Ex-Portsmouth player's shock return to football with non-leaguers after more than three years away having 'fallen out of love' with the game

Nick Awford made five Blues appearances after emerging through the Fratton Park ranks as a promising midfielder.

Yet following his release in the summer of 2015, he fell out of love with football.

After brief spells with the Hawks, Farnborough and Winchester, Awford’s last club appears to have been Petersfield in the 2016-17 season.

However, at the age of 27, he’s now staging a playing comeback with Danny Thompson’s Baffins.

The son of Pompey Hall of Famer Andy Awford has been training with the Wessex League Premier Division side since the summer.

And last week he was handed a debut from the bench, with a 20-minute cameo in their 4-2 win over Ringwood Town in the Hampshire Senior Cup.

Baffins boss Thompson told The News: ‘Nick got in contact with me at the end of June and asked if he could join in with our pre-season training.

‘He’d been speaking to his dad, who had told him it was now or never. You’re a long time not playing, you are at the age now where if you’re going to give it a go, now’s the time to do it.

‘He hasn’t played for two or three years, so it’s about trying to get fit. He is still a way off it, but he’s an honest lad, he has come in and worked hard .

‘He’s got the love back for football again – and is still young enough to do it at this level.

‘I’ve spoken to him at length and asked why he fell out of love with football. A lot was down to taking a bit of stick during his time at Fratton Park, basically people saying you’re only there because of your dad and stuff like that.

‘That affected him a bit mentally and physically, so he fell out of love with it and fell away for two or three years.

‘He’s got the bug back for it now and likes what we’ve got at Baffins, but the biggest thing is fitness, he is miles off it at the minute, yet wants to give it a go. This is his last opportunity to play at a half-decent standard in the non-league game, I suppose.

‘I think Nick is another couple of months away from first-team football to be honest – and he is honest with himself as well.

‘We try to involve him as much as possible within the first-team set-up, but even in our training games you can see he is a way off it at the minute.

‘He’s just happy to be enjoying his football again and being part of something we’re trying to build at Baffins.’

Awford was aged 18 years and six days when handed his Pompey debut against Sheffield United in April 2013.

His final outing was a League Two start in a televised 3-0 defeat at Plymouth in November 2014.

He added: ‘You never lose your touch or range of passing, the issue he has at this moment in time is getting around the pitch.

‘If I can get him fit then he’ll be a good asset to have around the club, not just on the pitch but off it as well. He’s a great lad.’

Baffins are in action in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup against Winchester City on Friday (September 2) at the PMC Stadium (7.45pm).

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