At 17, I was an Everton wonderkid - I ended up petrified in prison Michael Branch went from being dubbed 'the next Robbie Fowler' as a teenager to earning a seven-year prison sentence, before turning his life around Article thumbnail image Michael Branch playing for Everton in 1996 (Photo: Getty) Avatar for Mark Douglas Mark Douglas Northern Football Correspondent December 22, 2025 5:00 pm share Share bookmark Save share bookmark The sound of the prison door slamming shut will be forever etched in Michael Branch’s memory. Now aged 47, the man once hailed as the next Robbie Fowler after breaking into the Everton team as a teenager back in 1996 talks about his lowest moments with disarming honesty and no little humour. But you can see why, when he delivers one of his half hour TED talks on his journey from Goodison Park to HMP Altcourse and a seven-year sentence for supplying drugs, the kids in the audience sit up and take notice. ADVERTISEMENT “I just remember sitting in my bed being absolutely petrified, thinking I can’t get through this, I don’t want to get through this. I had some dark thoughts,” he says. “Then they opened the doors the next morning and everyone was walking about. The noise was like nothing else. I just thought ‘I’m not meant to be here’. But obviously I was.” It is more than a decade since Branch walked out of prison, vowing never to go back. By his own admission his life still has its up and downs but he is a model for rehabilitation. After just a few days inside, one of the prison officers noticed Branch and introduced himself. It was an ex-Everton teammate from the youth side he played in and he “helped immensely”, moving him onto a less dangerous wing where he could blend into the background. ADVERTISEMENT There he “got his head down”, throwing himself into studying and the gym. But he credits prison counselling, which forced him to confront some buried feelings from his early days in football, with saving his life. “At first they sent me there because of my low mood. Because I did have some very dark thoughts when I first went into prison, the shame, guilt and everything else around was getting to me. My mood was far too low and one of the prison officers noticed it,” he recalls. Michael Branch of Everton in action against Leicester. Everton 1 - 1 - Leicester, 10th April 1997. (Photo by Staff/Mirrorpix/Getty Images) Branch has made peace with how his career ended (Photo: Getty) In those sessions he talked about his struggles with “imposter syndrome”, the self-doubt that crept in after his Everton debut at Old Trafford as a 17-year-old. It was also how he came to terms with what he’d done, “getting in with the wrong crowd” and, in desperation at mounting financial worries, getting involved in drugs. “Opening up helped me so much. It changed my mindset completely and now I know how to handle those ups and downs,” he says. One way has been to run, which is the inspiration for his “Running through the darkness” challenge. Inspired by an advert for a Christmas push-up challenge, he decided to run a kilometre for every day of advent – starting with 1km on December 1 and culminating on Christmas Eve with a gruelling 24km route. He hopes to inspire conversations about mental health alongside raising money for James’ Place, a charity that helps men with suicidal thoughts. “It’s been a massive challenge but I have enjoyed it,” he says. Most of the runs have been undertaken in driving rain and the journey has been documented through his Instagram page. ADVERTISEMENT “Don’t get me wrong, there’s been times when I’ve thought ‘Urgh, I can’t be bothered’ but when you get your first couple of Ks in, you’re away then and you feel great afterwards.” Now back working for Everton in the box office, Branch’s redemption arc is inspirational. On Saturday he finished his 20km run in Hill Dickinson Stadium to applause from his fellow Evertonians. Your next read Article thumbnail image square FOOTBALL Bins, rats and £400m of public money: Villa’s fury at Birmingham’s new stadium square FOOTBALL Newsletter (£) The Score: Newcastle’s weak spot, Leeds’ lucky charm and Frank is fooling no one square FOOTBALL Interview The £20m Newcastle exile dreaming of a return square MICHAEL HINCKS Ruben Amorim faces the greatest test of his Man Utd reign “I think the fact that I didn’t quite make it at Everton haunted me for a bit but I’ve made my peace with it now. I played more than 50 times for the club I love, I’m really proud of that,” he says. “Now I just want to do whatever I can to help people out.” You can donate to Michael’s charity run here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/run-through-the-darknessshitting in Fat Freddy's shoes since 1969
on December 24, 2025, 1:10 pm