FORMER Ipswich Wanderers goalkeeper Jamie Waite could be facing Ipswich Town this season.The 22-year-old, who played for Thailand in a full international when aged just 15 years and 354 days, has signed for Coca-Cola Championship newcomers Doncaster Rovers.

Elvin King

FORMER Ipswich Wanderers goalkeeper Jamie Waite could be facing Ipswich Town this season.

The 22-year-old, who played for Thailand in a full international when aged just 15 years and 354 days, has signed for Coca-Cola Championship newcomers Doncaster Rovers.

After becoming the second youngest full international, former Coddenham-based Waite played for a number of clubs - and overcame cancer.

Waite has signed non-contract forms with Doncaster, having been released by Bradford City during the summer.

Rotherham, Cambridge United and MK Dons are some of the other clubs he has played for while locally he has tuned out for AFC Sudbury and Braintree.

He is now fully fit after surviving cancer of the lymph gland that spread to his chest and needed 10 months of chemotherapy.

Waite will have to fight for a place in the Doncaster first team alongside current number one Neil Sullivan and Ben Smith.

At Bradford for a year, Waite spent most of last season on loan at Droylsdon.

“I have been training with Nottingham Forest,” he said. “There are a lot of keepers at Forest so I was recommended to Doncaster.

“I've been on trial for a while now and it's been fantastic.

“I can't wait to get started in earnest and, hopefully, this move will kick-start my career.”

And, looking back on his cancer scare, the player, who has a Thai mother and a late English father, said: “Being told I had cancer as a 19-year-old was a bit of a surreal moment.

“I lost my hair, and my metabolism almost came to a standstill. I was going to the toilet about twice a month and my weight went up to 17-and-a-half stone.

“At first I still kept trying to train with MK Dons as I didn't want my face to be forgotten but I had to call it a day seven months in when the doctors told me the cancer cells were not contracting as they should.

“They had to up my chemo and I could barely walk out of the hospital, let alone train.”

Waite came on as a substitute for Thailand against Singapore, having impressed the then manager Peter Withe playing in an under-17 game.

“It seemed like fate,” said Waite, who went to school in Debenham. “The third-choice keeper hurt his finger and the second-choice one suffered from sickness on the day before the game so I was named on the bench.

“Then, after 60 minutes, the keeper was injured and I came on. For a young boy, it was all very strange.

“I was in the Guinness Book of Records and meeting Pele. It all went crazy,” he said.