Perhaps Weston should contact Turner

At this time of the year lots of footballers are out of work and looking for a new club. Rhys Weston is one of them.

This morning's Independent features Weston and tells how he is currently on the dole.

Weston 'went to the National School of Excellence at Lilleshall with Scott Parker. He made his Premiership debut in the same match, and same Arsenal defence, as Ashley Cole. He made his international debut against Rui Costa. He won two promotions, one in front of a delirious crowd at the Millennium Stadium. All fond memories. But today Weston just waits. Waits for the phone to ring, waits for his agent to call, waits to be told he is wanted. At 26, this veteran of 232 professional matches is on the scrapheap, temporarily at least.'

From when Dave Jones took over at Cardiff City in 2005, life for Weston took a turn for the worse.

"Some managers like you, some don't. For whatever reason David Jones didn't fancy me," says Weston.

He was offered a contract extension but with a 20% pay cut. As he was settled in the area with a young family he took it. But at the end of the season he spoke to Jones who told him that he was going to sell him on.

"Full-back is not the most glamorous position, people will not pay money if they can help it. Time went on, nothing happened, then he said he'd take a nominal fee," said Weston.

In November he moved to Viking Stravanger in Norway. Luck was not on his side as within four days of the move the manager was sacked and the new manager perferred local players.

"I found myself stuck in the same situation I'd been in at Cardiff, but thousands of miles away from family and friends"

Then he was injured, returned home and started to look for another club. At the end of January Port Vale approached him. However he had to take a 75% pay cut from his Cardiff salary. (figures suggest average pay in the Championship to be about £195,000 and League One about £67,850).

He played 15 times for Vale but was not retained. Weston thought Foyle wanted to bring in cheaper players. But Foyle made other excuses about his style of play and attitude.

"I think he wanted to bring in cheaper players, he'd been tapping up a couple I know. So why not just admit it was necessary to release me for financial reasons - or, if that is his real opinion of me, why not tell me?"

"It's a bit daunting trusting your future to someone else (agents) but you have to. I don't know enough people in football to ring them up. It is worrying. I've a family and I'm the sole breadwinner.

"We don't have any money coming in until I get a contract. And it is a bad time. Connor goes to secondary school next year. That's a daunting enough prospect in itself for a kid. It is a vital time in his life, the formative years. Kids are adaptable but to get the best out of themselves at school they need a settled home life. He doesn't even know where he'll be living.

"I've been away from home seven out of 12 months this year so the next move I get, if it ever materialises, we'll be moving lock, stock and barrel.

"Money is tight in football now. Three or four years ago people would think nothing of giving you a two-year deal to see how you got on, they won't do that anymore.

"I don't want to be looking over my shoulder again, nicking a year here, a year there, trying to drag it out as long as possible. It does make you take stock a little bit. You know you won't play football forever but normally you don't think about the future until you get to 30. But it's not desperation stakes yet. If it comes to the end of July and I'm still going down the gym on my own every day, maybe then it will be time to start panicking."

Perhaps Rhys Weston should speak to Graham Turner. Hereford isn't far from Cardiff and Weston is a useful full-back.

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