 His form soon attracted the attentions of bigger clubs in non-league football, with the youngster joining Telford United before the start of the 1997–98 season.He made only a handful of appearances at the Buck's Head, before leaving at the end of the season to move to America, where he took a break from football to study computer science at the Coastal Carolina University under a football scholarship.After a year in the States, he returned to the UK, continuing his computer science studies at the University of Wolverhampton.