By Saj Chowdhury

Cadamarteri celebrates after scoring the equaliser against Fulham

"I wasn't allowed to train with any other club or any other players. I was cast off to one side and didn't know what to do. I was left to rot."

Those are the words of former Everton wonderkid Danny Cadamarteri, who towards the end of last season heard that he had tested positive for a banned substance.

The forward had been enjoying a second spell with Bradford at the time when he was hit by the six-month ban, which subsequently led to his contract being terminated by his hometown team.

Cadamarteri still protests his innocence and claims the ephedrine found in his system came from a flu remedy he had been taking at the time.

"I wasn't educated enough to know what I could take and what I couldn't," he told BBC Sport.

"I got advice from the Professional Footballers' Association over what I should be doing during the time I was banned, but it involved not training with other players. I was told I couldn't even train with the Bradford Bulls rugby team."

In December, the 27-year-old returned to football with Conference side Grays before moving to Leicester City after impressing manager Rob Kelly when on trial.

As soon as you aren't doing so well then people drop away Cadamarteri on friends

And his fortunes turned full circle last weekend when he scored a late equaliser to earn his new club an FA Cup replay against Fulham.

It was all very different 10 years ago for the pacy player from Cleckheaton.

He was brought up through the Everton youth system along with Francis Jeffers, Michael Ball and Michael Branch and was thrust into the first team at the age of 17.

His stature grew fast in the blue half of Merseyside after he scored a sublime goal against rivals Liverpool in October 1997.

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But the pedestal he was sitting on was soon taken away as a decline in Everton's fortunes, together with a loss of form and problems off the field, led to him leaving Goodison Park for his first spell at Bradford in 2002.

Many believe the Everton balance was tipped when he was found guilty of punching a woman in the face during a late-night fracas in October 2000.

"I was a young kid from a small town who was now in a big city like Liverpool," he said.

"There was so much to do in the city centre and I was exposed to it all. I wanted to find out what it was like.

"And when the team weren't doing too well, it was always the less experienced players who were going to be axed first."

Cadamarteri was still a popular figure at the time but soon found out who his real friends were.

A dreadlocked Cadamarteri was a hit at Goodison Park

"When you're flying high, the number of people who want to be associated with you is phenomenal," said the Yorkshireman.

"As soon as you aren't doing so well then people drop away. They disappear. I can probably count my close friends on two hands. I've learned from my experiences though.

"It's part and parcel of the game. I feel for the up-and-coming players. The only way the young ones can get around that is by having good senior pros and good figures around them.

"Everton are lucky to have someone like manager David Moyes now, who played Wayne Rooney sparingly and didn't push him too fast too soon."

With the bad times behind him, Cadamarteri is now looking to re-establish himself in football.

"Every day is a new start for me," he said.

"Every morning on the training pitch is a challenge to convince the manager I'm good enough to be in the team.

"I intend to take this opportunity with both hands and repay manager Rob Kelly.

"I also want to repay the friends and family who have shown faith in me and helped through the bad times I experienced."