Walsall defender Priestley Farquharson recalls KV Oostende trial
Walsall defender Priestley Farquharson has never been adverse to taking a risk. His unorthodox path into the professional game illustrates just that.
Having been released by Wycombe Wanderers aged 15, Farquharson swapped grass pitches for sandy beaches as he made 63 caps for the England Beach Football National Team.
A return to football would follow. After plying his trade in non-league at Hitchin Town, Billericay Town and Hayes & Yeading United, Farquharson was presented with a unique opportunity when Cymru Premier outfit Connah’s Quay Nomads came knocking in January 2019.
His first full season heralded a Europa League debut (in the qualifiers) and the league and cup double, as well as the division’s Young Player of the Year award, which inevitably attracted glances from afar.
In the summer of 2020, Farquharson, who had been working behind a bar just 18 months prior, was invited for a trial at Belgian top-flight outfit KV Oostende.
