I’m a former Brighton winger and now I’m becoming a train driver
Jake Robinson has likely endured his fair share of abuse from fans in the away end at Brighton, but now he’ll be ferrying them down to the AmEx. The striker, who is still playing today, made his name as the Seagull‘s youngest ever scorer, and he’s now gone full circle, taking the next hopefuls to the team’s ground. Robinson flew out of the blocks as a Brighton youngster but had his eyes on thoughts after footballGetty That’s because Robinson is in his third month as an apprentice train driver and expects matchdays to be one of his key duties. Robinson first broke through with Brighton in 2003 and started his journey to 148 appearances with his boyhood club with his first of 22 goals. Reflecting on that moment, he told BBC Sussex: “I was 16 years 355 days, I’ll never forget that, it was one of the best moments of my career. “As someone who came through the centre of excellence at Brighton, was born as a local lad, and to get into the first team that young and get a goal and still hold that record, I bring it up whenever I possibly can.” Robinson left the Albion six years later in 2009 and realised that he may have to start planning for a future outside of the game. “The long and short of it is around my early 20s I realised that I was never going to be able to retire [with the money] from playing football,” he explained. “As much as 16-year-old me thought that was going to happen that I’d make millions and play for England, the reality was that one day I was going to have to get a job. “When I left Brighton and moved up to Shrewsbury at 22 I was starting to move down the leagues a bit already and the money never quite went to the level it needed to if that was going to be my goal.” Then came the decision, which was helped along by his father. The now 38-year-old Robinson continued: “The further I got into my career and the older I got and the more everything started to ache a bit, I started to give some serious thought about what I wanted to do. Robinson moved down the leagues, playing for teams like Aldershot Town in League TwoGetty Now he’s potentially driving a train you’re on boardBBC “The person I am I like to do a lot of research and I looked into careers I could possibly do and things that had transferable skills and by chance my dad who works at Brighton station told me they were advertising for trainee train drivers and the more I looked into it I thought it would suit me. “I am now an apprentice train driver for Southern Rail. I’ve been doing this for three months now and I’m enjoying it very much. “There’s lots to learn, I’ve had to learn how to learn again, It’s been more than 20 years since I was at school. It’s a totally new career for me and I’m really enjoying it.” Robinson racked up over 700 career appearances to date with over 200 goals, and he’s still playing for Southern Combination Football League side Newhaven in the ninth tier of English football. Along the way he was a teammate of big names like Ivan Toney and Jermaine Pennant, and he still reflects fondly on what he’s been through so far. “I’m very proud of my career, I keep saying I wouldn’t change it for the world,” he said. Robinson loved his life in football, and now train driving tooGetty “All I ever wanted to do was be a professional footballer and I’m lucky I lived out that dream and scored in every league from the Championship down to County One now, so that’s another nice record I’ve got.” But, the big question is obviously whether he’ll be taking fans from Brighton to Falmer station just outside the AmEx, and the answer he gave was a heartwarming one. “I believe that is quite likely,” Robinson said. “It will be one of my core routes and drivers talk about how much of a challenge that can be with thousands on the platform. “Again it’s a challenge I’m looking forward to and it will be like the story is complete for me having trained there as a kid, and now my new career that’s going to hopefully last me the rest of my life. So it’s full circle.”
Jake Robinson has likely endured his fair share of abuse from fans in the away end at Brighton, but now he’ll be ferrying them down to the AmEx.
The striker, who is still playing today, made his name as the Seagull‘s youngest ever scorer, and he’s now gone full circle, taking the next hopefuls to the team’s ground.
That’s because Robinson is in his third month as an apprentice train driver and expects matchdays to be one of his key duties.
Robinson first broke through with Brighton in 2003 and started his journey to 148 appearances with his boyhood club with his first of 22 goals.
Reflecting on that moment, he told BBC Sussex: “I was 16 years 355 days, I’ll never forget that, it was one of the best moments of my career.
“As someone who came through the centre of excellence at Brighton, was born as a local lad, and to get into the first team that young and get a goal and still hold that record, I bring it up whenever I possibly can.”
Robinson left the Albion six years later in 2009 and realised that he may have to start planning for a future outside of the game.
“The long and short of it is around my early 20s I realised that I was never going to be able to retire [with the money] from playing football,” he explained.
“As much as 16-year-old me thought that was going to happen that I’d make millions and play for England, the reality was that one day I was going to have to get a job.
“When I left Brighton and moved up to Shrewsbury at 22 I was starting to move down the leagues a bit already and the money never quite went to the level it needed to if that was going to be my goal.”
Then came the decision, which was helped along by his father.
The now 38-year-old Robinson continued: “The further I got into my career and the older I got and the more everything started to ache a bit, I started to give some serious thought about what I wanted to do.
“The person I am I like to do a lot of research and I looked into careers I could possibly do and things that had transferable skills and by chance my dad who works at Brighton station told me they were advertising for trainee train drivers and the more I looked into it I thought it would suit me.
“I am now an apprentice train driver for Southern Rail. I’ve been doing this for three months now and I’m enjoying it very much.
“There’s lots to learn, I’ve had to learn how to learn again, It’s been more than 20 years since I was at school. It’s a totally new career for me and I’m really enjoying it.”
Robinson racked up over 700 career appearances to date with over 200 goals, and he’s still playing for Southern Combination Football League side Newhaven in the ninth tier of English football.
Along the way he was a teammate of big names like Ivan Toney and Jermaine Pennant, and he still reflects fondly on what he’s been through so far.
“I’m very proud of my career, I keep saying I wouldn’t change it for the world,” he said.
“All I ever wanted to do was be a professional footballer and I’m lucky I lived out that dream and scored in every league from the Championship down to County One now, so that’s another nice record I’ve got.”
But, the big question is obviously whether he’ll be taking fans from Brighton to Falmer station just outside the AmEx, and the answer he gave was a heartwarming one.
“I believe that is quite likely,” Robinson said. “It will be one of my core routes and drivers talk about how much of a challenge that can be with thousands on the platform.
“Again it’s a challenge I’m looking forward to and it will be like the story is complete for me having trained there as a kid, and now my new career that’s going to hopefully last me the rest of my life. So it’s full circle.”
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