FORMER Kidderminster Harriers youngster Jamie Insall believes he has “turned his life around” after winning his first major trophy after beginning a professional football career in Scotland, writes Geoff Berkeley.

The striker lifted the Scottish League Two title with East Fife after a successful loan spell from Hibernian.

With his family and fiancée Aimee Harris watching on, Worcester-born Insall, who started the season with Stourbridge, said it was an “emotional” day as he rounded off a season which saw him score eight goals in 20 appearances.

“Saturday will stay with me until the day I die,” the 24-year-old said.

“Obviously from where I was a year ago, I feel I have turned my life around, so to lift the trophy with my fiancée and all my family there meant the world to me and I was quite emotional.”

Insall’s hopes of achieving his dreams appeared to be in tatters when he fractured a player’s jaw with a punch during Pershore Town’s match against Coventry Copsewood, leading to a suspended jail sentence in 2012.

It was a moment of “stupidity” which Insall, who had ambitions of one day joining Worcester City, regrets and says it stopped many clubs from signing him despite his goal-scoring record.

“Wherever I was at, I was scoring goals,” said Insall, who has played for Stourport Swifts, Redditch United, Pershore Town and Westfields, among other sides.

“But then I did something absolutely stupid on a football pitch and no one wanted to touch me. People started branding me with a reputation, which was understandable, but it was one silly mistake which I regret and will never happen again.”

Insall refused to let the incident hold him back, though, as he fired Bromyard to promotion with a 30-goal haul and scored regularly in Worcester’s Sunday league football scene before Stourbridge manager Gary Hackett came calling.

His ability in front of goal soon caught the attention of Hibernian boss Alan Stubbs last summer.

After a month’s trial, Insall secured a three-year deal at the Scottish Championship side before Stubbs offered him the chance to play under his ex-Everton team-mate Gary Naysmith at East Fife.

The former Harriers youth team player said his move to Scotland provided him with a clean slate and he has now set his sights on getting into Hibernian’s first team.

“I have gone from paying £5 subs on a Sunday to now playing in front of 1,500 people,” Insall said.

“That’s nothing compared to Hibs, who are playing in front of potentially 13,000 every week, and that’s my next step.

“I am probably in the best shape I have been in for quite a while, so it has worked wonders for my lifestyle.

“From going out all weekend and drinking to having the life I have here in Edinburgh with my fiancée is amazing.”

He added: “Obviously when you get to the age of 23, you start thinking time is running out but I always had confidence in my ability and thought I would get a chance.

“I wanted to go down the Worcester City route but for some reason Carl (Heeley, manager) never gave me an opportunity.

“So to be sitting here now with the Scottish League Two medal round my neck proves quite a lot to my doubters out there.”