Ex-Liverpool man Andre Wisdom on joining Warrington Town

Even at this stage, the defender has had a career many would be envious of having played almost 200 games exclusively in the top two tiers, including in the Premier League for Liverpool, West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City as well as in the Austrian top flight with Red Bull Salzburg.

However, a series of injuries and a horrific incident in 2020 which saw him stabbed in a robbery derailed him by his own admission and as such, he has been lost to the full-time game since leaving Derby County in 2021.

Andre Wisdom played 22 times for Liverpool having come through their youth system (Image: PA)

Even so, eyebrows were raised when Warrington Town confirmed his signing on Friday afternoon as a boost to their injury-hit squad.

It certainly created quite a stir among fans of Yellows and the game as a whole, with news of his signing resulting in close to 1 million impressions on the club's social media pages.

Having trained with the team for several weeks, Wisdom has now been given the chance to re-ignite his career and hopes it will eventually lead to a return to the professional ranks.

First, however, he is keen to repay the club and manager Mark Beesley for providing him with the opportunity to do so.

“100 per cent – that’s why I’ve come to Warrington, to have that platform to demand everything I can of myself and the players around me,” he said when asked if he saw full-time football as a part of his future.

“Hopefully they will do the same for me and that I can slowly but surely progress.

“The club have given me the chance to do that and the only way I can repay them for doing that is by helping them get results, by being positive and by being a leader of some description.

“Whatever is asked of me, I will give 100 per cent to.

“I’ll try and be a voice, be reliable and depended upon – that’s all I can do to repay the manager, the chairman and the rest of the lads.

“I’ve based myself around here so I live around this way.

“It was a lot to do with location and I spoke to Bohan Dixon, who plays here and is someone I’ve known for quite a while, about coming here to get a platform to start playing again.

“The body feels great and it made sense for me to come here.”

Wisdom in training before his Town debut against King's Lynn (Image: Sean Walsh)

Wisdom’s arrival provided a huge shot in the arm to a Yellows squad that has been down to the bare bones for some time, with five key players injured while Dixon – the man Wisdom credits with introducing him to the club – fell ill ahead of the game against King’s Lynn Town.

As such, going straight into the side was likely and he made an immediate impact, completing 90 minutes on the right side of a three-man defence as Town won 1-0 to pick up their first win and clean sheet since mid-August.

“It was really good to play my first 90 minutes in a long time,” Wisdom said.

“A massive thanks to Warrington – all the lads have welcomed me and it’s good to be back on the pitch.

“Before Saturday, results haven’t really gone our way over the last few games but it’s a positive environment.

“The lads are enthusiastic and there’s a good spirit within the team.

“I’m just happy to be back on an 11-a-side pitch and playing competitive football again.

“I’m grateful that the manager has said I can come down and play – hopefully he doesn’t regret his decision.”