School Team - Early Football memories

[themightyfin]

Thinking back to the days when I first got into football and my early memories at school.

 

Our School football team was rubbish in primary school my first experience in football.

 

I was stuck in goal in football practice simply because I was the tallest but i was no good. 

Our other keeper who was ok got injured before the first match of the season so there I was 10 years old shoved in goal with a crap team in front of me.

 

Generally I think my PE teacher picked the team like this.

 

If you were good - You got picked upfront 

If you were tall - You got put in goal

 

The Defenders seemed to be the ugly slightly larger built kids.

 

If you were fast you got put on the wing.

 

If you were good but not as good as the strikers then you got into midfield.

 

Anyone else left got put at RB or LB  and if you was rubbish you sat on the bench.

 

First game I remember we lost 6-1 and from then on took a thrashing every week 6, 7, 8 goals regularly went past me.

Last game Our PE teacher announced he was quitting and we went and won 4-1 god knows how but we felt like champions.

 

After that at secondary school another lad from a different primary school was much better than me so I turned to rugby, and never played again till I was 16.  My local pub team was short of a keeper at the start of the season so I went in goal for them did ok and a few weeks later was signed up by a senior league team and before I knew it I was getting paid a few quid for playing the sport I fell in love with.

 

Interested to know people's early memories and how they fell in love with the game.

 

 

 

 

Edited 26 September 2022 by themightyfin

[Nalis]

5 minutes ago, themightyfin said:

Thinking back to the days when I first got into football and my early memories at school.

 

Our School football team was rubbish in primary school my first experience in football.

 

I was stuck in goal in football practice simply because I was the tallest but i was no good. 

Our other keeper who was ok got injured before the first match of the season so there I was 10 years old shoved in goal with a crap team in front of me.

 

Generally I think my PE teacher picked the team like this.

 

If you were good - You got picked upfront 

If you were tall - You got put in goal

 

The Defenders seemed to be the ugly slightly larger built kids.

 

If you were fast you got put on the wing.

 

If you were good but not as good as the strikers then you got into midfield.

 

Anyone else left got put at RB or LB  and if you was rubbish you sat on the bench.

 

First game I remember we lost 6-1 and from then on took a thrashing every week 6, 7, 8 goals regularly went past me.

Last game Our PE teacher announced he was quitting and we went and won 4-1 god knows how but we felt like champions.

 

After that at secondary school another lad from a different primary school was much better than me so I turned to rugby, and never played again till I was 16.  My local pub team was short of a keeper at the start of the season so I went in goal for them did ok and a few weeks later was signed up by a senior league team and before I knew it I was getting paid a few quid for playing the sport I fell in love with.

 

Interested to know people's early memories and how they fell in love with the game.

 

 

 

 

 

In my primary school it was known through the years the football team had a set in stone first 11 and 2 regular subs while 1 sub was essentially the 'pitty pick' for rotation between the rest of the year for the season.

 

When I got picked for the first squad of the year I was really happy and thought I'd be there as a mainstay. I'd had a good game in midfield after coming on as a sub. Then to my suprise I got dropped for someone who was even worse at football than me. It was at that moment I realised I was the pitty pick and would never be picked again.

[RoboFox]

Yeah, I was RB. 

 

Should've been a CB, I had the height over my peers. Wasn't a bad player, just lacked confidence and didn't want the ball. Used to get so nervous before games.

 

In hindsight I wish I'd tried a bit harder, but as a kid I was more interested in Nintendo and music.

 

Played for the local juniors team also, and we tore up the Leicestershire leagues for several years until we got promoted way out of our depth. Our years-long rivalry with Shelthorpe - the opposite side of the county - got pretty tasty at times.

 

I remember going there for an away fixture and we had to stop the game because some bloke was getting physical with his partner on the sidelines. Weird.

 

Edited 26 September 2022 by RoboFox

[st albans fox]

1 hour ago, themightyfin said:

Thinking back to the days when I first got into football and my early memories at school.

 

Our School football team was rubbish in primary school my first experience in football.

 

I was stuck in goal in football practice simply because I was the tallest but i was no good. 

Our other keeper who was ok got injured before the first match of the season so there I was 10 years old shoved in goal with a crap team in front of me.

