Simran Jhamat is the latest lady to participate in the This and That feature!
In this episode, the striker talks about her experiences of playing football as a youngster, her favourite artists and songs, her favourite family traditions and the celebrity she'd love to spend the day with if she ever had the chance.
Over to you, Simran...
What is your earliest memory of football?
So I used to play for a boys team called Sporting Khalsa. I went there with my sister. My parents took me when I was about six. I loved it straight away. Most of my friends were there from school. I was always with the boys when I was younger, so I enjoyed playing football with them and my friends. I played with boys for about five years before I started played in a girls team when I was about ten or 11.
What was the first football shirt you ever owned?
It was a Liverpool one. I’m a big Liverpool fan. I can’t quite remember what year it was from, but I used to get a Liverpool shirt every year for my birthday and it had a number on the back based on how old I was and my name. It wasn’t always just the home shirt. It got mixed up some years, so sometimes I’d get an away shirt.
Who was your role model growing up and why?
I have two. My parents, who I’m classing as one whole role model, because they were always there with me through the good times and the bad times in football. In terms of a football role model, I’m going to say Luis Suarez. I really enjoyed watching him play and I always tried to play the game in a similar way to him. He scored so many goals and I wanted to try and be like him by scoring as many goals as I could.
What’s your favourite meal to eat after a game?
It would probably just be Indian takeaway. I can’t lie, my dad always orders it, so I’m not even sure what it is he actually orders, it just tastes so, so good. I don’t even look at the menu. My dad knows what he gets and he always gets it. It’s usually like a chicken curry and a biryani. Nothing special, but it tastes special.
Who is your best friend in football?
So I’ve got a few in football. Fran Orthodoxou is definitely one of them and I’ve got really close with Rhianne Oakley too this season.
What’s the best goal you’ve ever scored?
For Albion, I’d have to say the one from last season in the cup game against Huddersfield at Ray Hall Lane. I scored from between 30 and 40 yards out and it was a good goal in my opinion because I won the ball back and then shot from distance, lobbing the goalkeeper. It was an individual goal, rather than a team goal, so I’ll say that one.
What’s the best stadium you’ve played at?
Obviously The Hawthorns is great to play at every time we are there. I also actually really enjoyed playing at Molineux because of the rivalry. It was a night game when we played there against Wolves and the atmosphere was really good. You want those experiences as a player. I really enjoyed it.
Who is your favourite band or artist?
Chris Brown. I’ve always loved Chris Brown. My favourite song of his I’d have to say would be ‘Yo (Excuse Me Miss)’. I was really annoyed when he came here and I didn’t go and see him live. I still regret that to this day.
What was your favourite TV show growing up?
To be fair, I wasn’t much of a TV person. I’d say Prison Break. I watched that quite recently actually. It’s really good, but it does drag on, I can’t lie. It’s great, but it takes ages to get to the end.
Does chocolate belong in the fridge?
No. No, no. I just don’t want to eat it when it’s hard on your teeth after being in the fridge.
How many spoons of sugar are acceptable in a cup of tea?
Two. No more, but less is obviously acceptable.
What is your job?
I work at a hotel. I do breakfast shifts and evening shifts. Evening shifts are quite nice because they throw parties and stuff like that, so it’s cool talking to all the guests. I recently got a new job, which I haven’t started yet, which involves going into schools across the Midlands and delivering physical education sessions. I’ll be starting that soon. It’s with an agency so it’ll be whenever they need me, so I might be in a position where I’m doing a bit of both.
What is the proudest moment of your life so far?
Probably when I scored my first international goal for England. All my family were there to watch me. I was 15 and it was night game against Norway. We won 2-1 and it was actually the winning goal, so it was that little bit more special. It was such an amazing moment.
Which celebrity would you like to spend one day with if you had the opportunity to?
Zendaya. She seems like a really down to earth person that you can just chat with and not get bored.
Are aliens real?
No. We’ve never seen them. I wouldn’t want to do my research into it. I’m not doing the groundwork. That’s not a bit of me. If something has come up, I would believe in it.
If you could travel back in time and attend one sporting event from history, which one would it be and why?
I played in a European semi-final once and we lost. I’d love to replay that game. It was with England U17s and we lost to Spain in the semi-final. We then went through to a third and fourth place game, and if we had won, we would’ve qualified for the World Cup. We lost to Finland 2-1. It was a kick in the teeth. We didn’t get through to the World Cup and I’d have to go back and change that.
Do you have any quirky matchday superstitions?
No. I’m not one for that.
What’s the strangest way you’ve picked up an injury or hurt yourself?
Touch wood, I don’t really get injured that much. The worst thing I’ve done is fall over and break my finger. I got fouled and I rolled onto my finger.
What’s one thing that annoys you about social media?
The negativity and the people sat behind a screen who can say horrible things. There are also so many fake profiles, which I hate too.
Who would you pay the most money to see in concert?
I’d probably say Ed Sheeran. With Chris Brown, I’d want to see him up close because he actually performs. Ed Sheeran is more of like a sat on a stool with a guitar guy. He doesn’t really perform in my opinion, but I could sit right at the back and hear him and enjoy his music and I wouldn’t mind that. So for that reason, I’d pay more money to go and listen to Ed Sheeran.
Who is your favourite Disney character?
I like Cars. I’ve got them on my crocs too.
What is one of your favourite family traditions?
Probably Christmas, just because we are always all together. Every Christmas Eve we’ll do karaoke as a family and this Christmas I sang ‘Eye of the Tiger’ from Rocky. It went down really well and it was really fun. There were no boos. Christmas Eve is all about fun and singing and playing games. We stay up so late on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day is a cooking day and all about food. We all eat loads and watch movies and then go to bed really early because we’re all so tired from Christmas Eve.
