Ex-Crawley Town star opens up on depression battle after fallout with John Yems
Ricardo German has found the perfect Taskmaster to rekindle his career after fearing he was being driven out of football by depression.
The Grenada international striker is a fans' favourite at Southern Premier League minnows Chesham United, whose shirts are sponsored by the hit Channel 4 comedy game show.
Alex Horne – Taskmaster Greg Davies' co-host 'Little Alex', although he stands 6ft 2in – is on the Generals board and his sprinkling of stardust has lifted the club's profile on and off the pitch.
And as Chesham, at home to Maidstone United, bid to reach the FA Cup second round for only the third time in their 106-year history, German is enjoying a new lease of life after an unhappy stint in League football.
During his three years at Crawley, manager John Yems' behaviour earned him a three-year ban for 12 breaches of anti-discrimination rules. German, a delivery porter with John Lewis, had little sympathy for Yems, who was drummed out after five players and the club chaplain gave evidence to an independent regulatory commission.
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Now 24, he is thankful to be enjoying his football again after he was marginalised at the Broadfield stadium and he drifted into a dark spiral of introspection. “I'm having a ball and we couldn't have asked for a better start to the season,” he said. “To reach the first round of the FA Cup is something we haven't done for a while and it's good fun to mix it with the big boys.
“The Taskmaster connection gives us big exposure and we can feel the extra projection Alex Horne has brought us as a club. I'm probably one of the most passionate lads in the team – I live, eat and sleep football – and playing for Chesham has given me a new lease of life, but life hasn't always been sweet.
German is thriving after a nightmare stint at Crawley Town (Trevor Hyde/ Chesham United)“After falling out with the manager at Crawley, I was effectively suspended for a year because my face didn't fit. My career was going nowhere, I suffered from mental health issues, I found myself fighting depression, I put on weight and I even turned to drink at one stage.
“I thought my career was finished. I was overweight, my mental health was overbearing and I needed a fresh start. Fortunately, I found a way out of it and I feel much better mentally now.”
German, whose older brother Antonio played for QPR, has already bagged three hat-tricks this season and Chesham, who shocked Bristol Rovers in the first round eight years ago, fancy being the major Generals again.
Located at the north-western tip of the London Underground map, Chesham would be easy to miss in Buckinghamshire's commuter belt apart from the rash of temporary traffic lights which paralyses the town with dismal regularity.
This is arguably their biggest game at the Meadow since a 2-0 home defeat by Cambridge – then in the second tier – in the FA Cup third round in January 1980.
And for this occasional visitor to a non-League oasis, it will be a bit more crowded than the day he chained his bike to one of the floodlight pylons and watched a 17-year-old prospect set up the winner in a 2-1 win against Corinthian Casuals.
Kerry Dixon, the teenager in question, went on to score 193 goals in 420 games for Chelsea and win eight England caps.
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