“When you’re not playing football, life is a bit out of sync.”
It’s been a frustrating few years for Patrick Bamford, culminating in a campaign in which he made just 17 Championship appearances last season, leading to his sacking from Leeds United after they were promoted back to the Premier League.
In the end, he was a free agent for several months.
“Most mornings I would train from 8am until lunch, whether it was in the gym, on the field or on the track. It kept me busy,” says Bamford, 32. Ski Sports.
“Outside of that, I played a little golf until it got cold and spent time with my family. I was never in a slump, but there was always that feeling of wanting to get back and play properly again.”
Patrick Bamford won the Ski Bet Championship Player of the Month award for December
He trained for Coventry City but did not sign a contract. Eventually Sheffield United came calling. It was an unlikely move, given the somewhat shaky history between the two sides.
It was only last April, after all, that the forward was filmed on social media chanting abuse at the Blades and boss Chris Wilder as Leeds celebrated promotion.
But a short-term contract was signed and, despite a lack of recent action, Bamford was immediately promoted. Five goals in the Championship were scored in the first six starts.
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Patrick Bamford gave Sheffield United the lead against Wrexham with a superb improvised effort.
“It was really good,” says Bamford. “The fact that it was such a smooth transition helped a lot. As a striker, you rely on your teammates a lot and the boys were great.
“I knew I was in a good place physically because of the work I had done beforehand. A few weeks training with Coventry helped me get up to speed as well.”
“There’s no substitute for games, but once I got a run of matches I knew it would only take a few to get the match sharpness back, and that’s how it worked out.”
Bamford dismisses the idea that the time off has given him a new lease of life at age 32, but he definitely feels it has changed his perspective a bit.
“I don’t know if the time off has helped physically, but mentally I’m definitely enjoying it more,” he says. “Getting back into it and feeling a part of it again gave me that extra boost.”
“The biggest realization for me was how much I missed playing football. And apart from everything else, I realized that I still really enjoyed it, which was important.”
“There’s just something wrong when you’re not playing. When you get back into the routine of midweek and weekend games, you feel normal again. When you’re playing, you’re happy and that fits in with everything else.”
Of course, with his good form and past reputation, there was interest from other sides in January as his short-term contract was coming to an end.
But he now remains in place, having signed an 18-month deal earlier in January. He feels that he is in the right place to continue his football journey.
“Once I came in and settled in so easily, it just made sense,” says Bamford. “I enjoyed my football and I liked Chris’s plans for the club and where he wanted to be in the next 18 months.
“You play your best football when you’re happy and who you’re comfortable with, and that’s how I felt here. It was a very easy decision.”