a few of their games last year at the back end of last season and it all came together at the last minute. I am happy to get it sorted."
"It is definitely a club with ambition and the people in there want to do well," he added. "I mean it’s tough to go for back-to-back promotions, but over the next couple of years it’s a club that will definitely be pushing to get into the National League South."
The ex-Southampton star turned 27 in March and is arguably in the prime age of his career. Despite finding himself all the way down in the seventh-tier of English football, he wants to re-find his feet and enjoy his football again - something he hasn’t done in a number of years.
Hesketh finished: "I want to go and enjoy myself to be honest. When I was younger I absolutely loved playing football, but for the last few years, I would say not so much. I want to play with a smile on my face and play at a club that has that kind of feel, a tight knit group.
"I wouldn’t say there’s any unrealistic ambitions to go and do anything, but I want to enjoy myself. There will be a load of reasons for it, it’s a shame for me because it’s all what I’ve wanted to do growing up.
"To not like football anymore is a shame, but I hope I get that back at Sholing. If that can come hand-in-hand it would be perfect. I want to find a home and play football, hopefully at Sholing it will last longer than this season. I hope the relationship keeps growing."
