“BORN in 1980, I was an only child. I lived with my great aunt, Sheila, and uncle, Ted, in Pill but I was also very close to my mum, Kerry.

My mum and I were best friends and she was only 20 when she had me.

She lived in Bettws and was only ever a phone call away.

I still see my dad, John, who lives in Bettws. He was always around and used to give me lifts to training.

I wasn’t spoilt, but my aunty, uncle and mum tried to give me whatever they could.

They were from a traditional background and they were big on instilling the traditional Catholic values of honesty and respect.

Ted used to work in the docks and they had no kids themselves.

There was never any arguing in that house and it was a really loving environment.

I was quite shy when I was younger and my family used to have to hide when they watched me playing football or rugby.

I’d get so embarrassed and go mad, but they always supported me. They didn’t have a car, yet they always got me to every training session and trial.

I was constantly playing football and would always be covered head to toe in muck.

My aunt would go mad, yet she would always have a bath running for me.

My love of football started when my uncle took me down to Albion Rovers Under-10s when I was six.

I told the coach I was 10 and after training, he remarked to my uncle that I was really good but a little bit small. I laughed.

From there, it was non-stop and I went to Pill AFC, between the ages of seven and 12, and then the civil service and men’s football at the YMCA.

At 15, I was selected for Wales’ Under-16s to play in Poland. I was the only one there without a professional contract, and 10 years later I looked back on that squad list and realised I was the only one still playing professionally. That made me very proud.

I joined Newport AFC at the age of 17 in 1998 and I was fast-tracked into the first-team. I wasn’t full-time, so I worked as a postman, too.

I got in the hard way, really, as I was not a full-time professional until the age of 21 and saw the other side of life.

I was going to games after a 5am start and it was really tough. I enjoyed being out in the open though, and I knew an office job wouldn’t suit me. They really looked after me, even when it was freezing cold.

I then moved to Barry to play full-time as an attacking midfielder, and it was unbelievable to be a part of those Porto games in the Champions League in 2001.

We lost 8-0 away, facing talented players like Ricardo Carvalho, Deco, Jorge Costa, and Helder Postiga.

It was a good lesson and we went on to beat them 3-1 in Barry. I’ll never forget that header I scored in that game.

It was during my time at Barry that my daughter Dionne was born and that was really special.

She’s 14 now and is starting to give me grief and it reminds me of how I gave my aunt, uncle, and Mum earaches. It’s part of growing up.

I went on to play for Wigan in 2002 and my career took off professionally, with two promotions in three years.

It was a big adjustment and really made me grow up, but it was the best time in my career.

I realised my dream with those promotions and my first ever league goal.

When you’re playing with Leighton Baines and Jimmy Bullard, it can only help you and our manager, Paul Jewell, taught me a lot about discipline and being a professional.

It was hard to leave Wigan in 2005, but I had to forge my own career and play week in, week out.

I went on to captain Gillingham, before playing for Blackpool, Huddersfield, and Bradford.

I was really missing Dionne and spoke to Justin Edinburgh, who was going for promotion with Newport County in 2012/13.

That idea of helping my hometown club back into the Football League really appealed to me.

I went on to have my first-ever appearance at Wembley with County and that was really personal.

I couldn’t enjoy it until the final whistle and I had a tear in my eye.

I don’t usually get emotional for football but I was like a teenager who had just been dumped that day.

It had been a tough period of my life, and my aunt died in 2007 and my Mum in 2008. I was heartbroken.

But, last year, I met my amazing fiancé Victoria, who is due to giveing birth in May.

It’s like we’ve been together forever and she’s really supportive.

We were introduced through a mutual friend and I changed my bank branch to see more of her as she works in Lloyds in Maindee.

I had never been there in all my life, but she sorted out any problems I had. She keeps me on a level.

At 34, I’m out of my comfort zone now and I have to make sure I’m ready for retirement.

The life of a footballer is a dream but unless you’re earning thousands per week at the top level, you really have to prepare for the future. It doesn’t last forever.

I’ve been preparing and I got a 2:1 in a BA in sports journalism at Staffordshire University in 2010 and I did my coaching A-licence at Dragon Park in 2013.

I’m going to go for my UEFA Pro Licence in the future and plan on having a year off to develop more coaching techniques and gain more experience before going back.

I’m also opening an estate agency, Crook, Hudson, and Flynn, in the area in the coming weeks.

As a youth development coach at County, it’s rewarding in a different way as it’s a great buzz to help the young boys on their journey. It can be frustrating, as you want to be out there, but it has been a smooth transition for me.

I talk to the first-team manager and recommend who’s ready, but it would be great to keep on playing for one more season.

If someone said you’d play until the age of 35 when I was 20, I would’ve bitten their hand off.”