The future is once again looking bright for former Gillingham goalkeeper Tommy Forecast as he looks to reignite his career.

Forecast wil forever be known as the make weight in the transfer that saw Gareth Bale leave Southampton for Tottenham Hotspur with the keeper going in the opposite direction on a five year deal back in 2008.

Those five years on and Forecast is still looking to settle at one club after failing to make a first team appearance for either Spurs or the Saints.

Loan spells at Grimsby Town, where he made his professional debut in 2009, followed by short stints on loan at Eastbourne Borough, Thurrock and Bromley saw Forecast pick up valuable experience in non league.

Last summer Forecast was once again allowed out on loan, this time to The Gills under Martin Allen with Paulo Gazzaniga going in the opposite direction.

However, it wasn’t to be the breakthrough year the keeper was hoping for and spent most of the season warming the bench, watching on from the sidelines as first choice Stuart Nelson had a sublime season and The Gills won the league.

Forecast was to make just four appearances in a Gillingham shirt, once in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy away to Crawley Town, coming off the bench after Nelson was sent off in the league at Accrington Stanley, in the FA Cup defeat to Preston North End a week later and then finally in Gillingham’s last game of the season away to Burton Albion.

With his contract up this summer and Southampton deciding they wouldn’t be offering him a new deal, Forecast had hoped to get something under Martin Allen at Priestfield, but with just two weeks to go until the start of the season, he was told he wasn’t to be signed by The Gills.

Now faced with no certainty going into the new season and little time to find a new club, Forecast signed for Skrill South side Chelmsford City, but again has found chances hard to come by, making just six appearances for Dean Holdworth’s side this season.

With the chance to go out on loan, Forecast now finds himself back in Kent for the next month after joining Dartford on loan.

Once again it seems as though he will find himself warming the bench with former Gills keeper Alan Julian the number one for Tony Burman’s side, but 27 year old Forecast is hoping that a spell at Dartford could kick start his career:

“Hopefully something can develop there, but I’m always looking forward and concentrating on a few other things. I just want to be playing football and get some games somewhere.”

“I understand the situation at Dartford and Jules is a great keeper, so I have just got to come in and show what I can do and see where we go from there.”

“It’s an opportunity for me, Dartford’s a great club, they’ve got a great set up, a great stadium. Hopefully things can develop there, but I’m only twenty seven years of age and I feel like I’ve still got lots to show.”

“A lot of people say you can play to until you are forty odd as a keeper, so I have got a lot of years still in me and I just need to make sure I keep myself in shape.”

With Gareth Bale now having signed for Real Madrid in a world record deal, Forecast stills finds himself talked about alongside the Welsh star, but admits it’s not something he really enjoys talking about:

“It does get a bit boring! I like to keep myself low profile, but people will always want to bring that to the attention of others when talking about me.”

“It’s more about what Gareth has gone on to do, being the most expensive player in the world.”

“Hopefully, people will soon forget about it, but it’s just one of those things.”

With his brief spell at Gillingham now behing him, Forecast reflects on a year that was full of mixed emotions:

“I really enjoyed my time there and there’s a real good bunch of boys at the club. I still keep in touch with a lot of them and am doing some coaching with Danny Kedwell and Adam Barrett.”

“It was slightly frustrating that I spent a lot of my time there on the bench, but Stuart (Nelson) was playing so well and in the end we won the league for a reason.”

“I was keen to have stayed there, but Martin Allen decided not to go down that route for whatever reason and I have to respect that.”

“I’ve got to move on with my career now and look to the future. I’ve got a lot of time for the Gillingham fans as they were always really kind to me.”

Forecast will be part of the Dartford squad that heads to Forest Green Rovers in the league on Saturday.

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