Malvern Town have received a boost for the second half of the season following a Christmas gift from New Zealand.
Former striker, Jordan Annear, has returned to these shores following time living on the other side of the world and re-signed for the Pitching In Southern League Division One South club over the festive period.
“I’m very excited to be back,” he told us. “I absolutely loved my time at the club during the 2023/24 season, and if it hadn’t been for my wife and I relocating to New Zealand to experience something different, I would have happily remained.
“From the bar staff and volunteers to those working behind the scenes and the management, the environment around the club was outstanding and made playing football each week a real pleasure, so I had no hesitation in coming back.
“I followed the club very closely while I was living away, even waking up at 2am for the play-off final last season!
“I’m still very close with a lot of the boys and have also chatted to Hoops [manager, Lee Hooper] quite regularly since I have been away.
“The team had such a strong run last season, coming so close to reaching Step 3, and hopefully we can keep the good form going this season and give it another push because we go into the New Year in a really good position in the Division One South table.”
The Annears are now back in Worcestershire having enjoyed their experience on the other side of the world.
“We really loved living somewhere completely new and pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones,” Jordan added. “We both enjoyed the lifestyle, the different way of living and the work–life balance, but being on the other side of the world was just a bit too far away from family and friends.
“We’re so glad we did it, though, as it had a really positive impact on our lives.
“While I was away, I played for Napier City Rovers in New Zealand’s Central League. It was an incredible experience playing football in another country and adapting to a new environment. Napier were a very professional, family-oriented club, which made settling in much easier.
“The highlight was qualifying for the National League, giving me the opportunity to fly all over the country and compete against some top teams. Playing against Auckland City—who have competed in the most recent FIFA Club World Cup—was a particularly memorable experience.
“It will stand me in good stead for me return to the Southern League, which is a very tough and physical competition where the standards are rising all of the time.
“Alongside having many technically-gifted players, it’s important to have a strong team morale. The schedule is so much more intense over here and with that you need to have a large and committed squad, which I believe we have here at Malvern Town.
“My aims and targets for the remainder of the season are to get up to speed as quickly as possible with the team’s mentality, how we approach games and to get back playing alongside the boys.
“On a personal level, I obviously want to be playing regularly, but I’m equally excited to help wherever needed and hopefully be a positive addition to an already very talented squad.
“As I say, the club has put itself in a really strong position heading into the New Year, so it’s important that we keep the momentum going and see where it takes us at the end of the season.”
Annear has come off the bench in each of the Hillsiders’ last two games as they find themselves fourth in the table going into Saturday’s home game against Bideford AFC.
IMAGE | Cliff Williams
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