9:02am Thursday 17th January 2008
By Dave Flett
YORK City new signing Jimmy Beadle has turned his back on "soft" Scandinavian football to return to the cut and thrust of Conference life.
Beadle, 19, has come back to England after playing first in the Swedish fourth division and then for Norwegian outfit Steinkjer FK.
The former Scarborough centre-back made the decision after finding the northern European game did not suit his physical approach to football.
Recouting his Scandinavian experiences, Beadle said: "I received a call from somebody at the FA asking me if I wanted to go to Sweden and it was either that or go and work on a building site in the summer, so I went out there but I didn't like it. I was getting sent off all the time and suspended a lot.
"It's really soft over there and, while it probably made me a better player technically, it did not suit me. I like to tackle and win headers but I just ended up getting booked a lot.
"The standard in Sweden wasn't the best but it was better in Norway. I was playing for a team that were just two leagues below Rosenborg but, while the lifestyle was good in the summer, it got a bit cold towards the end in Norway.
"It was very expensive as well. I had a two-year contract in Norway but I had an agreement that if the club did not stay up I could leave and we were bottom of the league so I went."
Beadle has since trained with Farlsey Celtic, Northwich, Altrincham and Welsh team TNS but hung out for a contract offer from the Minstermen, who he contacted for a trial having previously worked under Colin Walker's current assistant Eric Winstanley at Scarborough.
Despite being a lifelong fan of the Seadogs until the club's recent closure, Beadle also had no qualms about joining his former side's old rivals, adding: "I supported Scarborough all my life but never saw York as the enemy.
"The first York derbies were a bit before my time. I started going to games when I was eight and Hull and Doncaster were the rivals because York were always in a higher division and when the most recent derbies came along I was on the bench as a player so it was a bit different."
Beadle broke into Scarborough's first team along with current Barnsley striker Michael Coulson at the age of 16 when the club were still in the Conference and the new City signing admits his former team-mate's exploits in the Championship help drive him on.
He said: "Michael is my best friend and he shows what can be done.
"We had two really good years together at Scarborough and, when I talk to him now and hear how well he's doing and the lifestyle he's leading, that's what everyone wants.
"York are going forward as a club and that will help me go forward. I just want to establish myself in the first team.
"I'm ambitious so I want to be playing every week and get as far as I can."
Beadle is also far from fussy about where he plays, adding: "I'm mainly a centre-half but I played sweeper a lot in Norway and have played right-back and centre-midfield, as well as centre-forward last season at Scarborough and, as long as I'm playing, I'm happy."
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