Conor Washington hopes Northern Ireland's match with Germany will be a good omen
Thursday 2 June 2016 16:15, UK
Northern Ireland striker Conor Washington is hoping his team's final group match in Euro 2016 will be a good omen.
The sides will meet in Paris on Tuesday, June 21 at the Parc des Princes in their Group C encounter, and the 24-year-old ex-postman revealed he used to relish playing on a Tuesday, rather than arriving for Saturday fixtures fatigued during his time with non-League St Ives between 2010 and 2012.
"At the time scouts were coming to watch I was praying they would come on Tuesday night because at least I would get some sleep in the afternoon," Washington said.
"I was turning up to some Saturday FA Vase games, the biggest games of my career at the time, and I literally had to run my round. I probably shouldn't say this but I had to bring my mate in - there was late post, it was probably delivered to the wrong address, parcels going missing - just to try and get to this game.
"One of the last games of the season I turned up three minutes before kick-off, it was just carnage. Thinking back now, it's so funny."
Having averaged more than a goal-a-game in his 50 appearances for a club in the ninth tier, Washington then got his break with Newport.
They were promoted to the Football League in his first season, although Washington barely featured, scoring just once in the league and being left out of the squad which won the play-off final at Wembley.
"We got promoted but I hadn't played any part in it," Washington said.
"As much as it was great for all the lads, it was a horrible feeling. I've only been involved in one promotion and I didn't feel like I'd actually contributed at all.
"I sat down with my parents and just said, 'I'm going to give it one last go. I've got one year left, if it doesn't work out there's other options I can explore - going in the airforce and things like that'.
"It was chains are off, shackles are off; I went back in pre-season and the first few sessions a few of the lads were a bit surprised that I was maybe as good as I was.
"It was really nice at that point to take all the pressure off myself and go and enjoy it.
"From where I've come from, it's been a crazy ride up through the leagues.
"There might be those niggling doubts of am I good enough to play at this level? Hopefully I've done enough to quash those worries.
"Football's football at any level, if you're good enough you'll play and have an impact. I back myself 100 per cent of the time to have an effect on the game."
