It is fair to say that Scott Kashket hasn’t had the easiest of journeys into becoming a professional footballer.

The 24-year-old has had to deal with a fair share of bad luck which has only seen him play 150 career matches since making his professional debut back in October 2014.

READ MORE: Kashket on Knight, Muskwe and Covid postponements as preparation for Spurs continues

Prior to going pro, the striker had spells at the Spanish side Hercules and the Israeli outfit Maccabi Tel Aviv during his youth career, but had his trial with the latter abruptly halted, after he suffered ankle ligament damage on his first day.

Bucks Free Press: The stirker has played 23 games this season (Prime Media)The stirker has played 23 games this season (Prime Media)

He later joined Leyton Orient where his career started to get off the ground.

However, under the ownership of Italian Francesco Becchetti, the Os suffered two relegations in three years and had 11 different managers during that time.

Kashket was also blocked from playing for the South London-side due to the club’s backroom problems. 

He eventually found a way out of the club by joining Wycombe in the summer of 2016, but long-term injuries and a lengthy suspension have seen the 24-year-old miss large parts of several seasons at Wanderers.

But with him playing in 23 matches so far this season, he is hoping to put his bad luck behind him and hopes to one day play in the Premier League.

He said: “I think with all footballers, if you don’t have that self-belief, it is never going to happen.

“I always believed that it will happen [becoming a professional], whether it was straight away or the hard way.

“My ambition is to be playing against Premier League teams week-in week-out so for me, this is a test [against Spurs] as I hope to be in a couple of years time, be playing in the Premier League against the best players in the world.”

Last season, Kashket played 25 games for the club and scored four goals as Wycombe earned promotion to the Championship.

READ MORE: 'I would like Tottenham to play their strongest 11 if they could' - Kashket on Spurs test

However, the striker only played two games in the second half of the season, after he admitted to placing several bets which broke the FA's betting regulations rule.

As a punishment, he was banned for two months in January last year.

The offence happened between September 2014 and August 2016 when he was at Leyton Orient, where he placed 183 bets during that time on matches.

He was also given a fine of £3,446.13.

Bucks Free Press: Kashket has scored four goals this season (Prime Media)Kashket has scored four goals this season (Prime Media)

The timing couldn’t have been worse for the striker as when his ban was due to end, the suspension of the season came into play due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

This meant that Kashket only played two matches between January and July.

They were against Ipswich Town on January 1, 2020, and Fleetwood Town on July 3, 2020.

On the betting ban, he said: “At first, it was very frustrating because I couldn’t play football and couldn’t have any contact with the club.

“But then I thought about making a negative into a positive.

"In the time I was out, I just focused on myself with injuries where I had struggled to stay fit.

The two of them signed for Wycombe in the summer of 2016

“I worked on my strength and I think that has shown this season, as I have been fit for every game.”

He was also very grateful for the support Wycombe manager Gareth Ainsworth has shown him.

He continued: “I had the problems with Leyton Orient and Gareth took a chance on me to get me to Wycombe and I was grateful for that.

“He stuck by me when I was injured, stuck by me with the ban so he has shown great faith in me and I will always be thankful for that, as I am sure that some managers and clubs may not have.

“Having that support from Wycombe really showed me that I meant a lot to them.”

Finally, the 24-year-old is relishing the chance to play against the team he supported as a boy.

READ MORE: Ainsworth wants to equal FA Cup semi-final record

Kashket said: “[Potentially] playing against Bale will be brilliant because to be against someone who has done it at the highest level, especially in the Champions League finals will be brilliant.”