Tommy Wright, a former Aberdeen striker, has transitioned from chasing goals to arresting criminals after starting a new profession as a police officer.

Ommy Wright will always regret leaving Aberdeen.

In August 2008, Aberdeen paid Darlington £100,000 for the former England under-20 international, and the arrival of the former Leicester City attacker sparked enthusiasm.

Wright’s time in Scotland, however, was cut short by persistent knee ailments, which limited him to just 22 games (and two goals) in 18 months at Pittodrie.

Wright gave up on his Scottish football career following a series of setbacks, including a knee injury and a change of manager after Jimmy Calderwood’s departure in 2009.

He regrets the decision he made.

Wright stated, “I loved it up there, and I would have stayed a little longer if I had been a little older and more mature.”

“But when you’re injured and far from home, everything tells you, ‘I’ve got to give up. I’ve got to start again somewhere else.

“It probably is one of my career regrets, to be honest with you, actually walking away when I did.”

Calderwood’s steadfast conviction in Wright—even after he failed medical

Wright was 23 when Calderwood, who died last month at the age of 69, invited him to try something fresh in Scotland.

Wright fell down to England’s League Two after making his Premier League debut with his hometown side Leicester City.

When Calderwood came knocking, promising a move to the Scottish Premier League, Wright couldn’t resist the Aberdeen manager’s sales pitch – which is why failing to return his manager’s trust in him was such a cause of anger.

Wright stated, “Jimmy sold the club and Scotland to me.”I felt honored to be associated with Aberdeen, given my knowledge of the city’s history.

“But then, when I came up and Jimmy showed me around, I was sold on him and came up because he genuinely wanted me.

“He trusted in me and regarded me so highly that he wanted to pay for my services, and I wanted to do it for him.

“When I went to Aberdeen, I understood that, despite having failed my physical the first time in the summer, the offer was still on the table.

“I pushed my fitness recovery, and I was definitely thrust into it too soon.

“Missing pre-season in 2008 was massive for me and I think it was just a knock-on effect from there.”

“I was gutted when Jimmy left.”

Wright’s first season at Pittodrie would be Calderwood’s last, with the Dons boss resigning on the penultimate day of the campaign after leading the club to fourth-place finish and Europa League participation.

Mark McGhee succeeded Calderwood, and Wright’s ambitions of impressing his new employer were dashed, leaving him unable to recover.

He stated, “I wish Jimmy had stuck around at the conclusion of that season, because I believe he was the one who realized that if I got healthy, I could have demonstrated my worth more than what I accomplished while up there.

“I was sad when he departed, to be honest; it was a genuine sucker hit at the conclusion of the season. We’d qualified for the Europa League, but he was gone.

“It was a shame, both for me and for him, since I thought we did OK. I think we concluded the season fairly well.

“But, in retrospect, changing management was the last straw for me.

“Mark McGhee came up, and then I was injured in pre-season, hurting my knee again, which I believe was the last nail in my coffin.

“But that’s life; that’s football.Looking back, I don’t view Aberdeen as a horrible experience for me.

Wright’s difficulty to get his career started again after Aberdeen

Wright was released in the middle of his three-year contract, which he signed in 2008.

League Two outfit Grimsby Town gave the Englishman a return to a division he knew well and flourished in, but Wright’s post-Pittodrie career followed a similar pattern of one short-term contract after another.

He explained: “When I left Aberdeen and moved to Grimsby, I believed I’d be able to pick up the pieces and everything would be fine – but it wasn’t.

“I went back to a league that I was scoring in before moving to Aberdeen, and I was certain that I’d keep scoring goals and could go again.

“But things didn’t work out from there.

“I gambled on a short-term contract with Grimsby, but we were in the relegation zone.

I’m 40, and I still feel like I can sprint around and play football.”

“Although you believe in yourself, clubs are in the relegation zone for a reason: they are not scoring goals, generating chances, and losing games of football. Stadium atmospheres varies, as does everything else that goes with them.

“When I look back on my career, I can recall my time at Aberdeen, Grimsby, or anything. However, when you are not scoring as a striker, you are conscious that this is what you are hired to do; it is your job.

“It wears you down, and you get injured along the road, while others play and score.

“You feel lost as you go down the pecking order, and catching up is difficult.”That was the biggest one for me.”

Wright felt the management chance came too soon.

Grimsby would be Wright’s first of nine clubs after Aberdeen, with the final two – Corby Town and Nuneaton Town – indicating a move into management for the attacker.

Wright was appointed player-joint manager of Corby Town at the age of 29 in 2013, and was given sole responsibility at the end of the 2013-14 season.

He led his side to promotion from the Southern Football League Premier Division, but the team was demoted from the National League North the following season.

After hanging up his boots, Wright went on to manage Darlington, Stratford Town, and Corby Town – but he feels he entered management too early.

He stated: “I look back now, and it felt appropriate at the time because you could see your career ending within five or six years of a typical retirement.

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