Jay Atkin: Non-league Sheffield footballer could make World Cup squad

It's the stuff of dreams!

Dinnington Town Football Club defender Jay Atkin has received a Seychelles international call-up.

The Seychelles national team has a two-week training camp ahead of World Cup qualifying clashes next month, and Jay has been called up.

If he secures a spot in the national team, he could find himself in the line-up facing Ivory Coast, complete with internationally-renowned Wilfried Zaha, formerly of Manchester United and Crystal Palace and currently playing for Turkish side Galatasaray.

Jay impressed the Seychelles Football Federation after they saw online clips of him playing.

He is Yorkshire born and bred but his father moved to the UK from Seychelles at the age of 18.

A conversation in jest at work, where a colleague suggested Jay should try and make it as an international led to him making contact online and it turned out the Seychelles FA were actively exploring.

Jay flew out for a family holiday and met with officials to discuss a possible way forward, dual nationality was applied for and every footballer's dream of playing in the World Cup could actually become a reality for him.

Jay said: "It's mental. It's all moved so fast. I'm just going in and expecting it to be a high standard. I've watched a couple of games. It's always different watching on tele but to be fair it looked a decent standard to me."

Jay had trials with Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds when he was younger.

He has played for Matlock Town's reserve side and Swallownest.