FOOTBALL: A Premier-e with the Vics?

Okay, perhaps that’s a pretty farfetched leap but the fact remains that maybe, just maybe, the next time the former Cardiff City, West Ham United and Crystal Palace defender, who won promotion from every tier of English football during his professional playing days, laces up his boots, it could be against the likes of Portishead Town or Roman Glass St George.

In 2015, Gabbidon traded the bright lights of London for the quaint countryside surroundings of Malmesbury and despite a brief spell playing alongside his brother David at Welsh lower-league outfit Panteg last year, the 37-year-old now considers himself retired.

Looking for a suitable in-between base to allow for his multitude of media work in both Wales and capital, Gabbidon now resides in Wiltshire with partner Ouided, step-daughter Jada, 10, and 11-month-old son Eshaan.

For all intents and purposes, life in Malmesbury was supposed to provide a soothing change of pace to the high-tempo life of being a Premier League footballer but when Gabbidon began to fraternise with the locals, things took an unexpected turn.

“In the last two or three years of my career, I was looking to find somewhere to base myself when I finished,” said the former Ninian Park favourite.

“I wasn’t really keen on going back to Wales and I’d lived in London for six or seven years, but I didn’t really want to stay there when I finished playing, so I was kind of looking for somewhere in the middle to base myself because I thought that when I finish playing, I’d be doing work in Wales and possibly in London as well.

“I was looking for a property in the middle for a couple of years without much success and this house came up in Malmesbury, so I thought I’d go and have a look – I didn’t know much about the town or anything.

“The sat nav kind of takes you through the high street, so once I saw all the old houses and the really nice town, I thought: ‘I could see myself living here. This is really nice’.

“I had gone to the pub one night – I think my girlfriend hadn’t properly moved down yet and I was just trying to get a feel for the place.

“I got speaking to one or two of the Malmesbury players, so I was chatting away and then Wayne (Kibble, ex-manager), Graham (Hancock, committee member) and Brendon (Rice, secretary) came into the pub a little later on into the night, so I got speaking to them about how they helped run the club, and it went from there.

“They asked me to do their player of the year awards at the end of last season, so I did that for them, and we’ve become friends from there, really.

“It’s been difficult to get down here quite a lot with what I’ve been doing but a couple of months back, I came here and did some filming for Marathonbet for a segment called ‘the non-league challenge’, and I asked the guys here if I could use the facilities, which they were brilliant about.

“I came down here a little bit later on that evening and had a few drinks. I think they loosened me up and stuck the contract in front of me – I mean registration; I’m used to contracts – so I thought: ‘why not? I’ll sign.’”

That famous FA Cup final was the 2006 edition that saw Liverpool overcome West Ham on penalties after an epic 3-3 draw.

Steven Gerrard may be credited with the defining moment that day as a result of the memorable last-gasp stunner he lashed home to force extra-time but Gabbidon also earned plenty of praise for the display he produced at one of his favourite stomping grounds.

Danny Gabbidon (left) challengers the Netherlands’ Arjen Robben during his final international appearance for Wales at the Amsterdam Arena in June 2014

Amassing 49 caps for Wales, the Cwmbran native was no stranger to the Millennium Stadium nor other famous international arenas like Old Trafford and the Amsterdam Arena, where he made his final bow for the Dragons against the Netherlands in June 2014.

Could Western League haunts such as Corsham Town’s Southbank or Cheddar’s Bowdens Park be next?

Nowadays, Gabbidon, whose working roles include player mentor, commentator, pundit and podcast host, can regularly be found revelling in the bar at the Flying Monk.

So, to the pertinent question – is this former Premier League man, who even spent five games in charge of Cardiff as caretaker manager, really going to pull on a Vics shirt?

“They are doing really well, so I probably wouldn’t get in the team at the minute,” joshed Gabbidon.

“I think a part of me still wants to play, still wants to try and contribute, and then there’s the other part of me that thinks: ‘you retired for a reason and maybe you should leave it at that’, so I’m a little torn with it still.

“I’ll just have to see. If they keep badgering me enough, maybe I’ll have to make a little cameo appearance.

“If that can’t happen, then I’d like to help the club in other ways if I can – that’s why I signed the registration, really.

“If I can help the club to raise money and things like that; which is a big thing because it’s not easy keeping a club going.

“This is a club that almost folded a couple of years back and the community rallied around them and helped them, and now they’ve gone from strength-to-strength, so if I can help them with that in any way, maybe helping the lads with a bit of coaching as well; there’s more things that I can do than just the playing side.

“We’ll have to see how it goes. It’s right on my doorstep. I live a stone’s throw away, so why not?

“If I can help and give back in any way, pass on my experience or maybe contact someone I know to help the club grow and get better, then I don’t see why not.

“I’d probably just be sitting at home clicking my fingers if I wasn’t involved with the local club in some way.

“What these guys do is unbelievable; Wayne, Brendon, Graham. The hours they put in. Every time I come down here, they’re here.

“They put their heart and soul into the club, so if I can try and help a little bit in any way possible, it’s the least I can do, really.”

Maybe, just maybe.