'Even Margate and Torquay didn't want me': Portsmouth and ex-Bristol City man on career spent defying the odds

Despite 37 international caps for Wales and a century of Pompey appearances, the compulsion to prove a point shows no sign of abating.

Joe Morrell savours his south-coast surroundings, the Fratton Park backdrop which finally presented the footballing home he had long craved in a cherished career he once feared was over.

It was March 2017 when the then 20-year-old was rejected by National League South bottom club Margate. Following previous snubs by Fleetwood, Torquay and Tampa Bay Rowdies, the door was almost closed.

Then the fight back began as the midfielder demonstrated characteristic doggedness and unquenchable spirit to persuade Bristol City to offer a new contract - having earlier instructed him to find another club.

Since then, Morrell has featured in all three divisions of the Football League, commanded two transfer fees, while represented Wales at Euro 2020 and World Cup 2022.

And, on New Year’s Day against Stevenage, he achieved the proud landmark of 100 appearances for Pompey - yet the drive refuses to diminish.

Morrell told The News: ‘When I signed here, I said I wanted to play 100 games for the next club I joined.

‘I had been in and out at Bristol City and hadn’t played much, went on loan to Cheltenham for a season, went to Lincoln on loan and that was cancelled due to Covid, then joined Luton to hopefully achieve a home in football and it was probably a bit too soon for me.

‘I’ve found a home at Pompey, for sure. It’s a club I very quickly understood, I’ve connected with, and am really proud to play for. I hope that has always come across on the pitch, because it’s certainly how I feel.

‘It’s funny how football works. I was that close to dropping out of the game in 2017 and that’s what drives me now. I feel I always have a point to prove because I know how close I came.

‘I was in the under-21s at Bristol City when the manager, Lee Johnson, called me in January 2017 and told me I would be released at the end of the season. It was “You’re not going to play for me, so I’ll give you the opportunity to go out on trial”.

‘So I went to Fleetwood on trial, one of the worst two weeks of my life, horrible, I wasn’t even with the first-team, it was with the under-21s. Then I tried Torquay in the National League and didn’t get anything.

‘I flew out to America for two weeks of training with Tampa Bay Rowdies, but they had a limit on signing foreign players, so I couldn’t play there.

‘The only place anywhere who would take me was Margate, bottom of Conference South. I travelled up to training on Thursday night in East London, signed my forms beforehand, then checked my phone and saw a message in the group chat from the manager: “Lads, I have decided to leave”.

‘Under the new manager, I got 20 minutes against Whitehawk at home, then another 20 minutes against Chelmsford City. He then called me in: “Listen, I’m building a team for next year as we’re going to get relegated. You don’t need to come back”.

‘So I returned to Bristol City for the final few months of the season and did all right. It prompted Lee Johnson to give me a month in pre-season, on £100 a week, to prove myself.’

With the Robins having finished 17th in the Championship, the summer of 2017 was earmarked as an opportunity to build on that steady placing.

In a squad consisting of Gary O’Neil and Marlon Pack, the 20-year-old Morrell suddenly found himself involved in pre-season, albeit still uncertain whether he had a future in the game.

Then, at the end of August 2017, he was loaned to League Two side Cheltenham until January, along with colleagues Taylor Moore and Freddie Hinds.

Even that wasn’t straight-forward, though - the Robins’ manager, Gary Johnson, father of Lee, was forced to take Morrell as a makeweight.

He added: ‘That summer was the best pre-season I’ve ever had. You hear stories of people changing their attitudes over the summer, but it was never that. I always trained well and was a decent technical player, it’s just being able to impact games and imposing myself.

‘Gary Johnson wanted to sign Taylor and Freddie - and City forced him to take me as well. In turn, that meant City had to give me a contract for the rest of the season.

‘I will always be thankful to Gary. I don’t think he wanted to sign me but, ultimately, played me every week, although even that wasn’t supposed to happen.

‘For my first game I was named on the bench against Stevenage, only for Nigel Atangana to turn up ill, his face was yellow. So I was instead handed his first-team place. I went on to start 38 league games that season.

‘It shows you it’s never smooth sailing. I was desperate for an opportunity, I would have gone anywhere, but in my head I was never not going to be a footballer.

‘I’m five foot nothing, not quick, not strong, that’s why I wouldn't be here now if I wasn’t that player. I have to be aggressive, I have to be horrible to play against.

‘There are plenty of amazing players I’ve played with in youth-teams who have dropped out of football, while plenty of worse players than me have had better careers through a bit of luck and opportunity.

‘It’s not always binary. You’re a good player, you work hard and so you’ll be a footballer. You need luck as well. I missed out on that right at the start of my career and then had a massive slice which put the opportunity into my hands - then it’s down to you to take it.’

Morrell would go on to make six appearances for Bristol City, before loaned to Danny Cowley’s Lincoln in 2019-20, and then sold to Championship club Luton in October 2020, while to date has amassed 37 caps for Wales.

Since August 2021, the 27-year-old has been at Fratton Park and Stevenage marked a century of appearances at the club he considers home.

Morrell added: ‘I’ve played 100 times for Pompey and I want many, many more at this football club. I would imagine they’ll take my option up in the summer, seeing me contracted for 2024-25.

‘That would be fantastic. I will never take for granted that I’m playing at a club I love playing for, at a good level, and getting paid well.

‘It’s a job which is so competitive that it’s easy for good players to drop out. Thankfully, I had an opportunity and took it.’