Tom Sparrow’s footballing journey started at the age of nine when he was with Wrexham. His local club provided strong and efficient coaching to help assist the midfielder in his early days.
Playing there for three years helped Sparrow grow and flourish from a young age alongside some other local players.
At the age of 12, he had a number of trials as he began to take the next step on the ladder. That next step would be with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
“I spent three years at Wolves,” Sparrow said.
“It was great but it was a big step up. Wrexham was only 15 minutes from my house, so I was now commuting three or four times a week. I was sometimes in the accommodation at the age of 12 and 13, that was good for me.
“I remember my mum sitting me down and asking if I was serious about all this football stuff because I was missing school two or three times a week. If I wasn’t going to be a football player, I’d have been in trouble!
“But it was a big commitment for her too; she was driving me about all the time.”
Further progression was made within the ranks at Wolves and Sparrow then eyed up his next move after three years there.
“We were going to play Stoke and my agent had said beforehand that they were watching me,” Sparrow explained.
“They offered me a scholarship. I was 15 at the time, so that would last until I was 18. I was buzzing; it was closer to home, and they were in the Premier League at the time. Ironically, when I moved, Stoke and Wolves switched. Wolves went to the Premier League and Stoke dropped down. It didn’t matter to me; Stoke were brilliant.
“I went in at 15 and did a couple years of a standard programme where I would train after school. I started to play for the Under 23s in the Premier League 2 in my second year.
“The coaches had a ranking system where it was As, Bs and Cs and I was never an A, which is where players are pushing to get into the first team.
“I just worked hard and the full-time training changed me; it developed me physically.”
After years of working hard under the radar at Academy level, the time eventually came for Sparrow to get a taste of first-team football.
“Telford was my first loan move,” he stated.
“I was training under Michael O’Neill, who liked me. The loan manager knew the Telford manager at the time and was asking to see if anyone would like the move. I said I’d go and O’Neill liked that. I only played six or seven games but it was seen as a good thing.
“When I went back to Stoke, O’Neill said I had a good chance of playing. I made my first-team debut against Coventry. It was the best feeling ever. I had worked since the age of nine for that moment.
“The left-wing back for Coventry was Ian Maatsen. Callum O’Hare was playing too. I was right-back, so it was a nice, easy afternoon as you can imagine! Thankfully I had Phil Jagielka alongside me, he was smiling and laughing before the game, so that calmed me down.”
That was Sparrow’s first of four appearances for the Potters and with the debut in the bag, he went away with his national setup for some summer work, which he thought put him in a prime position for the following season.
“That summer I just wanted to stay fit,” Sparrow said.
“I knew I’d have a chance of playing and when I came back for pre-season, I’d only had a week off, so I was ready to play.
I played more games but then the manager moved on.
“We then signed Dujon Sterling, and that was kind of the end for me there. It was frustrating because the other manager believed in me and I was going to play. If I knew I wasn’t going to play, I’d have gotten a loan move. It meant I was stuck until Christmas. which is risky. I could fall out of the team or something.
“Alex Neil was ex-Hamilton, so he said a move there would be good for me in January. They were struggling and I went up on my own. We were fighting relegation, so it wasn’t always a nice dressing room. We were 11 points adrift initially but clawed it back and lost in the playoff.
“It was a good experience and a first test in a different dressing room. When I made my debut at Stoke, I was buzzing and thought this was easy. Then, the nine months after that showed me how difficult it can be.”
Learning the trade and the range of emotions that come with it, Sparrow was maturing at a fast rate despite his young age and the next hurdle that he had to overcome would come shortly after.
“I was 21, and I knew I wasn’t going to play games,” the midfielder explained.
“So, I agreed with Stoke that I would go. They were brilliant with me and I made some great friends. I said to them that I wanted to play under 21s so people could see me play.
“I backed myself. My thinking was, if I was going to play, people would like what they saw. It would be a better environment for me to play rather than going on loan.
“We played Arsenal in an Under-21s match and Stuart Kettlewell was watching. We had a Zoom call after and I knew I wanted the move straight away. It’s a good level but I wanted a manager that believed in me.”
From then on, terms were agreed and by the start of the summer, Sparrow had started to move into the local area.
“It was good to get here early,” Sparrow added.
“I met everyone on the first day, and it meant that because other boys came in after me, I wasn’t the new player for very long. Pre-season was good and I feel fit now.
“The dressing room is brilliant; some of the best lads I’ve been with. Nobody hammers anyone for mistakes, it’s just about trying to gel and play the best we can.
“We showed against Rangers that we can compete with anyone despite the injuries. It was brilliant to play at Hampden, it was a massive crowd and a big pitch. Hopefully we do well in the cup and can find ourselves back there again.
“At Under 18s, we got to the Premier League Cup Final. We played Manchester City, who had Palmer, Delap and McAtee. We got pumped!
“But we beat Chelsea on the route to that final. It was a tiny taste of how good a cup run can be. I’m really keen to experience that again, but on a bigger level. The fans would love a cup run with some special moments, so we’ll be working to try and deliver that.”
