Ainsworth rocking to different beat
Former Deepdale idol Gareth Ainsworth aims to turn pop idol when football stops paying the bills.
The former Preston North End marauding winger, dubbed 'Wild Thing' by QPR fans, is looking for a new career in rock when retirement eventually catches up on him.
Ainsworth, 34, who had three separate spells with North End between 1992 and 2002, admits he is hooked on the music scene after the success of his London-based band Dog Chewed The Handle.
"I've seen a different life now," said the lead singer. "It has been football all my life, but now I'm looking to the future. There's no retiring from music at 35, is there?"
Ainsworth has played more than 50 gigs since answering a magazine ad for a vocalist.
"It is a massive release for me every Wednesday night when we rehearse," he added. "I enjoy it just as much as football. And you can't beat the feeling you get from a gig.
"We're not punk, Clash, Oasis or Arctic Monkeys. We're something in the middle. Very energetic. We like a raw rock sound and don't like anything polished."
Ainsworth's top moment in rock came when he met Rolling Stone Mick Jagger at a gig.
"Meeting Maradona, Beckenbauer and Pele wouldn't come close to meeting Jagger," he said.
Ainsworth is currently sidelined at Loftus Road after breaking a leg last season. But he insists he is only a couple of weeks away from a return to the field.
