Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel claims that after sustaining a major knee injury towards the end of the previous season, he was forced to give up football.
The defender has just started training with his teammates again while he recovers to full fitness.
Gabriel acknowledges that his family’s support has gotten him through the past few months, and he claims that the positive comments on social media have outnumbered the negative ones.
“It’s always challenging because there are those who support you and those who wish to harm you,” he remarked.
“Due to the overwhelming support from the fans, I wanted to return the favor, but I had to step away from football.
“Recently, I’ve found myself in numerous situations where it seemed like I was never able to catch a break.
“I worked on myself during the off-season to clear my head and prepare myself to compete.
“The fans are appreciated for everything they do, and no matter what is said—positive or negative—those sentiments will always remain.
“Having my family close by was really beneficial.
“I had my little girl, and my fiance was about to become a mother once more.
“My sweetie’s family has been incredibly helpful. It was so much better to have them around during my bad days.
It’s nice that they’ve been making an effort to help me get through each day.
“To the fans, I am just a player; that’s all I am, but we are also people.
“My primary goal has always been to return to playing, but I also have my clothing brand and a few other things.
“I have an idea of where I want to go and the game I want to play, but it all depends on the staff and their accuracy.
“I must confirm that I have sufficient miles in my bank.
“Having goals is essential because without them, you have nothing to strive for or aspirations to pursue.”
Lawrence-Gabriel has been collaborating closely with Seasiders summer recruit Kyle Joseph over the past few months as he recovers from an injury.
The former fullback for Nottingham Forest continued, “He’s a great guy.”
“Working with a partner motivates you to persevere.”
“I want to get there if that’s where he’s at. You constantly encourage one another to return to your desired state.
The humor is also quite good; he’s still developing it, but I’m encouraging him. He’s still a long way off, but hopefully he’ll make it.
“There are folks at the club who work behind the scenes and support us.
“There are enough people in the area to look out for you and offer support.”
Lawrence-Gabriel acknowledges that he is keen to make an impression on Neil Critchley, who made a comeback to Bloomfield Road this summer.
In his final season as Blackpool’s manager, the 25-year-old was signed by the former QPR manager.
He said, “I still have something to prove to the manager.”
There’s always something you need to work on and you need to convince the manager that you deserve to play because we have new players joining us.
“I must do what I do best, and hopefully that will be sufficient to regain my place on the team.”
