'THERE'S MORE TO A PLAYER THAN JUST THE DATE IN HIS PASSPORT!'

MATTY James laughs incredulously when he recalls one of the many rejections he received during a long and fruitless search for employment this summer.

- Chris Dunlavy

"I was talking to someone in the Championship," recalls the 33-year-old, who was released by Bristol City in May and spent six months without a club before signing a short-term deal with League One Wrexham during the recent international break.

"They said 'We need an experienced player under the age of 23 that's played in the league'. I was thinking 'Okay, best of luck'.

To get someone like that, you're either going to have to pay a ridiculous amount of money or more likely - they don't actually exist.

"But that's what I was coming up against over and over again.

I'd speak to managers and think something was going to happen.

But then you realise that the managers aren't really in control of signings any more - it's the people up above.

"If you don't match the methodology of the club, you won't get signed. And being 33, I wasn't matching a lot of them because they all wanted a saleable asset on the balance sheet.

"That became extremely frustrating because I knew in myself that I had a lot to give, and not just on the pitch. If you've got a promising 20-year-old who isn't quite ready and needs mentoring, I can help with that.

"There's more to football than what happens on a matchday.

There's more to a player than the date in his passport. Thankfully Wrexham recognised that and I'm very grateful they did." Age may not be on James' side, but a career decimated by injury means there aren't too many miles on the clock, either.

A product of the Manchester United youth system, he joined Leicester in 2012 and formed a silky midfield partnership with Danny Drinkwater in the side that romped to the Championship title under Nigel Pearson in 2014.