Norwich City FA Youth Cup winner Cameron King explains decision to to remain at Step 5 Thetford Town

In a summer which is likely to see more Non-League players switching clubs than usual in a bid to chase some extra money amid the rising cost of living, Thetford Town’s Cameron King is among those refreshingly rare exceptions to the rule.

The 27-year-old attacking midfielder could have taken his pick of some of the area’s best clubs and beyond after an eye-catching return down to Step 5 of the pyramid.

The 2012/23 FA Youth Cup winner with Norwich City decided to return to his former club to be a marquee signing last summer, following a health scare and injury seeing him released from then National League (Step 2) outfit King’s Lynn Town.

King went on to score 19 goals in 34 appearances, and assist a high volume of the unrecorded assists, as Thetford stormed to the summit of the Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division before finally being knocked off their perch by Ipswich Wanderers with five games to go.

He was then unable to take part in the Brecklanders’ second chance at promotion as they fell to a 2-0 defeat at Barton Rovers in an Inter-Step Play-Off match in Bedfordshire which saw player-boss Matt Morton sent off.

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But the ‘King of Mundford Road’ will be back to strut his stuff for the Brecklanders once again in August, after deciding the extra money will not compensate for the main currency he now wants to deal in: enjoyment.

“I did listen to some other offers,” he told SuffolkNews and sister print title the Bury Free Press.

I spoke to Morts (manager Matt Morton) and Nigel (chairman Nigel Armes) about things and I said I was going to be open with them about seeing what opportunities there were. But to be honest I then sat down and even spoke to my dad and I said I enjoyed my football so much at Town last year. There might have been a bit more money here and there with some of the clubs but why would I move when I’ve got a new career behind me and I’m enjoying my football?

“For many years football felt like work for me and it was as it was my full-time job. I started losing that enjoyment and since I’ve been doing Town I’m in a changing room full of great lads and great coaching staff. There’s very much a family environment.

“And It just didn’t make sense for me to give that up for a few extra quid and a few extra miles.

“It actually became quite an easy decision. After a week of me speaking to other clubs it was pretty obvious to me that I was always going to stay.”

Bury St Edmunds-born King made one senior appearance for Norwich City, having been with the club from the age of eight, in a 1-0 League Cup defeat away to Shrewsbury Town in September 2014. He had his contract at the Canaries mutually terminated in 2016 following suffering from persistent migraines.

It was then, after seeking medical help to help him get past those problems, he made his comeback in Non-League with Thetford, scoring 16 goals in 45 appearances in the 2016/17 campaign as they finished in seventh position.

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After going back into the professional ranks with Shamrock Rovers that summer, he went on to return to East Anglia by signing a permanent deal with King’s Lynn Town in the summer of 2020, coinciding with their relegation season in the National League.

But now working for a London-based recruitment company, along with team-mate Sam Bond, he is focused on delivering promotion at the second attempt with Thetford, having come within seven points of automatic elevation to Step 4.

“We’ll go again next year,” he said. “I’m all in on Thetford.

“I have my say in certain aspects and I wanted more responsibility.

“I feel like that comes with me having had a longer career in the game.

“Only Jon Taylor, the assistant manager, has played at the level I have, so I feel like I have a good understanding of the game.

“Some of these boys have played in Step 5 for a long time so don’t get me wrong, they know the level a lot better than I do, but when it comes to the game I think I can give a good opinion on it: what we need and how we play.

“Anyway I can help Morts and Jon in recruiting or anything, I will.”