‘A different pathway’ - The former Sunderland academy striker targeting a return to the professional game

He may only be 21 but Michael Fowler has already experienced so much during a relatively young career in football.

After starting out playing alongside Jack Diamond in Sunderland’s academy system, the striker was released by the Black Cats and went on to spend time in the youth setups at Burnley and Fleetwood Town.   Three loan spells in non-league football returned mixed results before an unexpected move stateside saw Fowler represent Coastal Carolina Chanticleers for a short spell last years.

A move back to the North East saw a number of clubs make contact with the striker but it was Northern Premier League East club Dunston UTS that won the race for his services when he joined them last December.  Fowler made an immediate impact as his scored on his debut in a 2-0 win against promotion challengers Marske United and he went on to finish the season with 14 goals in his first 16 appearances for the UTS Stadium club.

His integration into life in non-league football has been a smooth one - and it was not by chance according to the frontman.

He told The Echo: “I think the best thing I did when I was at the Burnley academy was going out on loan and getting some experience.  The professional game doesn’t last forever, I knew that could happen at the time, so getting that experience helped when I came out of the academy at a young age.

“Burnley was fantastic for me and I can’t fault them as a club.  The setup, the people involved, the way they dealt with me, they were brilliant.  They advised me to go out on loan and I went to three different clubs - Guiseley, Bamber Bridge and FC United of Manchester - and got that experience at such a young age.  I think players that don’t experience that may struggle when they are released and end up playing non-league football because it’s a totally different environment.”

Despite suffering a number of setbacks in his own career, Fowler has been inspired by the progress made by former Sunderland team-mate Jack Diamond and Everton winger Dwight McNeill, who he played alongside during his time at Burnley.

Diamond had high hopes of forcing his way into the Black Cats side upon their return to the Championship but has continued to impress during an impressive loan spell at League One side Lincoln City.  McNeill’s season could also be described as one of frustration after he made an immediate return to the Premier League with Everton after being unable to prevent Burnley from suffering relegation last season.

The 22-year-old wideman has made just seven starts for The Toffees since joining moving to Goodison Park in a reported £20m deal during the summer transfer window and will hope to force his way into Frank Lampard’s thinking over the coming weeks.

Fowler is keen to return to the professional game over the coming years and described the progress made by McNeill and Diamond as ‘a motivating factor’ in his bid to play at a higher level.

He said: “I still have goals and aims to get back into the professional game at some point, maybe one day that will happen.  Football is what I have done all of my life and it’s all I have known until I came to Dunston.  I’ve trained everyday in the past, obviously that’s different now but I have experienced that side of the game in the academy and I want to get back to the professional level at some point.”

“There is no perfect pathway if I am honest.  I see people like Jack (Diamond) and Dwight (McNeill) and they are doing well.  I still talk to them and I am delighted to see them progressing in their own careers.  But seeing what they are doing is a motivating factor for me because I want to do what they are doing, it’s where I want to be playing but I can only do that if I impress here at Dunston.”

Despite his determination to succeed as a pro, Fowler is committed to impressing for Dunston and he heads into this weekend’s FA Trophy first round tie against Coalville Town with nine goals in 15 games so far this season.

The striker made an honest admission over his own performances but hailed the ‘platform’ he has been given at a club that are putting in an impressive challenge for promotion into step three of the non-league pyramid this season.

“I love it at Dunston,” he explained.  The goals have come, but this season, I don’t think I’ve hit the levels of performance that I need to hit.  As a striker, if you aren’t playing well, the least you can do is get the goals because that is what you are judged on.

“This is a great club to be at, the fans are fantastic, the committee are hardworking and the staff and players have been fantastic.  I’ve only been here for nine months but it feels like forever because we have done so much.  It’s given me a platform and you’re always in the shop window, so I know I have a long way to go but I also know what I have to do to get there.

“Everyone is alert, especially forward players, you get the attention.  I’ve had a different pathway to get to where I am and hopefully the one I am on can take me to where I want to be in the future.”