I started 2014 in search of regular first-team football having just left Cambridge United.

There were a couple of non–league sides that showed interest – Dartford and Sutton United – and I just wanted to play football, so after about 10 minutes, I was able to agree a deal with Sutton.

My first game was on a wet and windy February night away to Gosport. We drew 2-2 but, if I’m honest, in the first 15 minutes I did contemplate whether I’d done the right thing or if I should have just called it a day. After the match, though, I could sense it was a good changing room to be involved with and could be the challenge I needed to get me back in love with the game.

In the three months I had at Sutton, we played 22 games – winning 13, drawing seven and losing two. One of the two games we lost was against Dover in the play-off semi-final. They were down to 10 men but showed massive complacency and naivety. Dover ran out deserved winners and went on to get promoted.

During the summer, things progressed well off the field. I was offered a job at Millwall, I passed the final assessment of my UEFA B outfield module and was accepted onto the UEFA A Licence course.

Meanwhile, the phone was starting to ring regarding my next move on the field. I met with Tony Burman, the Dartford manager, and I also spoke with Portsmouth. Now I had a decision to make – not only who I was going to sign for but whether I was going to go back into the Football League.

After speaking with my family, I felt that with the success and the enjoyment I was getting from coaching, that’s where my career was heading. I contacted the Portsmouth manager to tell him I’d decided to sign for Dartford.

My biggest disappointment of 2014 was the Bristol Rovers game on October 7. Being racially abused while playing the game you love hurts. It was a tough time, not only for me but also for my colleagues at Dartford because I don’t think this is something they’ve ever been involved with on a football field.

My coaching is going well. Three of the goalkeepers I work with at Millwall are now England internationals and I have also been involved with the Wales Victory Shield squad – a competition they went on to win. Scouting for Wales helps me know what to look for in players, not just how teams are setting up.

My goalkeeper clinics are still producing keepers for professional clubs. Being based at Dartford, with the fantastic facilities they have, helps me do that.

A good year of coaching was topped off when I was headhunted for the job as Arsenal ladies’ first-team goalkeeper coach. It’s an honour to take on that role and I feel that all this experience is preparing me for football management.

On the field, I’m still enjoying playing for Dartford even though we are not in the best of positions. We have what it takes to stay up – so bring on 2015.

Read Jason Brown's exclusive column in the Dartford Messenger every week.