Jamie Maugè has signed a two-year professional contract with Ipswich Town. He attended St Matthew’s Primary School and St Alban’s High School, but his path to this point has not been typical.

“I started about seven. “I used to watch my older brother play football for Claydon, and one day I asked, ‘Dad, can I get involved and play?'” he says. “After a few years, I moved to Coplestonians, and then to Wickham Market as an Under-10.

I was on the Ipswich Town Community Trust programme for a while; for Under-13s, I went to Sudbury, and for Under-14s, it was Needham Market. “I also played for Stowmarket on Sundays.”

Only at the Under-15 level did Ipswich offer Maugè a trial after he impressed when playing for Suffolk against a Blues academy side. “I’m playing with a few lads who have been here since they were six, so I did join quite late,” he tells me.

“I was asked to go on trial for Ipswich when I was nine, but my father thought I wasn’t ready, and I’ve always trusted him to know when the time was right. “I just kept playing my game, staying confident, positive, and working hard, knowing that my moment would come. That is what happened.

Ronnie Maugè became the first Plymouth Argyle player to score at Wembley Stadium when they defeated Darlington 1-0 in the Third Division Play-Off Final in 1996. (Image: PA.) Dad’s name is Ronnie Maugè. You may recognise the name.

From the late 1980s to the early 2000s, the tigerish midfielder had a successful Football League career with Fulham, Bury, Plymouth, and Bristol Rovers, as well as eight caps for Trinidad & Tobago, before going to Ipswich to manage Whitton United. “Steve McGavin (Ipswich’s former head of academy recruitment) kept calling me about Jamie, but I wanted to put the reins on it,” Ronnie tells me.

“I just felt that some boys enter academies at an early age. I wanted him to enjoy playing with his friends, to learn the game that way, if you get what I mean. “Sometimes it’s better to be a big fish in a little pond than a little fish in a large pond. I kept reminding him that he’d be ready when he was, and that quality always comes first.

Jamie goes on to say, “When I first arrived at the academy, it was a completely different environment than what I was used to; it was very serious, and I found it difficult to adjust to the pressure. In local teams, I was usually one of the greatest players, but now there are better players surrounding me. It took me a while to gain confidence.

I absolutely suffered for the first year or two. Fortunately, Dad and Mom were there to assist me. And some players who had been there a long time were always putting their arm around my shoulder and telling me to ‘just keep going’. I am grateful to them for it.

Jamie Maugè says it’s dream to make his senior debut for hometown club Ipswich Town. (Image: Ross Halls)

“My best years were definitely when I was under the age of sixteen. I scored a lot of goals that season and earned the scholarship.” Two years later, it was decision time again. Jamie received the news he longed for, but many others did not.

The way the modest 18-year-old, who professes a deep Christian faith, remembers on that occasion reveals much about his sensitive and grounded nature. “It was bittersweet,” explains Ronnie. “Jamie saw good friends let go and I’ve seen him struggle with that a little bit…”

“Yeah, that’s a part of the game that falls under the radar a little,” Jamie replies after a moment for thinking. “I have seen how rejection has broken and destroyed people. I have one friend, Logan (Dobbs), with whom I went all the way through to Under-16s.

He was devastated when he was not granted his scholarship, but he is now doing well and has recently signed a professional contract with Gillingham. That rejection helped him become a better athlete and shaped his character. “I really admire him for that.”

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