ASHLEY Vincent says being back in the Colchester United side is helping him come to terms with the heart-wrenching family sacrifice he has just had to make.

The 25-year-old’s partner gave birth to his first child in June leaving him with the decision as to whether or not his young family should relocate from their home in Birmingham to his rented accommodation in Essex

And after much soul-searching he unselfishly decided that his partner and child should stay amongst their extended family in his native West Midlands, with him making the three hour journey back whenever possible.

That choice suddenly became a lot harder to accept once the season started though when Vincent found himself not in manager John Ward’s starting line-up.

And it got a whole lot worse when the man in his right wing position, Ian Henderson, proceeded to produce some outstanding performances.

Henderson tweaked his knee in training five weeks into the campaign though and that handed Vincent his chance.

He has since played the last four games in succession and, having visibly grown in confidence as each match has gone by, scored in Tuesday night’s 2-2 draw with Dagenham & Redbridge.

It was a strike that has lifted the mood of the former Cheltenham winger who, having missed a large chunk of his debut season at Colchester with a serious ankle injury, is starting to believe he can be a long-term success at The Weston Homes Community Stadium.

“My partner has just had a baby and we had to make the difficult decision as to where they would live,” said Vincent.

“Eventually we decided that it would be best that they stay in Birmingham because my partner would have more help there and my little girl would be able to grow up knowing her wider family.

“I had to be unselfish about it and make a sacrifice, but when I wasn’t playing it did make it harder to accept.

“Now I am playing and have got something to focus on at the end of the week it gives me that extra reason to be done down here and away from the family all week.

“You don’t expect fans to see all these sort of things, they’re not mind readers, but these sort of life decisions effect footballers just like they do people in any other jobs.”

– For full interview and a two-page match preview of MK Dons v Colchester United see today’s EADT.