From warming the bench at Whitby Town to starring in sofa shops in sub-Arctic Sweden, Jamie Hopcutt’s rise to unlikely European football prominence is one that threatens to leave even that of his idol Jamie Vardy in the shade.

Six years ago Hopcutt was facing up to a career in ruins when he was told by York City boss Gary Mills that his services were no longer required, plunging him into a series of brief and unsuccessful stints on the northern non-league circuit.

Last week, having scored a stunning goal in the first leg, Hopcutt was starring again for Swedish minnows Ostersund as they claimed a 3-1 aggregate win over Galatasaray at their notorious Ali Sami Yen stadium in Istanbul to reach the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League.

The Ostersund odyssey continues on Thursday when Hopcutt’s team, managed by another former York man, Graham Potter, take on Luxembourg’s Fola Esch at what is likely to be a sold-out Jamtkraft Arena in the central Swedish city, where temperatures have been known to plunge below minus 35 degrees Celsius.

“When I was released by York I was only 19 and I thought my career was already over,” Hopcutt told Press Association Sport. “Looking back now, I’m thankful it happened because with respect, I was never going to play in the Europa League with York.

“I was being sent out on loan to places like Whitby when I got an e-mail inviting me to a trial day at Warwick University. I scored a hat-trick and got a call from Graham, and he invited me over to Sweden to see how I liked it.”

The Ostersund revolution under Potter, who played for Birmingham and Stoke as well as briefly in the Premier League for Southampton, was already gathering pace.

Potter had lifted the club from the fourth to the second tier of the Swedish system, defying home crowds which initially numbered in the hundreds and a general apathy among locals more enthused by ice hockey and the city’s status as a biathlon World Cup venue.

“It was difficult at first,” acknowledged Hopcutt. “I’d only ever lived at home with my mum and dad, and when I arrived at the airport it was a bit of a shock. The place was full of snow and I was alone in an apartment and I wasn’t sure if I was doing the right thing.

Ostersund boss Graham Potter made his name with York City
Ostersund boss Graham Potter made his name with York City (Gareth Copley/PA)

“But what’s happened here since has been crazy. We had 10,000 people watching the Galatasaray match on a big screen, and they waited hours to cheer us back at the airport. Last week, I was out shopping for a sofa with my fiancee and I got stopped and asked for pictures.”

Hopcutt’s form – he scored 15 goals in the club’s promotion campaign and six goals already in this – has attracted attention back home with clubs like Aston Villa and Brighton reportedly lining up bids in the region of £1.5m.

“For me personally, I’ve made a life out here but one day I’d like to come back to England,” added Hopcutt. “Obviously Jamie Vardy has shown everyone that it can be done and you’ve just got to heed his example and see what happens.”