Off The Shelf | Les Ferdinand - available on all podcast platforms, including SPURSPLAY

Les Ferdinand rose from non-league football to the Premier League, England and the PFA Player of the Year award in the space of 10 years - all that before his dream of playing for Spurs came true...

One of the great strikers of the modern era tells his story in the latest episode of our official podcast Off The Shelf, now available on all platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google, SPURSPLAY, our home of exclusive live and on-demand video and our official YouTube channel.

Hosted by legendary former defender, captain and Club Ambassador Michael Dawson, alongside Senior Club Journalist, Paul Miles, Les immediately dispels one myth about him - he grew up in Ladbroke Grove, rather than Acton - before talking us through his incredible journey from playing for Southall in 1986 to that PFA award in 1996 and his career beyond, including six years as a player and another six as a coach at his beloved Spurs.

There's another revelation - Les actually played in goal for three years as a youngster, before moving up front - and he explains that he never felt a career as a professional footballer was on the table. "I never, ever thought of it as a career path, that's the truth," he says. "I played football for the love of it, I missed the apprentice stage, I wasn't at a club at the age of 15, 16, I signed (for QPR) straight out of non-league football at 19, only then did I realise there was a chance of making a go of it at professional level."

Les reflects on a loan at Besiktas in Turkey, 'I left as a boy, came back a man', and a goal-den two seasons at Newcastle United, where, under Kevin Keegan, Les's goals fired the Toon to successive title challenges, finishing runners-up in 1995/96 - when his goals earned that PFA award - and 1996/97, when he formed a deadly partnership with Alan Shearer.

In 1997, he moved to Spurs, where his six years were unfortunately hit by a serious ankle issue and a number of niggling injuries. "This is where I wanted to come and score goals, it just didn't happen for me," he explains. "That was such a disappointment, but I pulled on a Spurs shirt and played at White Hart Lane. I often say to people I lived my dream because I played for the club I supported as a boy."

Leaving Spurs at the age of 36 in 2003, Les still had spells at West Ham, Leicester City, Bolton and Reading before calling time on his playing career. He returned to Spurs initially as striking coach and then part of out Development coaching team alongside Tim Sherwood and Chris Ramsey, overseeing the development of a number of players who not only went on to play for Spurs, but also represent England - the likes of Harry Kane, Andros Townsend, Jake Livermore, Danny Rose, Ryan Mason and Steven Caulker. So many more went on to have careers in the professional game, as well.

Now 56, Les left in 2014 and was Director of Football back at QPR for eight years before leaving that role in the summer.

Summing it all up, he tells us: "As I said, I've lived my dream, and it seems to have just gone like that... I've always tried to stay humble, I'd like to think that the guy who went into football is still the same guy now I've come out of football."

Off The Shelf is available on all podcast platforms, including Apple Music, Amazon, Music, Spotify and Google and SPURSPLAY. Look out for our previous podcasts with Ledley King, Jenna Schillaci, Oliver Skipp, Heurelho Gomes, Molly Bartrip, Gary Mabbutt (part one), Clive Allen, Sandro, Younes Kaboul and last time out, Fraser Forster.

Off The Shelf | Fraser Forster