Not so long ago a trip to Wimbledon meant something very different to Grimsby striker Michael Boulding.

Instead of looking forward to 90 minutes at Selhurst Park, Boulding would have been focused on an altogether different sporting challenge.

The 25-year-old Yorkshireman is making a name for himself in Division One after less than three seasons in the Nationwide League.

But before staring his football career, Boulding was one of the top tennis players in the country.

Ranked in the top 20 in Britain, he shared a room with Tim Henman when not travelling around the world in search of ranking points.

Life as a tennis player is a solitary existence and Boulding switched sports two years ago when offered a contract by Mansfield.

The move to Grimsby followed in September of this year and he has already scored three times in just three league starts for his new club.

An adept schoolboy footballer, Boulding was persuaded to opt for tennis after being talent-spotted at the age of 13.

"Tennis is like golf. It's very top heavy financially and living from day to day away from home is expensive," he said.

"When I was playing tennis I was travelling abroad for about eight or nine months a year.

"You're really on your own. With football you've got the banter each day whereas a lot of tennis players keep to themselves and don't want to give anyone an edge."

Despite spending so much time away from home, the lure of football continued to appeal to Boulding who stayed in touch with the game by training with Doncaster.

"Football was always in the back of my mind. It was more natural for me and I was brought up with football and around football people," he said.