Nick Powell reveals abandoned retirement plan after Bradford cup double

Nick Powell has revealed that he planned to retire in January, months before scoring twice in Bradford City's 2-1 EFL Trophy victory over Newcastle Under-21s. In an interview with BBC Radio Leeds reported by BBC Sport on September 23, the forward described how he had reconsidered his future after returning to the team.

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Powell was 31 when he considered ending his career. He had joined Bradford on a one-year contract the previous August but did not play between September and April. He said that period left him unable to see a future at the club and questioning whether he wanted to continue playing at all.

His return late last season was followed by a full pre-season and a new one-year deal in August. Now 32, Powell has appeared from the bench in all 11 of Bradford's matches this season, scoring four goals for the League One leaders. Two of those came in Tuesday's cup victory, and he told the BBC he now wanted to extend his playing career.

Powell said he was comfortable contributing as a substitute and had told manager Graham Alexander that he wanted to play as many matches as possible before retiring. He would accept making 50 substitute appearances in a season, he explained, because he believed he could influence a match in 30 minutes. Alexander told BBC Radio Leeds after the Newcastle game that Powell would not be limited to substitute appearances, while praising his impact.

The forward's career began at hometown club Crewe Alexandra, where he made his senior debut aged 16 in August 2010. He moved to Manchester United in 2012 and scored on his Premier League debut, but made only two more league appearances for the club. Loan spells at Wigan, Leicester and Hull preceded a permanent move to Wigan in 2016, with Stoke and Stockport following.

Reflecting on his injury problems, Powell acknowledged that he had not always taken sufficient care of his body earlier in his career. He said he could not change that past and was instead enjoying each opportunity to play, whether starting or coming off the bench.