Doncaster Rovers: No ordinary Christmas for former non-league striker Alfie May

A year ago he got the present he had been wishing for his entire life when the call came from Rovers that they wanted to offer him his first full professional contract and that he would be signing in January.

So this year, while life as a professional footballer means Christmas will be a much more low key affair, May says he is going to relish every minute of it.

“It’s totally different to where I was last year,” said May, who last December was playing his final games for eighth tier Hythe Town before his switch to the Keepmoat.

“The Christmas period and how many games we’ve got coming up is so different.

“Back then, you knew Boxing Day was probably going to get called off because the weather was bad and the pitches weren’t great.

“You could have a proper Christmas dinner and a glass of wine because normally Boxing Day would be off.

“And I would be off work as well.

“I was a carpenter in my brother’s building business and we’d finish around the 22nd and not go back until the 4th or 5th of January.

“There’d only be one or two games in that period which could easily be called off as well.

“So you could have a couple of drinks and enjoy it.”

This year May will be keeping his body in peak condition for the Boxing Day visit of Northampton Town to the Keepmoat.

It will be interesting to see how long the novelty lasts for the 24-year-old but for now he insists he is looking forward to the experience.

He said: “Some teams train on Christmas Day.

“It’ll be different if we do and I’ll enjoy seeing what it’s like, if we do have to do a bit of running or so.

“It’s your job to prepare yourself right for the Boxing Day game.”

May will no doubt be disappointed to discover boss Darren Ferguson will not be calling players in on Christmas Day.

As he sits down to dinner on December 25, May instead will be able to reflect on how far he has come in the last 12 months.

“It was this time last year that I found out Doncaster wanted me,” he said.

“It’s been an amazing year.

“Playing at the Emirates against Arsenal, being a League One footballer – in the space of a year.

“Looking back at it before I had the trial, I would never have thought in a year’s time that I’d be where I am.”