 

Generally I think my PE teacher picked the team like this.

 

If you were good - You got picked upfront 

If you were tall - You got put in goal

 

The Defenders seemed to be the ugly slightly larger built kids.

 

If you were fast you got put on the wing.

 

If you were good but not as good as the strikers then you got into midfield.

 

Anyone else left got put at RB or LB  and if you was rubbish you sat on the bench.

 

First game I remember we lost 6-1 and from then on took a thrashing every week 6, 7, 8 goals regularly went past me.

Last game Our PE teacher announced he was quitting and we went and won 4-1 god knows how but we felt like champions.

 

After that at secondary school another lad from a different primary school was much better than me so I turned to rugby, and never played again till I was 16.  My local pub team was short of a keeper at the start of the season so I went in goal for them did ok and a few weeks later was signed up by a senior league team and before I knew it I was getting paid a few quid for playing the sport I fell in love with.

 

Interested to know people's early memories and how they fell in love with the game.

 

I think you must have been at my school! 
 

when I have time I’ll reply to this - kids these days have no idea …..

 

[Sol thewall Bamba]

Played in defence for my Sunday team but played in goal for my school. Went the whole of my final year only conceding one goal and I still remember it now. Fuming. Should have persisted playing in goal, I could have made it I tell you. Would be better than Danny Ward for sure. 

[rico]

i played right back for my school 1st team and right wing for our B team

 

[TrentFox]

1 hour ago, themightyfin said:

 

Generally I think my PE teacher picked the team like this.

 

If you were good - You got picked upfront 

If you were tall - You got put in goal

 

The Defenders seemed to be the ugly slightly larger built kids.

 

If you were fast you got put on the wing.

 

If you were good but not as good as the strikers then you got into midfield.

 

Anyone else left got put at RB or LB  and if you was rubbish you sat on the bench.

 

That’s still the blueprint 😂

[FLAN]

Played in goal for school teams. My dad played in goal so I think I just wanted to because of that. I was ok and you don’t get much conpetition

First sunday team I played for I decided to go on pitch in defence. I didn’t play for long as I recall and had a massive gap until my early 20s when I started playing again. My strength was always reading the game and organising not technical ability but I really enjoyed playing and made the most of what I had

Still play 5 a side regularly (I’m 50 now) 

Edited 26 September 2022 by FLAN
Typo

[Heskey2011]

I was in goal for Cosby United Under 10s or 12s I think.

We got sponsored by Pizza Hut felt massive at the time, still the commercial pinnacle of my career.

[Nalis]

What did people feel they were good at?

 

It might sound silly but I felt like I read things about half a second faster than anyone else on the pitch.

 

Problem was that I was so devoid of speed, strength or ability that I couldnt do anything about it.

[Strokes]

I played on the wing or occasionally as a striker, as technically I wasn’t great but I was rapid.

Now I’m just crap and slow.

[Spudulike]

I actually thought that I was going to be a professional footballer (only wanted to play for City though) up to the age of about 14. I was a tall lad for my age, played up top or emergency centre-back but definitely had an eye for a goal. However, my feet grew during a summer holiday and when I came back to school to start a new year I couldn't get my boots on for the first team trial. I wasn't given any sympathy or second chance. I played in the seconds but the teachers favourites had already been decided at that trial. I got angry, never wanted to play for the school team again and just played on the park with my mates (jumpers for goalposts). 

 

I decided to become a rock star after this set back. Only problem was I couldn't master the guitar or sing! 

[purpleronnie]

I was a right winger (in the football sense), i was one of the fastest 100m runners in the county so i would just fly past defenders.

 

All I remember about the school team is getting out of lessons early and having to wear horrible kits with big collars which were probably bought in the 70's and felt like they were made from polyester.

[filbertway]

3 minutes ago, purpleronnie said:

I was a right winger (in the football sense), i was one of the fastest 100m runners in the county so i would just fly past defenders.

 

All I remember about the school team is getting out of lessons early and having to wear horrible kits with big collars which were probably bought in the 70's and felt like they were made from polyester.

You were a style snob even back then?

