A professional debut has been a long time coming for James Beresford. A talented defender, he was in the youth ranks at Brighton & Hove Albion growing up before being let go. In 2019, another chance arrived in the form of a six-week trial with Reading. Last weekend, he finally realised his dream.
The key details
Name: James Beresford
Position: Full-back
Born: Worthing, 17/04/02
Height: 180cm
Club: Uthai Thani
Born in Worthing, the 21-year-old was part of the Seagulls’ academy before joining his hometown club. He followed that up with spells at local clubs Lancing and Lewes where he gained his first experience of senior football.
In 2021, he stepped up to National League South level by joining Eastbourne Borough before coming full circle and playing last season back with Worthing in tier 6 of English football.
This summer, after an impressive season with Worthing which included a Sussex Senior Cup win, he secured a move abroad and a first fully professional contract. He had put pen to paper with Uthai Thani, a team recently promoted to the top-flight of Thai football.
Beresford got to work and after a pre-season of getting up to speed, made his debut on Saturday playing the entire match against Bangkok United. His side fell to a 4-1 defeat to last year’s league runners-up but the 21-year-old had arrived.
It’ll be a tough season for Beresford and his teammates in their first ever season of top-flight football but they have bolstered their squad with several new additions from abroad. For the defender, he looks to now make Asia his home with his Thai heritage already seeing him touted for a call-up to the Thailand U23 team soon.
English Players Abroad 