COFFEY AND OULU

Loads of football going on this weekend. Today matches include from the Men's UEFA Nations League: Liechenstein v Gilbraltar, Finland v England, Malta v Moldova, Greece v Rep of Ireland, Kazakhstan v Slovenia, Austria v Norway, Armenia v North Macedonia, Faroe Islands v Latvia.

Of course we are interested in Finland! England's Nations' League match against Finland in Helsinki today is the first time in 24 years that the Three Lions have played in the Nordic country.

But Finland's men's domestic league, the Veikkausliiga, is home to 12 footballers from the United Kingdom and three managers. Only during the 1996 season has that number of players been higher.

Many of them have found a home that they never anticipated, having faced hurdles when trying to make it in the English Football League.

"It's been a pretty crazy ride," AC Oulu striker Ashley Coffey. The 30-year-old was released by League Two side Bradford City's academy aged 15 after being told he was "too slow". A trial as a centre-back at boyhood club Leeds United followed, where Neil Warnock was managing.

"I was a season ticket holder at the time, so it was a bit surreal going on trial for three weeks, seeing players that I watched in the stands," said Coffey, who had also been a mascot at Elland Road as a child. "I didn't get a contract, so from there, I just thought, 'this is kind of over in terms of professional football, I'll get a qualification at university'. "I think I probably went out and drank and partied too much, but thoroughly enjoyed it!"

Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2013–2014	West Auckland Town	14	(3)
2014–2016	Newton Aycliffe
2016–2018	Marske United
2018–2019	Whitby Town	12	(2)
2019	Huddinge	11	(12)
2020	Haninge	29	(28)
2021–2022	AFC Eskilstuna	47	(18)
2023–	AC Oulu	47	(24)

Coffey played in the Northern League while working as a youths' tutor, before a Swedish girlfriend suggested he try his luck by emailing clubs in her country. "I think it was around 50, 60 teams and maybe two or three got back to me," he recalled. Then came a trial in Sweden's fourth tier. After watching one training session, Huddinge IF offered him €200 (£167) a month, a transport ticket and a free pair of boots.

The following year, in 2020, he broke the third-tier goalscoring record with 28 goals in 29 games for IFK Haninge, before signing the first professional contract of his career with AFC Eskilstuna in the second tier, aged 27. "I realised that if I was going to do anything in football, I needed to really switch on and commit," said Coffey, who had been teaching at an English School before signing that full-time deal. "It was quite surreal, the first three four months I found really hard because I'd worked for something all my life and then instantly, you are just kind of living your dream."

Finally, the offer of top-flight football in Finland came last year. Coffey did not need any convincing."I made a bit of a gamble, but it's paid off and I've loved it," he said. "I didn't realise how harsh the winters were going to be - January, February was like -30C - we train in an inside dome, but in winter that's freezing as well. "Away trips are pretty brutal. There's one trip to Mariehamn that's on its own little island - that's about 13 hours just to get there," he added. He is third from right, in yellow (as you look at it).