JORDAN Chiedozie said the faith shown in him by Danny Cowley was key to him falling back in love with the game and earning him a move back to the Football League.

The 20-year-old joined Cambridge United 10 days ago after impressing for Concord Rangers since he joined the club in the summer.

Chiedozie caught the eye of the League Two club’s scouts in Concord’s 1-1 draw at Mansfield Town in the FA Cup First Round, in which he netted the Beach Boys equaliser.

And 11 days after scoring that goal he was pulling on the amber and black of the U’s, helping them to a 2-1 win against AFC Wimbledon on his debut.

Although he says it wouldn’t have been possible without Concord manager Cowley, who always backed him to return to the professional game, and his time in the Conference South.

“You learn a lot in that league, he said. “The manager was really good for me and he had a lot of faith in me.

“Everything happens for a reason, so when I went down there I just tried to make the most of it and score a lot of goals.”

And he did just that. Seven goals in 11 appearances this season saw clubs from the Premier League, Championship, League One and League Two declare an interest in the former-Bournemouth man.

But he decided to join Cambridge, and he said there wasn’t much to think about after he visited the Abbey Stadium.

“I think it had a lot to do with the way I played in the cup games,” he admitted. “Once I heard they were interested, I wanted to come down.

“As soon as I walked in, I liked what I saw. I spoke to the manager (Richard Money) and my heart was pretty much set on it.

“There was a lot of interest from other clubs, but a lot of it was offers to go training or have trials, but I’d already done that at Wimbledon and Southend, and I just wanted to play football.

“As soon as I got to the club, I had a funny feeling this was the right club for me with the way the FA Cup panned out – I’m a strong believer that everything happens for a reason.”

And Chiedozie, who admits he struggled at school as he put all his attentions into football, says his versatility will work in his benefit in the Football League – having initially been a midfielder in his days at the Cherries.

“As a striker, I like to score goals, play off the shoulder and get it into feet and that’s what I did against Mansfield, but I can also play on the wing and I like to go at players.

“I just like to try to create something if I can and that’s my first thought, but hopefully the fans will see what I have got to offer.

“Self-confidence is a big thing and I always believe in myself.”

Chiedozie had to watch from the sidelines as the U’s faced the team who he shot to prominence playing against on Saturday.

Kwesi Appiah’s late goal gave Cambridge a 2-2 draw against Mansfield in the Second Round of the FA Cup at the Abbey Stadium, meaning the sides will replay in Nottinghamshire.

Chiedozie was cup tied having played and scored against Mansfield for Concord in the previous round.