Evans' rise from non-league to Newport via LinkedIn

Cameron Evans made his senior debut for Swansea in an FA Cup tie against Stevenage in 2021

Newport County's Cameron Evans says he always knew that he would get another chance in professional football, but many would not expect the way it came about.

Evans signed a two-year deal with the Exiles in July after a successful trial.

The former Wales Under-19s defender came through the youth ranks at Swansea City, having joined them at under-9 level. The 23-year-old made one senior appearance for the Swans, before being released in 2022.

With spells in Ireland and England's Conference South, Evans used the unique approach of social media to seek his current opportunity.

"I haven’t got an agent, the trial came about through LinkedIn. I got in touch with the chairman Huw Jenkins myself and he responded," Evans told BBC Sport Wales.

"I was happy just to get a response if I'm honest, he obviously knew me from my days at Swansea, he looked over my profile and invited me down for a trial, I was chuffed.

"I’d been told about LinkedIn before and that could be a good chance to get your profile out there, as clubs can use it to look at you, so I always kept my profile updated.

"I've always looked at Newport and thought it would be a great place to play my football, so when the chairman came in I fired a message over, we got talking, he offered me trial and here we are."

However, before putting pen to paper at County, Evans was playing part-time football at Conference South side Taunton Town.

Like any aspiring athlete, sport can have its difficulties and challenges, Evans was no exception to this and has outlined the sacrifices he had to make to continue playing football.

"They were a great group of lads at Taunton, it was a great changing room to be a part of and the manager was brilliant, but obviously, part-time football isn’t where I wanted to be. That was always in the back of my head," added Evans.

"I had to go into work as well with my father, I was a dryliner. I’d be working all day on site then travelling down to Taunton for a night game or training.

"I don’t mind a graft or being at work, but it was always in the back of my mind, I should be training now, I should be kicking a ball around and playing football.

"You get people saying to you that you should start thinking about your future and to get a career in work, it was tough at times."

Throughout his stint in part-time football, Evans would complete extra running sessions after work around the local parks of Swansea to remain at full fitness, in hopes of giving himself the best chance of returning to the professional game.

"To be honest, I’ve always backed myself and I’m so lucky, I’m lucky for backing myself," said Evans.

"I did get those thoughts, don't get me wrong. Some Days you think to yourself 'it’s winter, it’s dark and I’m at work', or you may go on a losing spell with Taunton and it can play on your mind.

"I was stubborn with it, I always said to myself that I would get back into full-time football.

"That was always the goal, I always had that focus. Obviously, you have your bad days where things are tough, but I was always determined and I knew if I kept at it, that I would get another chance."

Focusing on the future

Since making his competitive debut in Newport's 4-1 EFL Cup defeat by Leyton Orient in August, Evans has made 12 appearances in all competitions this season.

He was also nominated for the Sky Bet League Two goal of the month for September, which was also his first goal in professional football.

The Welshman rifled home the opener, finding the top corner from outside the area in a 2-1 victory against Crewe Alexandra at Rodney Parade.

The versatile defender has highlighted the importance of consistency for himself going forward, as well as praising the efforts of Exiles boss Nelson Jardim.

"I just want to play as many games as I can, I don’t mind if that’s at left-back, centre-back or right-back, I just want to be on the pitch and playing football," said Evans.

"Wherever I play, I will give it my all. It’s now about keeping myself fit and available for wherever I'm needed to put a shift in, I want to be there for the team.

"It’s been brilliant. When I first came in I didn’t even know that the manager (Nelson Jardim) was here. Seeing a familiar face was nice and it helped me settle in straight away.

"I know how he likes to work and the football he wants to play, so that suited me, he’s been brilliant to play for so far."

Newport return to league action on Friday night when they host Chesterfield at Rodney Parade (20:00 BST).