Former Premier League star switches sports as he accepts wildcard entry to qualifying event in very different discipline

Former Premier League striker Troy Deeney enters the UK Open Group Championship as a wildcard.

The World Nineball Tour qualifying event will take place at the Telford International Center from May 7-12.

And Deeney, who spent most of his career at Watford and scored 47 goals in 165 top-flight appearances, will try his hand at a new discipline.

An official press release said: “The World Nineball Tour is pleased to announce that renowned footballer Troy Deeney will appear on the tables as a wild card player for the UK Open Pool Championship.”

‘Deeney, whose passion for sports transcends the football field, is ready to bring his competitive spirit to the realm of snooker in the first Matchroom Major event of the year.

“As a wildcard entrant, the former Watford FC superstar joins a group of elite players, each competing for the prestigious title and the chance to showcase their skills on the British stage.”

Deeney was most recently player-manager of League Two club Forest Green Rovers but was sacked in January after just six games in charge.

Speaking after the announcement, Deeney said: “It’s a really interesting call coming from Matchroom.

‘[They asked] Would I be interested in doing it and trying to take on the best and more importantly shed some light and add some notoriety to the sport? Matchroom has been great in terms of growing all the other sports it has been involved in.

“I’ve played pool in many pool halls around the country with my friends as a social thing and I thought why not try something different?

‘I have always been an admirer of athletes from different sports, the dedication and the amount of hours it takes to be excellent at it.

“It’s easy to sit at home and say you could have done it, but getting up and trying to do it is completely different.” Always grateful for new opportunities and learning.

‘There’s probably more pressure on whoever plays me because they don’t want to come out with such a big mouth! For me it’s a bit of fun, obviously the serious competitive nature will come out anyway, but if I lose to someone at the UK Open is that negative for me? No.

‘If they lose to me, they will have to question the future. But for me it’s about having fun and showing UK Nineball Pool to a wider audience.

“I hope that with the training we have we can continue progressing and not make a fool of ourselves, that is the goal. [Been having lessons?] A little bit, I can’t say much about it because there will be some things about it, but we have some ex-pros helping us.

“Everyone compares everything to football, but if you look at darts players who are not household names, if I can help someone get the notoriety they deserve, it would be fantastic for that generation.” “You always have to respect the past to move forward.”