“Before I was a Christian football was my god so I was up and down according to how I played. When I came to know Jesus however, everything changed because Jesus is God and football was in its right place.”

These are the words of Gavin Peacock, the first interview in our new series looking at the ups and downs of professional football.

Gavin is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder and striker from 1984 until 2002 notably in the Premier League for Newcastle United and Chelsea.

He also played in the Football League for Queens Park Rangers, Gillingham, Bournemouth and Charlton Athletic. He then worked in the media as a pundit, and in September 2008 relocated to Canada where he is currently a pastor at Calvary Grace Church in Calgary.

In this episode we look at issues such as:

• How his faith influenced his view of his football
• Leadership on and off the pitch
• Speaking of Christ in the dressing-room
• The importance of church