From Wiltshire to Wembley: Semenyo’s ‘surreal’ journey hits new heights

Manchester City’s FA Cup hero started career with loans to Bath City and Newport and heads back to Bournemouth next

When it comes to Antoine Semenyo, it is almost impossible not to fixate on his career journey. Everybody loves a triumph over adversity, a rise from the lowest level to the very top, and the narrative arc with the Manchester City winger is practically perfect.

There were the relentless rejections by the clubs in every corner of London as he grew up, culminating in the one from Crystal Palace at 15 that led him to stop playing football for a year. The rebuild at the Wiltshire Sports Academy in Swindon and South Gloucestershire and Stroud College in Bristol, which led to the big break at Bristol City, and a first professional contract at 17.