Jermaine Hylton created memories for life as he gave up the game for 18 months to welcome his first daughter into the world.
Hylton quit football to become a stay-at-home dad to Aiko to help during the crucial formative months of her life.
And the Arbroath star does not have a single regret on his decision to temporarily turn his back on the game.
Blessed with natural talent, Hylton knew that hard work and determination would get him back into football.
Arbroath have given him a platform to showcase his talents and a first Lichties goal by the ‘supersub’ sealed a 2-1 win over Ayr United on Saturday.
“It’s great to get off the mark for Arbroath,” said Hylton.
“Now that I’ve broken my duck, hopefully I can go on and get a few more up here.
“I want to make an impact at Arbroath. They have given me a platform and I want to succeed.
“I believe in myself. I never doubted my decision to step away from the game to help bring up my daughter.
“My family will always come first and when it’s your first child it can be a bit nerve-wracking.
“I wanted to get it right. In 18 months as a stay-at-home dad I had so much fun and created great memories.
“You never get that time back but you can get the time back on the pitch.
“Ability doesn’t go away. With hard work you can get back and I’ve always been prepared to put in the hard work to succeed.”
Jermaine Hylton happy with Arbroath progress
📸 | 𝐀 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 . . .
— Arbroath FC (@ArbroathFC) September 2, 2023
Meanwhile, Hylton believes Arbroath are starting to get their act together as a team.
The Gayfield side have won two Championship games on the spin and moved into sixth place.
And with their nine new summer signings beginning to make an impact, the ex-Motherwell and Ross County star believes the future is bright.
“I’m really enjoying my time at Arbroath,” added Hylton.
“I feel the team is starting to gel together nicely. After the Dundee United and Queen’s Park games people wrote us off.
“But we need to remember those are two very good teams.
“You can’t get too down in football and you should never get too high.
“We’re on form but we won’t get carried away. We’ll just stay calm and focus on the next game.”
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