REECE STYCHE is planning to make his mark in the Football League with Wycombe Wanderers – by being a right nuisance!
Until now the 24-year-old has spent his whole career grafting away and scoring goals in Non-League with the likes of Hednesford and Chasetown.
But in three years at parent club Forest Green, Wycombe‘s on-loan striker really made his name by hitting the net 38 times in 78 starts.
That the highly-rated former England C international only made his debut in the Football League three weeks ago is largely down to loyalty and two injury-hit years.
And he knows that now he’s on a different stage, he’s got to prove his worth all over again.
“It’s weird isn’t it? You come from the Conference into the League and really people don’t know what you’re about,” Styche said.
“You make a name for yourself in the Conference – everyone knows what type of player you are.
“When you come into the League you kind of have to replicate all that again. It’s going to take me time to get used to playing in League Two. But the first part about me is my work rate and just being a nuisance and a horrible player to play against. Hopefully then the goals will start coming too.”
Styche is back at full speed after a year of hell that started with a seemingly innocuous challenge in a game against Wrexham, but resulted in a cruciate injury. And despite missing nine months, Styche is determined to use a tough year to drive him on in 2014.
“It was the worst year of my life,” he said. “I had the cruciate injury and then my grandad passed away in the summer. Then my nan, who I was really close to, passed away before Christmas.
“I found out on the training pitch. The new gaffer, Adrian Pennock, told me. We were just doing a passing drill and I remember seeing the physio walk off just after the gaffer shouted my name.
Buzzing
“I’m not spiritual or religious but I believe everything happens for a reason. All you can do is be positive. 2013 has gone and I had it in the back of mind that 2014 is going to be a good year.
“I’m absolutely buzzing at the minute. I got the move to Wycombe, made my League debut and now I’ve been called up for Gibraltar. It’s massive and I’m in a good place at the moment.”
Styche, who qualifies through his grandmother, says the Gibraltar call for the upcoming friendlies with the Faroe Islands and Estonia has got his whole family excited.
Now he wants to be involved with UEFA’s newest member’s European Championship qualification campaign.
“My nan, who lives in Germany, is Gibraltarian,” Styche said. “My uncles, aunties and cousins all live over there and they’re really proud.
“I’ve got a little cousin who plays football but I’ve never met him because he’s only young so it’s great for the family over in Gib.
“It would be great to pull out a big pot. England, Belgium, Norway, Wales, Northern Ireland – something like that would be amazing.
“You go and watch it in the pub when England are playing. It would be nice to be involved. Fingers crossed I can be involved but it depends on how I play here.”
