Tuesday 29 September 2020 18:52, UK
Leaving a club the size of Rangers can be difficult, but for Harry Forrester it gave him fresh impetus to challenge himself away from England.
After a number of loan moves, the 29-year-old now calls Orange County his home, a decision he believes was one of the best of his career.
Forrester joined Orange County in January 2019, arguably the biggest club outside of Major League Soccer and the only professional team outwith the top division.
Forrester is now fully fit and looking forward to helping the side push for a play-off place but during his rehabilitation, he took time to reflect on key moments in his career, spells at Brentford and Rangers in particular.
"Brentford was one of my favourite moments in my career. It's good to see them where they are now," he told Sky Sports News. "I'm sure they'll be up there again this season.
"Getting to the play-off final, scoring against Chelsea in the FA Cup and being named man of the match against such a big side…I'll never forget that. Matthew Benham [Brentford owner] had a plan for that club the minute I walked in and it's great to see where they are now."
Forrester's form for Brentford did not go unnoticed at Rangers and by Mark Warburton in particular, a former Brentford manager, and they were eventually reunited after he was allowed to leave Doncaster for Ibrox, a move he considers 'life-changing'.
"You've got to have thick skin up there," he said. "I loved my time there. I didn't like how it ended but that happens when a new manager comes in.
"The fans really took to me which I'll always appreciate. When you do well there you feel like a king in the city but on the flip side, it isn't nice when you aren't doing well. Beating Celtic when we were in the league below them was the highlight.
"It just doesn't get any bigger than the Old Firm and that toughened me up. I keep in touch with Mark [Warburton], he's got a real eye for talent, he brought in Tav [James Tavernier] and he's still the captain at Rangers."
Forrester believes life in Glasgow helped him realise there are opportunities in football way beyond the UK but life as an Orange County player is rather different to being in the blue half of Glasgow.
"We fly three to four hours for an away game, different time zones, different weather, it was quite a shock at first but it was exciting," he added. "We sometimes play in stadiums that are used mainly for baseball, everything is a test but that really stood out to me.
"We play in Las Vegas, San Diego and Los Angeles but I don't see a bit of it but that's part and parcel of being a footballer.
"Last year we played Las Vegas, we got the bus straight back to the airport which was hard to take! I've been impressed with the standard in all honesty. It's fair to say football over here was considered a retirement home but you simply can't have that attitude anymore."
You would imagine lockdown life in Orange County to be rather straightforward but Forrester admits being away from his family in England took its toll.
"I tried to keep as busy as possible. [Former Rangers team-mate] Rob Kiernan is here with me and we created a coaching school for kids via Zoom. It became really popular and we had kids all over the world signing in. It was good keeping busy.
"I've got my family back in England and I haven't seen my daughter all year, that's been tough, I can't lie."
When asked about his next move, Forrester was quick to stress his intention is to stay at the club for many years to come.
"I feel responsible for the younger players. I love mentoring them, they all love English football. I've got a good few years left in me," he said.
"I loved being at Rangers but knew it was a club always in transition and looking to make changes, but for the first time in my career, I can genuinely see myself at a club for a long time. I'm very ambitious and want success here at Orange County."