 

[taupe]

I remember a game, not my first by any means but one from my younger days. I was right wing. As we lined up for kick off, me looking at their left winger (remember those days, 5 up front) a bee stung him on the hand. He started to cry and kick off was delayed whilst his mum attended to him. You'll never see that in the EPL.

 

 

Edited 26 September 2022 by taupe

[taupe]

I remember one of the club coaches thought of me as a utility player, not brilliant anywhere but could do a reliable job, and I'd get borrowed by other teams to play in different positions. I was a totally crap keeper though. Not just because I was little (because I was, comparatively) but I had absolutely no positional sense when in goal - truly clueless. In later years, I moved to play in the midfield where I preferred it. I liked to see the game around me, I could see the spaces more easily and I liked to pass. I was never a regular goal scorer but contributed maybe 6 or 8 a season.  Towards the end of my regular playing days (late teens) my team played in a higher, regional league (not the UK btw) and blimey did we get some tonkings; 8 nil, 13 nil.... real batterings. The club pulled us out of that league and disbanded the team, and I moved into the seniors. It all got rather too serious for me there, and I was on the bench too often for my liking so I packed it in entirely after a couple of seasons. I played the odd game for works teams, and 5-a-side etc but never again regularly. 

[ARM1968]

Brown low Primary school.  Dispossessed some lad with consummate skill - think I kicked him. Then from inside our own half I hoofed the ball up front and watched it bounce over their keeper and into the net. Legend. 
 

Beats the time I shattered our keepers kneecap with the metal rugby studs I was using. Poor guy never played again. Mind you, it was a hell of a slide by me to be fair. 

[Brizzle Fox]

I think I reached my peak at 10 or 11, but my god I was a goals and assists machine for both Stokes Junior School and Cosby United, during those halcyon days.

[He aint bald]

5 hours ago, themightyfin said:

I was stuck in goal in football practice simply because I was the tallest but i was no good. 

 

Anyone else left got put at RB or LB  and if you was rubbish you sat on the bench.

 

Full sized goal, razor edged square posts and a 6 yard box with the topography of the Peak or Lake district ?  

 

I played left back with the cubs when I was about 8 years old..... me and the 2 keepers in position and 18 others chasing the ball.

I got to kick it a couple of times too

 

EDIT  A trial in goal as a 10 years old too, in above conditions, after teacher saw me do wonder saves between playtime jumpers, saved 1 of about 15 shots.......

Edited 26 September 2022 by He aint bald

[Spudulike]

[FosseSpark]

Got played left midfield for school team (was a rugby school) all the way through to 14, but played left sided centre back (in a three) or left back for sunday team as no one was left footed/shit enough to want to play there. 

manager use to scream to hit it in to the channels every time full backs got the ball and so that's all we did. which led to a 50/50 ratio of it going in to the channel OR going directly out of play, leading to dogs abuse from the unemployed and quite talented centre mids. Quite rightly so.

went on a run of 4 goals in 4 games 1 season which came to an end with a tame penalty which i'd demanded to take to make it 5 in 5.

 

 

[FoxSince88]

Our secondary school team was blessed with lads in all different academies over the midlands with a couple of well known ones in the year below they used to play for our year and we went 3 years unbeaten rarely conceding a goal. 
One of the lads become city’s youngest ever player I believe 

Edited 26 September 2022 by FoxSince88

[Saigon Fox]

Back in the '80s I played in goal for Lansdowne GEC and Oadby Owls, also Abington (runners up in the County 7-a-side) and Guthlaxton, though there was a good keeper there, so I didn't get much of a look in. 

[syston_fox]

Never got into football until about Year 5 or 6 and then started doing the training. Was never any good and spent most of my time in defence, not good at tackling but good at just being in the way and then hoofing clear. Remember one session, ball was launched forward towards me in the penalty box and I just headed it back out to the half way line. Next thing I know, I'm picked for every match going forward as the PE teacher was just so happy to have someone willing to head the ball out at corners rather than ducking!  

[StanSP]

Similarly, because I was tall, I was put in goal. Was good and I liked playing there. 

 

Then as I advanced through the age groups, I was still one of the tallest so got put in defence, and would end up playing across the back.

 

Then went to play for a new team and wanted more glory so said I was a striker, and the trials worked out well so played there for a while.