A FORMER Wrexham AFC player has been preparing himself for life after his football career has come to an end.

Blaine Hudson represented the Reds between 2014 and 2016, making 84 first team appearances.

The towering defender also scored seven goals for the club before departing for arch-rivals Chester.

Now 33 years old, Hudson is playing for JD Cymru Premier champions The New Saints - but he is also preparing himself for life after football.

The centre back has been embracing a new challenge by completing his HGV lorry driver training.

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Hudson has been doing so with Gatewen Training Services in order to follow in his father's footsteps.

Through the Welsh Government's Personal Learning Account (PLA) scheme at Gatewen Training Services, he is exploring exciting opportunities in logistics and transportation.

As he embarks on a new journey outside of football, Hudson recently visited the North East Wales Skills Academy (NEWSA), located at the JCB Skills Academy on the Wrexham Industrial Estate.

Whilst there, he took the time to speak with a group of young people from the WeMindTheGap ‘Gappies’ programme, an initiative designed to provide new opportunities and skills to young people.

Reflecting on his journey, Blaine said: “Learning new skills outside of football has been an exciting and rewarding journey. Gatewen Training Services and NEWSA offer incredible facilities here in Wrexham, and I encourage anyone considering a career change to explore the opportunities available.

"The logistics sector is in high demand, and I’m grateful to everyone at Gatewen and NEWSA for helping me on this path.”

Standing at an impressive 6’ 4”, Hudson is best known as a commanding centre-half who started his career at Norwich City.

After stints at Cambridge United, Wrexham, and Chester, he solidified his reputation at The New Saints (TNS), where he has been a key figure in defence since joining in May 2017.