Luke Coulson is only 23 but he's already racked up a lifetime of football experiences - good and bad.

Ebbsfleet have just signed the midfielder from Barnet, who in turn paid a club record fee to Eastleigh for the midfielder's services in January.

Coulson was at Oxford City before that but the St Helens-born player's football story began in the academy of Premier League giants Manchester City.

"I had numerous great years at Man City," Coulson said. "I learnt so much from the players and the staff. As the money came in, it got better each year. I was able to play in places like Abu Dhabi, Switzerland and Portugal and I played in the under-19 Champions League against the likes of Barcelona so I had great opportunities.

"But there comes a point at a club like that where there’s a stumbling block to push on. My time came in the under-18s and I had to move.

"You’d turn up for an under-18 training session and all of a sudden, there’s Pedro coming in on a two-week trial and you’re thinking ‘here’s another one.’ It was just roll on, roll off.

"If they found someone better, your time was up. That’s how ruthless football is.

"It did take me a long time to move on from that, it was a big setback for me. Having been there for so long I thought I could keep climbing but I guess you learn from life."

Coulson couldn't find himself a team after leaving City and moved to America to join the Michigan University programme.

He did play football stateside but said: "I felt like I was a bit better than the standard and I came back and joined Cardiff City.

"I owe a lot to Cardiff - they gave me a lot of confidence to go and play. I made an appearance under Malky Mackay in the FA Cup but I fractured my metatarsal and that was a barrier for me. It took me a long time to recover physically and mentally.

"At the age of 20, they did say there would be an option for another year but I was good enough to go and play league football.

"I had six months without a club and that was the hardest part of my career so far.

"I played for Radstock Town in the Western League over a Christmas period and they still tweet me now - it’s their claim to fame, I think.

"I was out of football and that was a real low point for me.

"I was contemplating jobs and I began a degree in sports journalism because I thought my career was over at that point.

"I went to about 10 clubs on trial, Cambridge being one of them, who we’re playing (at Stonebridge Road on Tuesday night), and no-one wanted me for one reason or another.

"Oxford City gave me the chance to go and play football again and I grabbed it."

During his time there, Coulson played against Fleet in National League South.

"Initially, I signed on a week-to-week rolling basis," he said. I had a really good first game, they gave me a four-month deal, that turned into another year deal and Eastleigh bought me in the January.

"For a lad that was contemplating quitting football a year before, being bought by someone was a dream come true.

"I was lucky enough to then attract the interest of League clubs and I honestly believed that joining Barnet was going to be another stepping stone on the way forward.

"It didn’t work out for me but that’s not going to stop me looking up with Ebbsfleet."

Read more from Luke Coulson in the Gravesend Messenger - out Thursday.