Cameron Gascoigne interview: Uncle Paul says, ‘There’s nay point in being there if you’re not gonna shoot’

Following his Saturday afternoon efforts helping earn an FA Cup preliminary round replay at Bishop Auckland, the Ashington playmaker’s Uncle Paul was straight on the phone. That itself is not unusual – most young footballers fall in love with the game via a relative who then acts as a mentor.

Except in this case ‘Uncle Paul’ happens to be Paul Gascoigne, or as he is known universally, ‘Gazza’.

“I don’t think I had one shot,” Cameron Gascoigne tells Telegraph Sport in a thick, comforting Geordie accent when asked about the discussion. “And he’s like ‘there’s nay point in ye being there if you’re not gonna gan and shoot!’”

He certainly followed his uncle’s advice on Tuesday night, scoring the winner in the 115th minute as Ashington’s replay at Bishop Auckland went to extra time. The 2-1 win means they will travel to Crook Town in the first qualifying round.

Gazza is one of the greatest to have dribbled a football. He was a god-like talent who, despite injury and addiction, earned 57 England caps. While 22-year-old Cam is too young to have witnessed his uncle in full flow, the influence is undeniable. “As soon as I could walk, Uncle Paul would get us out in the park to work on passing, dribbling. And that’s how I fell in love with football.

“And then obviously I would watch his highlights on YouTube. It would baffle us that he was my uncle. It was hard to believe. I just wanted to be like him, really.”

Gazza would attend as many of Cam’s youth matches as possible and was a constant source of encouragement. What advice stuck most? “It’s not something you’d expect – you would think he would be telling us to do this stepover, or a skill, but no, it was always just ‘get your arm up, son.’ Make sure there’s distance between you and the defender.”

Gazza’s celebrity is global. But it was during regular trips to Gateshead’s Metro Centre for a spot of 10-pin bowling and pool that Cam began to appreciate the level of fame.

“I don’t think I can wrap my head around how much of an icon he was back in the day. I remember I used to get surrounded, and I was asking questions like, ‘why are they doing this?’ And he would try and explain it to us.

“There was a time, for one of his documentaries, that we went down to London. There were old clips of him when he signed for Lazio and he’s in an airport that’s so full that people cannae even move. He’s surrounded by security guards and I remember watching that and being like ‘wow.’”

But despite it all, Gazza is still just Uncle Paul. For Cam, that trumps everything else, muffling all the external noise. “I just don’t take any notice. I know Paul Gascoigne. Everyone apparently ‘knows’ who Gazza is, but no one really knows who Paul Gascoigne is – and that’s who I know.”

And who is he? “He’s one of the most loving, kind blokes I’ve ever met – and one of the funniest, too. There would never be a dull moment. Even now if we go bowling, he’ll still be playing harmless pranks on the people next to him.

“One year on Christmas morning, Uncle Paul had put a full Santa Claus suit on – he had everything and had stuffed loads of cushions up his stomach. When I woke up he was standing over the bed going, ‘Ho-ho-ho’ holding loads of presents. I was seven or eight and absolutely loved it. Magical memories.”

The affection with which Cam holds his Uncle Paul – he never calls him anything else – is endearing. He breaks out in a smile that would span the Tyne every time he thinks about him.

“He can hardly move nowadays – he’s had that many operations!” Cam responds when asked if he and Gazza still have a kickabout.

“But you can still see he’s got a bit when he’s juggling the ball. We play head tennis at my grandma’s gate – just back and forth, back and forth, and you can still see how magical he was back in the day.

“He’s the most competitive person ever – even when I was little, he would never let us win. He would never give us anything for free. He would always say, ‘you have to earn it’. And everything we play, whether it be pool or golf or bowling, we will literally fight to the death to try and win.”

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Cam, now 22, was at Gazza’s first club, Newcastle United, as a striker from age nine but was released at 13. He returned to club football locally at Wallsend Boys Club before joining the Newcastle Elite Academy – a hybrid football and education programme established by former Newcastle players Dwight Gayle, Matt Ritchie, Paul Dummett and Rob Elliot. There he credits Louis Storey, now player and assistant manager to Elliot at National League side Gateshead, for developing his tactical ability.

While studying for a sports science degree at Northumbria University, Cam played locally for Newcastle Benfield before joining non-league Ashington ahead of last season. He tends to go by ‘Gaz’ but “obviously, I do get called Gazza quite a lot, which is fine – I’ll happily take Gazza, especially when I’m running around on a football pitch!”

Does the surname sometimes weigh heavily? Cam’s answer is emphatic. “It’s always been a blessing more than anything for me. I’m proud to have that name. He represented his country at the highest level and was the best player in the world. I’m just proud to hold that name.

“And perhaps it’s because I’m from the North East and he is loved by everyone up here, I’ve never received any stick.”

Cam is loving life at Ashington, a mining town and birthplace of World Cup winners Bobby and Jackie Charlton.

Once a Football League outfit, Ashington count amongst their alumni Paddy O’Connell, who coached Barcelona in the 1930s, and Steve Harmison. The former England cricketer would line up as centre-back during his pre-professional days, before returning as manager in retirement. Harmison also played cricket locally, while current Test bowler Mark Wood is still involved at Ashington Cricket Club.

Next week Cam will start his International Sports Management course but this week securing passage to the next stage of the FA Cup took priority.

Gazza won the tournament with Tottenham Hotspur in 1991, albeit his Wembley afternoon ended after 15 minutes when he ruptured his cruciate ligaments in an adrenaline-fuelled knee-high foul on Gary Charles.

Ashington last reached the first round proper in 1961-62 but even at his level there is magic to the competition. For players who turn out on a non-contract basis, as he does, these are occasions to cherish.

“Ashington are one of the bigger clubs on the non-league scene locally,” Cam says. “We’ve always had a huge following. It’s the third time we’ve played Auckland in eight days – we now know what they’re about and feel like we can go there and get over the line. We are just concentrating on putting ourselves in the hat for the next round.”