Gillingham legend Carl Asaba has been talking to KSN as part of our “22 Days in May” series, but as our conversation continued, our talk was to end talking about his exit from the club, albeit nearly 20 years ago!

“The way it happened was horrible,” Carl admitted, “but that’s the way that the football system works since Bosman did his High Court thing – contracts end, and players have the freedom of movement and as an economic thing, the power shifts!”

“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to agree to extend my contract to give the Club a chance to sell me for the market value which they deserved and would have got if I’d have been on a long contract!”

“The way that money could have been recouped wasn’t really fair on anyone and would have just been horrible.”

“Once there was a deal in place, I spoke to Hessie and you have to remember that all through this he was manager and I didn’t want to affect his first managerial role by me being the bad egg that turned the apple-cart or at least not try.”

“One day would we do this because those boys meant so much for me – forget everything else, those boys gave everything and once you’re on the pitch you can’t let the other players down.”

“Could – anyone could just stand there and duck out of challenges – but not any of our Gillingham boys would do that! So, I spoke to Hessie most mornings, so he knew what was happening; “how’s your head Sarbs? You OK?” Up and till the Wimbledon match I would have run through walls for him, I really would.”

“I then had to tell him that a deal had been done (to sign for Sheffield United) and I was signing the following day. But he understood – from player to player; I’d just almost lost my career with the operations that I’d had which weren’t the easiest and it was a real eye opener.”

“I’d got the deal now that was a significant deal to the Club – there were actually four or five clubs that had agreed the same package and the same thing and had wanted to take me up North and one of them was Sheffield United.”

“Up until a club came along that I really liked and agreed a package, I was going to give Hessie everything. Gillingham could have signed me for the same money that I joined Sheffield United for and I would have signed right up until I left – Gillingham could have signed me for the same money or a little bit less to give them three or four years to either play me or to sell me when my market value went back up.”

“And if they’d come back and said, “We’ve got three million for you now!” – everyone would have been happy, and it would have been fine. It wasn’t that I was going, I’m going, I’m going – Gillingham knew what I wanted, and Gillingham could have afforded it, it really wasn’t a lot more.”

“Even if the Chairman had said that they were only going to do it for three months so that we could then sell Sarbs, other players’ agents wouldn’t have swallowed that and then say “he’s more important to you lot than Sarbs” but it then may have taken the club’s payroll to an area that the Chairman may not have been able to sustain – I’ve never fallen out with Paul (Scally) as I think the world of him and his decision was that hard.”

“He loved me, he thought the world of me, what he went through to get me to the club people don’t know and don’t have the same respect for him as I do.”

“Once it was signed and agreed with Sheffield United and I’m going there, I wasn’t going to let anyone down, myself included, and I could have played that game against Wimbledon and could have scored five goals and been brilliant.”

“But I could have walked onto the pitch and torn a hamstring and be out for a year. I could have gone in for a tackle and let the boys down and pull out of it as they break forward and score the winner because I’m not one hundred percent committed!”

“The young lad who’s ten years old watching his first Gills game is not getting what he deserves by someone who is one hundred and ten per cent committed and won’t be contacting me in twenty years’ time thanking me for what I did for the Gills when he was a young kid, which I still get today.”

“So, although it came over terribly at the time, I can sleep at night – I wasn’t letting my team mates down, I wasn’t letting the fans down, and at the time the most important bit for me was Hess and I was completely honest with him and he knew what was happening – my footballing career was never put in front of a managerial career of someone I really respected and thought the world of!”

“So, I didn’t play in the game that night at Wimbledon – some people thought it was disgusting, but it was in the end the best for both parties!”