His football career started by proving the doubters wrong – and James Tilley has shown a tendency to thrive when a big challenge is put in front of him.
A debut Championship appearance for Brighton came at the age of only 16, rewarding his perseverance after initially being told he was too small to make the grade.
Fast forward four years and James, who grew up playing football for his village team Billingshurst Youth, in Sussex, packed his bags to swap Brighton for Cork City, an experience that he believes turned him from a boy into a man.
Now aged 25, James is determined to build upon a highly productive start with the Dons – he's already scored 12 goals for us in all competitions.
For those who missed it in our matchday programme for the Colchester match, James talked about his early experiences as a footballer, and why he joined Wimbledon, with the full interview reproduced below.
You had a spell at Cork in Ireland earlier in your career. Was that an experience that you really needed as a young footballer?
Yes, as I wanted to go elsewhere and experience being on my own, so that I could grow up as a person. In some ways it built me into who I am today. It was the first time I had been away from home and I was in a different country on my own, so I had to do everything myself – it turned me into a man. Before that I had been living at home with my Mum doing everything for me!
All of a sudden I was chucked in the deep end, I had to look after myself in a different country. I enjoyed it, but I always wanted to come back and play in the EFL again, to do my best over here.
You also had a spell up north at Grimsby, so what was that experience like?
I was on loan at Yeovil and we were doing well at the time, we got into the play-offs, but I got a call from Grimsby saying that they wanted me to sign there. Ian Holloway was manager at the time and I jumped at the opportunity. Looking back, maybe I should have stayed at Yeovil because I was enjoying it. I had some tough times at Grimsby as I had only been up there a couple of months and then Covid hit and changed everything. I felt I did well initially, but I suffered a bad injury and that set me back. Someone’s knee went into my quad when I was playing and my leg just ballooned – I couldn’t walk for a month.
After two-and-a-half years at Crawley, why did you decide that it was the right time to leave Crawley?
I really enjoyed my time at Crawley, but I wanted a new challenge, and the option to join Wimbledon came up, which I jumped at. I know Terry Skiverton from my time at Yeovil as he was Assistant Manager during my loan spell there. He really helped me at Yeovil, and I spoke to him before I came here – I’m buzzing to be working with him again.
What were the other key reasons for coming here?
It’s a big club and after speaking to staff and hearing what their ambitions were, it was perfect for me at this stage of my career. The Club has a good history, winning the FA Cup in the past, so I’m proud to play my football here.
How do you assess your time at Wimbledon so far?
It has been a good start, but you are always going to have those dips in form. I haven’t been scoring as much as I was at the start of the season, but it’s a challenge and I’m loving taking that on.
A lot of us were not here last season, so we didn’t know what happened. We came in fresh and it’s a completely different group. We’ve got players here with massive potential, but we have a good mix of experience and younger lads who have also played a lot of games – it’s a great group.
As an attacking player with plenty of tricks up your sleeve, do you think that you get targeted on occasions?
At times that has happened, but you have to deal with it. I try to drag my opponent into it and nick the ball past him, so that can result in a few knocks, but that’s my style of play. If you are getting kicked all game it gets frustrating, but I think I’ve always been good at dealing with that sort of thing. As a young footballer, I didn’t get in a temper, I just used to end up with a few dead legs! I’ve always been an attacker and scoring goals is the best feeling in the world.
Was there a turning point in your career that was key to you becoming a professional footballer?
If you ask anyone in my family, I think they would tell you that I always had that drive in me to succeed in football. I wouldn’t go out to parties if I had a game coming up the next day, so I made a lot of sacrifices when I was growing up. It’s hard trying to make it as a professional footballer, it’s a tough profession, but I always had that different mentality to all of my mates. My family love football and they’ve always been there for me, supporting me when I was growing up in my ambition to become a professional footballer.
Was there ever a time when you thought it would be really difficult to make the grade?
I’ve had a few very tough times in my career, but I’ve always had that inner strength – I never give up. I had a difficult time at Brighton after making my debut at the age of 16. At that point everyone is buzzing around you and there’s a lot of attention as a young kid coming through, but I just stagnated really. I needed a change as I didn’t go out on loan until I was 20. I should have done that earlier.
I had a few options, I could have stayed in England and went on loan here, but I chose to go and play in Ireland to do something different. I didn’t want to be playing Under-23s football anymore. I wanted to go and prove myself in men’s football.
Going back to your early career, how did you first get spotted by Brighton?
I was playing for Billingshurst Youth as my Dad was the manager. I’m still in touch with a few of the boys from back then and they’ve been over to watch a few games here.
I went to Brighton on trial a few times, starting at Under-8s, but I wasn’t successful initially as I was told I was too small. It was the same when I went there at Under-10s, but when I was playing for Horsham Under-12s on a Sunday I got spotted by a scout from Brighton and signed on after a two- week trial. That is how my football career got started.
How do you look back on your time at Brighton now?
I loved it at Brighton, I met some amazing people. When I first joined I would train on Mondays and Thursdays in the evenings, my Mum and Dad were taking me everywhere, but then the club started to grow with Tony Bloom taking Brighton forward. The new training ground was built, which is unbelievable, and their Academy now is one of the best in the country.
What was the highlight of your time there?
Making my debut at Middlesbrough away in the Championship. I was very young at the time, I was only 16, so I was still a kid really. It was an unbelievable feeling and it was recognition for my progress because I had been playing for the Under-21s at that age. I had earned the opportunity.
Who were your football inspirations when you were growing up?
I used to always love watching Wayne Rooney and Ronaldinho – they were my favourite players. At their best, both players were unbelievable, and they were my heroes.
If you were not a footballer, what do you think you would be doing?
I honestly don’t know - that’s a hard question! Since I was very young it’s always been football. I played cricket at school and I tried rugby, but that wasn’t for me really. Football was the main thing for me. At lunchtimes at school I would go down to the astroturf and play. I always wanted to be a footballer.