For Wealdstone’s Eddie Oshodi there are bigger things in life than football.
The Stones’ full-back isn’t slow to profess his love for the beautiful game, but can’t subscribe to former Liverpool legend Bill Shankly’s maxim of ‘football’s not a matter of life and death, it is far more important than that.’
As a devout Muslim, the fans’ favourite at Grosvenor Vale missed several games earlier this season to fulfil a vow to undertake a once in a lifetime ‘Haj’ or pilgrimage to Mecca, the religion’s most sacred place.
The Brent-born 24-year-old claims what he saw there gave him a different outlook on life.
“A year ago, I made an oath to embark on the journey, and I know it came at a weird time footballing wise, but in my life my God always comes first because it is my life, my religion,” he said.
“What did I gain from it? Well once you go to a place with 5,000,000 people and you see beggars all over the place, people who have lost limbs and little children out in 50 degrees of heat begging it gives you a different perspective.”
“You see people giving out of their own pockets, so even those who are the poorest don’t go hungry and thirsty because people are consistently giving.
“Once you get back you think about all the material things you have. I’m not saying it’s bad to want all these nice things, but you realise it is not the central thing.”
The former Watford youth contends his faith is sustaining him through what is a tough period for Gordon Bartlett’s men when positive results are thin on the ground and confidence is far from the highest.
“My faith keeps me calmer on the pitch for one thing and I’m more balanced now,” he added. “Poor runs like this in the past I could get down in the dumps and not be positive about things.
“But now my religion keeps me positive things will get better. You understand sometimes you have go through a low before the high.
“Sometimes you do go through stages where you are not getting wins, but we need the supporters to keep filling up the stadium and getting us going.
“We love seeing the supporters there. They are fantastic and we urge them to stick with us and keep on coming every week.”
Oshodi and his team-mates go into this weekend's game against East Thurrock United on the back of an impressive Tuesday night FA Trophy replay win over Maidenhead United.
New loan signing from Wycombe Wanderers, Nick Freeman, will go straight into the squad to face the Rooks.
