James White has a presence. You see him in central midfield, and he imposes himself on the game. His size is a contributory factor, but don't be lulled into thinking that's the only part of his game. He has great technical ability, and to coin that old football phrase, he has great feet for a big man. Along with a number of his team-mates, he has had a huge influence on Concord's rise over the last few seasons, and has always caught of eye of the so-called bigger clubs. What made him stay at Concord when the big clubs came calling seemed a good place to start our chat...
You turned down Dover and Dartford last summer to stay at Concord Rangers, what is the team-spirit like at Concord which makes it such a hard place to leave?
I did, there were a number of factors involved for turning down both clubs, but the main point was that everyone involved at Concord puts 100% into the cause which creates a great vibe around the club. I really do compare it to a Sunday league team spirit in the sense we are all mates, if you come here thinking your bigger than the club then you will get found out quickly.
A number of your team-mates started off at professional clubs, however you never did. Did you have trials at professional clubs? Do you think your size may have put some clubs off?
Believe it or not I actually was signed by Southend at youth level to play on the left wing (obviously for my pace!) and then moved into centre mid, playing there for four years. The game is always evolving and there are always so many changes at that level. Michael Kightly was there at the same time, and he's now a Premier League player, but I was sadly let go. I was also involved with Arsenal, but nothing really happened there. Looking back I think that speed is key to progress through the ranks at a young age and that wasn't really my biggest asset.
Opposing fans look at the size of you and (don't take this the wrong way) think look at that lump in midfield, little do they realise you have great technical ability and have a great range of passing
There will always be fans (people) that stereotype certain individuals in football. I am a lump and will never change from that build, however I hope that people can see over the past few seasons that there is more to my game from a technical stand point which is the part I love. I got labelled this at Dartford on a number of occasions, which being honest helped my decision not to go back.
Talking about Concord, how far do you think the club can go in the non-league strucure....is the Conference League achievable?
I think Concord have shown that they're here to stay. People say that Concord are over-achieving and have caught out other teams in the league, however I think if you show a level of consistency (league and cup) then you deserve to be where you are. The Conference is definitely achievable for the club and will be another target for sure.
I notice you work in the City, sum up commuting if you can!
I cannot stand the commute! I think the rail companies are taking full advantage that there isn't really any other option to get up to the City/Canary Wharf. I pay £377 a month to get to Canary Wharf, so have the over ground and under ground, and in the summer it can get quite intense!
Myself and Joe Gardner (who works in the building along from me) are normally late to away games in midweek due to the travelling.
What do you do to pass the time the time on the train...read, surf the net, sleep?
I'm quite boring really, I'll read the paper in the morning, and sleep on the way home.
Did you always want to work in the City, or did you want to something else when you were growing up?
My dream was always to be a pro-footballer like most kids, but it was installed to me at a very early age that you need to have a back-up. My Dad has always been in the City as a trader which fascinated me, so suppose this was something that I naturally followed.
Growing up a number of your team-mates have told me they played computer games, were you a FIFA or Pro-Evo kid growing up?
I was a Pro-Evo man when I was younger, but over recent years I've switched to FIFA. I have the games but don't really play them too much. I don't really have much time. I would rather watch TV.
So you have the remote for the evening, what are you going to watch?
I'm a big fan of the documentary channels, I love stuff like Deadliest Catch, Storage Hunters, Wicked Tuna, Fast n'Loud and American Pickers.
None of the reality TV stuff like Towie?
Nah my girlfriend will watch that, but she'll record it and watch it when I'm at football.
Do you support a football team?
I'm a Spurs fan, always have been. It's been fun growing up having an Arsenal fan as a best mate!
I feel your pain, I'm a Spurs fan as well. Looking back over time, who do you think has been one of Spurs best players in the last 10 seasons?
I'd go just a bit further back then that, I was a huge fan of David Ginola as a kid.
If you could pick one current Spurs player to play at Concord, who would it be and why?
It would have to be Christian Eriksen - me and him would pop it!!
*This interview took place before Danny Cowley's departure to Braintree*
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