A sidelined player finds his feet on sand

There is, after all, hope for those who do not make the grade in the regular game

At one stage Wan Chao's soccer career seemed to be over, but now he has been given extra time, and he is reveling in the opportunity to score goals.

He used to play in the Chinese Super League, the mainland's top-level competition, in 2007 and switched to the China League, sanctioned by the Chinese Football Association, in 2008 and 2009. Later, he says, he felt he was making no progress and returned to studies at Qingdao University of Science and Technology in 2010.