Jermaine Hylton stepped away from football for 18 months after dedicating himself to fatherhood.
Now the Arbroath striker insists he has found another family in Angus.
Hylton, 30, made his Lichties debut on Saturday, helping Dick Campbell’s men to a 3-0 win over Montrose — less than 24 hours after penning a short-term contract.
It was Hylton’s first fixture in professional football since turning out for Newport County in a 1-0 defeat at Swindon Town in November 2021.
That hiatus was due to the birth of his first daughter, with Hylton choosing to commit himself wholeheartedly to being a doting dad and supporting his partner, Alessandra, together in Birmingham.
But after baby Aiko turned one in June, the former Motherwell and Ross County forward decided it was the right time to get back to work.
“After finding out I was having a daughter, I decided to take time away from football and be fully involved — just focus all my attention on being a dad,” Hylton told Courier Sport.
“I love playing football and love being a professional. But nothing comes close to the importance of family, and that will always be my priority.
“It was an easy decision. This is the first time I’ve been a dad and I wanted to fully commit and move back home to Birmingham, so I could be around my parents and create a nice family unit.
“I was playing at Newport County, in Wales, which was a couple of hours away from Birmingham. And it’s so different down south, with the distances you travel and the amount of games you play.
“It’s not something I wanted to juggle.”
He added: “I’ve loved every moment of that and I’m very good at changing nappies, now! But with the little one getting big and strong, I’m ready to get back to it.”
Family feel
Arbroath are long-time admirers of Hylton, with the Birmingham academy product revealing that boss Dick Campbell made an approach last season.
As such, it should come as no surprise that Campbell was sufficiently impressed during Hylton’s trial period — including a friendly outing against Dundee — to hand the experienced front-man a deal until January.
And the positive feeling was mutual.
GoalPro
Lovely assist from Jermaine Hylton and great control and determination form Leighton McIntosh pic.twitter.com/iFzEgNSvUv
— Arbroath FC (@ArbroathFC) July 31, 2023
“Arbroath actually showed some interest last season but I wasn’t ready to come back,” Hylton continued.
“When they got in touch this time, I joined up for training — so they could take a look at me, and I could take a look at them — and I really enjoyed it. The club has a family feel and I always like that sort of set-up.
“You want to feel happy and comfortable and, at this stage of our lives, I definitely wanted to make the right decision so I can be at my best on the football pitch.”
Only show in town
With another week of training under his belt, Hylton is pushing to be involved in Friday night’s mouth-watering Championship curtain-raiser against Dundee United.
“You couldn’t get a better first league game to come into,” he continued. “It’s the only show in town on Friday night, really!
“It’s live on TV and I know what a big following Dundee United are bringing. The atmosphere should be brilliant.”
It will also afford Hylton the opportunity to reunite with Declan Gallagher, his Motherwell teammate during the 2019/20 campaign.
“Deccy is a great guy — absolutely hilarious,” smiled Hylton. “Playing against him, I’d expect a fair bit of banter to be flying about.
“He’s usually good at throwing out a few random one-liners, so he’s more likely to make me giggle than wind me up!
“But I always enjoy playing against friends. It adds a little something to the occasion and I can’t wait for the game.”
