‘Football was my god – until I found Jesus’

When Wycombe Wanderers’ Jason McCarthy became a Christian, his family, fiancée and teammates thought he’d lost the plot. But thanks to a miraculous goal and a crazy dream, things soon changed

I had an amazing childhood, filled with football. I went through the academy at Southampton Football Club and broke into the first team. Then I went on a couple of loan moves, before signing for Barnsley FC. My then-girlfriend, Zara, and I moved up to South Yorkshire. 

It was the worst year of my life. I got held at knifepoint, I was assaulted in a nightclub, I got burgled. My uncle and grandad passed away in the same week. My dad became depressed, and I started really struggling.