Former West Brom and Walsall midfielder Sam Mantom on pandemic impact on football, part-time and promotion

For the midfielder who broke through Albion's academy before going on to play over 150 times for the Saddlers, it would have been the peak of his career.

However, his Scunthorpe side would lose out to Rotherham in the League One play-off final, with the Millers going on to win promotion.

Mantom left the Irons that summer and less two years later he was in a difficult situation alongside scores of other professional footballers. He was out of contract at Southend and without a club in the middle of the global pandemic, facing the reality of leaving the full time game.

The 31-year-old, who now lives back in the West Midlands combines working with playing, and has helped Rushall Olympic achieve promotion to the National League North in his first season.

Speaking on the latest guest episode of the Baggies Broadcast podcast, Mantom, who signed for Albion as a youngster from Walsall for £20,000, has revealed how he could have gone down a very different path.

However the midfielder, who graduated from Albion's academy alongside the likes of Romaine Sawyers and Saido Berahino said he doesn't dwell on how his professional career came to an abrupt halt.

He said: "I lost in the four play-offs, how unlucky can you get.

"I look back and think if we go up there, I would have been playing Championship football, you never know what path you could have been on then.