I was in paradise until the volcano erupted, but maybe that’s why I’m a footballer
DONERVON DANIELS knows a thing or two about beating the odds.
And this time the 30-year-old Walsall skipper is only talking about a rise towards the play-offs after experiencing a real life-or-death drama.
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As a toddler, Daniels was part of a mass evacuation when a once-dormant volcano suddenly exploded back to life on the small Caribbean island of Montserrat, forcing thousands of people to flee.
The Saddlers can move level on points with seventh-placed Harrogate if they win at the EnviroVent Stadium today – and centre-back Daniels knows he can handle the pressure.
The Sky Bet winner of the month of January said: “We are a young team and we were at a stalemate for a while but now we are moving on.
“Two games ago we beat Mansfield, who are second and, remember, had just scored nine against Harrogate.
“Look at our position in the league and we are actually below mid-table but we are one of nine teams within three points of a play-off position.
“Make no mistake, there is a growing belief that we can be the ones to break through because we are building real momentum.
“This is a club that has been a mainstay of League One. It is exactly where we belong, at least, and I am confident we can get there again this season.”
Daniels often returns to the site of that terrifying volcanic eruption as part of the Montserrat international squad, now managed by former Birmingham and Charlton boss Lee Bowyer.
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There’s nothing Daniels loves more than exploring the island he was forced to leave so quickly in 1995, when the Soufrière Hills volcano became active and made half of Montserrat uninhabitable.
He left for Hackney in London’s East End with mother Helen and five siblings, but paradise was not lost for him.
Daniels, who has three caps, explains: “My mother was born in Britain but moved to Montserrat at a young age because she still had a lot of family there.
“After the eruption, a lot went to America. She came back here, but she always begged me to play for Montserrat one day.
“She went there every summer to see relatives and it was to her that I got a limit.
“Everyone knows everyone there and they met the person who managed the Montserrat FA and I started playing for my adopted country in 2021.
“It’s strange to think that without the volcano I might never have become a footballer or played for Montserrat.
Donervon Daniels
“Unfortunately mum passed away five years ago so never had the chance to see that – but I know she is looking down and proud.”
Daniels, who started his career at West Brom and joined Walsall from Crewe in 2022, added: “It’s also sad that my first home is no longer there.
“We lived in the island’s capital, Plymouth, but it was wiped out.
“But I still have her family there when I go there. I love exploring the place and it is beautiful.
“It’s not far from Antigua and the habitable part of the island is like paradise.
“It’s strange to think that without the volcano I might never have become a footballer or played for Montserrat.
“Now I’m proud to be able to do this thanks to my mother and hopefully there will be more pride here at Walsall at the end of the season.”