The US based rapper helping Sheffied United star to realise his footballing dreams

The Sheffield United defender has just completed another gruelling training session, designed to ensure Paul Heckingbottom’s players are au fait with the strategies and tactics they plan to employ during the remainder of the campaign. But songs are also an essential part of their preparation for matches, including tomorrow’s game against Bristol City. They help not only to ensure the dressing room is ready for battle but also, during those rare moments of downtime, forge the friendships which have made Heckingbottom’s squad such a formidable proposition on the pitch this term.

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“When we’re spending time together on the road, in hotels or on the coach, we’ve all got pretty much the same taste so there’s never any arguing when something gets put on,” Bogle tells The Star. “Well, not much anyway. And when we’re getting ready to go out there, there’s usually something being played that gets everyone in the right frame of mind. We do a lot together away from the ground, like go for a coffee and stuff like that. We’ve all got our own families and our own lives but we all love being together as a group as well. Everyone gets along, genuinely, so we enjoy spending time with each other whenever we get the chance. Music, for me anyway, it’s a big part of all that. It helps create a really positive atmosphere.”

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Later this evening, when the sound system in United’s changing area cranks into life, Bogle will take a moment to contemplate the playlist before retreating into his own world. Second in the Championship table and five points clear of third placed Luton Town with only five assignments remaining on their league schedule this term, the meeting with Nigel Pearson’s side could see United take another step towards returning to the top-flight following a two year absence. Although much has been made of the camaraderie within Heckingbottom’s squad, every member of it has their own likes and traits. Way back in August, after ending a long goal drought during a visit to Kenilworth Road, Oli McBurnie explained how he had “got pumped up” for the fixture by watching reruns of Rocky. Bogle’s routine revolves around a Georgia-based rapper, whose discography includes songs like ‘Real as it Gets’ and ‘Do we have a Problem?’. Fittingly, given Bogle’s recent struggles with injury, his favourite artist’s life story contains numerous difficult chapters before reaching a triumphant denouement.

“Lil Baby, that’s who I’m really into at the moment,” he says, referencing the Georgia based lyricist who spent two years in prison before taking a different path. “I like my hip hop and I like my rap, so that’s what I’ve always got on. Genuinely, it’s really important for me, the music. Particularly before games. I get the headphones on, stick on some of my favourite stuff and that helps me get into the zone. It helps to relax me because, even though you’ve got to have a bit of an edge, if you’ve got too much then you can’t make the right decisions or think as clearly as you should.”

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Previously of Reading and Derby County, Bogle joined United at the beginning of the second of two seasons they would spend at the highest level under Heckingbottom’s predecessor Chris Wilder. After scoring on his debut in the competition, during a trip to Brighton and Hove Albion, the 22-year-old’s attacking prowess makes him a tantalising alternative to another of United’s wing-backs - Greece international George Baldock.

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“It was George, even though we play the same position, who really let me know I’d come to a special place,” Bogle says, remembering the day he first reported for duty at the club’s training complex. “He could have seen me as a threat but he didn’t, he gave me a big thumbs-up and a really warm welcome which, for me anyway, tells you a lot about him.”

“That spreads right the way through the group and, genuinely, it’s one of the reasons why I think we’re going so well at the moment,” he adds. “There’s a massive togetherness, everyone sticks together, we’ve all got each other’s backs and there’s times when I think everyone can see how we really stay strong as a group. Because we think a lot about each other, and I’m not just saying that for the sake of it, no way, I think that makes us work even harder as well.”

Nestled comfortably in mid-table, destined to neither go up or go down, City arrive at Bramall Lane with next to no pressure on their shoulders. Which could make them dangerous opponents for United, who as well as fighting to finish second are set to meet Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals this weekend.

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“It’s our job, this is what we love doing,” says Bogle, denying that the circumstances surrounding the contest could work in the visitors’ favour. “We’re in a privileged position, to be able to be doing something we grew up dreaming about. These are the opportunities we all wanted and when you enjoy it, that breeds confidence. When you’ve got belief, there’s less pressure. Enjoyment and confidence go together.”

The outing to Wembley, where United will lock horns with a team Bogle regards as “one of the the best, maybe the best, in the world”, will mark the end of another huge week on their calendar with another two to come.

“One hundred percent, the aim is to go up,” he says. “We’ve got two massive games coming up and hopefully, that’s a taste of what’s to come - when it feels like this every single week. That’s what we all want. That’s the situation we want to be in. Now we’ve got to go out there and try to make it happen.”

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