‘We can pull ourselves out of this rut’ – Talbot

Feb 26 2009 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

JASON Talbot was eyeing his future as a Premiership star. After being snapped up by Bolton Wanderers at 14, the left-back had seen some of the continent’s biggest stars arrive at the Reebok Stadium.

Nigerian magician Jay Jay Okocha and Spain’s international record goalscorer Fernando Hierro were just two of several massive stars who the teenager trained with on a daily basis.

Bolton were going places and Talbot hoped he would be too, but unfortunately the youngster was deemed surplus to requirements by then-boss Sam Allardyce and he was released.

A short and unhappy spell with Mansfield followed before a more successful two-and-a-half years dominating the left-back position at Port Vale.

But last summer an offer of a trial in West Lothian caught the 23-year-old’s imagination and he has never looked back.

Talbot enjoyed a superb start to his career with Livingston as he helped the Lions to the top of the table.

He even scored his first and, to date, only Senior goal this season and he admits he is loving life as a Livi Lion.

He said: “I’m enjoying it here and it’s turned out to be a really good move for me.

“We started off to a flyer and we went to the top of the league. We maybe had a bit of luck with us at that time and we hit a bad patch but we’ve come through that.

“There are still plenty of points which will be won and lost by all the teams and I’m still confident if we can pull ourselves out of this little rut we are in then we still have a chance of promotion. The belief in the camp is still there.

“I’m signed for two years and I’d like to stay at the club as long as possible.”

Talbot spent four years with Bolton as he progressed from a YTS to a professional and although he struggled to break into the first-team he reckons he learned a lot.

“When I joined Bolton they were in the Championship and the difference in the calibre of players they were bringing in originally and after they reached the Premiership was huge.

“Some of the players being signed were guys I’d watched on TV as a kid. It was amazing to play and train with guys like that and I definitely learned a lot from coming up against them on the training ground every day.

“After three years with Bolton they qualified for Europe so they needed to bring in some more experienced players for that and a whole bunch of youngsters were released.

“It was hard to take as I’d worked hard to get to where I was and it had been taken away. But luckily I had spent time on loan at other clubs so I knew what playing Senior football was all about.”

Talbot made the switch to Conference side Mansfield Town but it proved to be a match made in hell for the youngster, who admits he was desperately unhappy at Field Hill.

He continued: “I was only there for six months but I didn’t enjoy my time there at all and couldn’t wait to get away. I managed to get a move to Port Vale where I stayed two-and-a-half years.”

Talbot has made lung-bursting surges up the flank his trademark this season but for someone who spends up to half the match in the opposition half he has only ever scored once.

“I don’t score many goals and the one I scored against Ross County was my first career goal,” he revealed.

“My game is more about getting forward and trying to help create goals.

“The standard of football here has also been a surprise and it is better than I expected it would be.

“Some players down south had warned me the standard would be poor but they have been well wide of the mark. It’s been great and the football I’m involved in this season is far better than last season.”