It’s been said that at Cadbury Athletic, the pitches are so close to the factory based in Bourneville, that the players can sometimes smell the chocolate.
It was here, as a youngster, that Everton new boy Demarai Gray first experienced the sweet taste of victory.
Now, playing for the Toffees, who also have strong links with confectionery, from their nickname to Everton Mints, the 25-year-old will be hoping to treat the Goodison faithful to many tasty performances.
On Saturday, the frontman impressed alongside Richarlison, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Andros Townsend during the 3-1 win over Southampton and is a player who has always stood out.
As a kid, Gray appeared for the junior club who also had Daniel Sturridge on their books during the mid-90s, and soon caught the eye of Birmingham City, joining the Blues’ Under 11 side in 2006.
It was here, coming up through the ranks at St Andrews, that the pacey winger really started to make a name for himself.
Appearing for the Blues youth team, one Birmingham fan blog wrote at the time: “I remember seeing him at the end of January last year in a 1-0 win over Bristol Rovers in what looked a very promising youth line-up, lighting up the left hand side with his skill and trickery.”
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Fast forward six months to the 2014-15 campaign and Gray would make 41 Championship appearances at the age of just 18, scoring six goals.
He continued to shine out wide and after appearing for England at every youth level, by January 2016 Gray had plenty of suitors - including Roberto Martinez’s Everton - but ended up joining Leicester City.
The Foxes were in the hunt for the Premier League title when Gray arrived and, making ten appearances, he set up two goals as the club shocked the globe to lift the trophy come May.
However, despite his clear talent, Gray was never an automatic starter and was actually used mainly as a substitute. Making 133 appearances for Leicester across five years, 53 were starts and 80 were from the bench.
He played in at least 30 games in 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 but managed just 21 matches in 2019-20 despite being fit and available to play under Brendan Rodgers.
In the first half of last season, Gray played just 20 minutes, coming on as a second-half substitute against Crystal Palace in December and was allowed to leave in search of first-team football.
Asked if the midfielder would be moving on, Rodgers confirmed : “It’ll be up to him. He’s in his last year and he hasn’t signed another deal but, for me, I will always respect Demarai and what his wishes are.
“He is working very hard to play a part while he’s here. We’ll see how it evolves over the course of the season.
“I’ve really enjoyed working with him. He’s a good guy and has been here since he was a young player. While he’s here he will always be respected for his quality and what he has.
“He is now 24 and it’ll be whether he wants to continue in the role he’s played here or whether he sees himself going out and becoming a starter.”
From being one of the most exciting teenagers in the Football League, Gray was deemed surplus to requirements by his Leicester boss at the age of 24.
However, the fact a club like Bayer Leverkusen came in for him, shows he has talent and quality and the Englishman moved to Germany in January 2021 on an 18-month deal.
"Demarai Gray is a real bag of tricks, he’s a quick and direct winger who adds another string to our bow in attack," Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes told Bundesliga.com.
"He knows how to exploit his pace in one-on-one situations and has an eye for his teammates.”
The wide-man scored on his Bundesliga debut in a 5-2 victory over Stuttgart and featured 12 times both domestically and in the Europa League.
Reminding people what he could do, Leicester’s decision to allow him an exit, is now Everton’s gain.
The Toffees activated Gray’s £1.5m buyout-clause at the BayArena and it could prove seriously savvy business.
That skill, pace and trickery which helped him stand out as a youth is exactly what Everton need as they look to boost their forward play and aid Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin. On Saturday, he did just that.
Whether starting games or coming on as he did so well for Leicester, it feels like the winger will be an integral player this season.
It’s been quite the rollercoaster ride for Gray since those early days at Birmingham but now, at Goodison Park, he’ll hope his stock can rise again.
