School Team - Early Football memories

[RonnieTodger]

7 minutes ago, steveherbe said:

I lost a Rice Bowl semi as well, never made a final of any description in 28 years of playing.

Same here, like an early Andy Murray. 

[Keyworth63]

Organized football at my primary school in Leicester the mid 60s was essentially non-existent. My secondary school only officially played rugby which I was fairly good at, but always resented not being able to play football so my heart was never into rugby. I played football every day in pickup games at lunchtimes. After uni for bachelors and PhD, I moved to the US, got married had children and by coaching my kids soccer team I was connected to players in the adult soccer league in the area.  So in my mid 30s I finally got to play on a proper soccer team! Since then I played once or twice a week on over-30 and over-40 teams and finally hung up the boots in my mid 50s, with a knee injury.  I thought when coming from England the standard of soccer in US would not be that great, only to find teams with US college-level players and sprinkled with ex-pros who had emigrated from Europe and South America. Glad to say I more than held my own as a mid.

[Guest Col city fan]

I never played against Dion Dublin, but I did play against one of his brothers… Clem Dublin.

Clem was widely thought of at that time as the better player.

None of us could get anywhere near the sod. I remember him smacking a shot from about 30 yards out which twisted around in the air and bounced back off the crossbar with a big ‘thwack’! 
I genuinely looked and wondered how he’d managed to shoot like that!

It was one of those moments when you think you are half decent as a young footballer until you play against someone who IS half decent and it hammers it home… reality check 

 

Edited 29 September 2022 by Col city fan

[themightyfin]

12 hours ago, Col city fan said:

I never played against Dion Dublin, but I did play against one of his brothers… Clem Dublin.

Clem was widely thought of at that time as the better player.

None of us could get anywhere near the sod. I remember him smacking a shot from about 30 yards out which twisted around in the air and bounced back off the crossbar with a big ‘thwack’! 
I genuinely looked and wondered how he’d managed to shoot like that!

It was one of those moments when you think you are half decent as a young footballer until you play against someone who IS half decent and it hammers it home… reality check 

 

Eddie was better. 

[MrSpaM]

Remember playing for south charnwood once against Groby and they had Louis Dodds playing for them, who was in Leicesters academy at the time

 

Lets just say we lost, badly. He was like a one man team

Edited 30 September 2022 by MrSpaM

[Bourbon Fox]

Playing in goal in the Northwest Leicestershire League aged about 13, on a freezing January morning.

 

The ruts in the mud had frozen solid and were so sharp they cut me when I dived on them.

 

My gloves were frozen stiff. Players had icicles forming in their hair. Everyone was slipping because the ground wouldn't take a stud.

 

I was feeling fairly bad because I wasn't moving very much - the ball stayed in their half as we were battering them. Then I noticed their lone goal-hanging striker was actually crying softly to himself, which cheered me up no end.

 

The manager came round and was leaning against my post 'Come here, Bourbon Fox - get some of this inside you'

 

His flask was filled with warm tea and brandy. Happy days.

 

Edited 30 September 2022 by Bourbon Fox

[Pedro02]

Was a striker up until about 11, was always tall for my age and was basically the Peter Crouch of our league. My passing was always better than my shooting, though, so when we got another lad who was decent up top I got put in midfield and set loads of goals up, but I hated running, so when we had our goalkeeper leave, it was only right to stick the tall kid in goal - turns out I was pretty decent and then I stayed there. 

 

Had a summer where we played the kids tournaments, won all of them captaining 3 out of 4. Then first year of secondary school our school team won everything in Northamptonshire and played in the National Cup (KO'd first round) and some decent level small-sided tournaments at places like the Power League opposite Pride Park. 

 

After that I played for Corby Town's and Kettering Town's Youth Teams, did well at Corby but the academy age group folded and then had a real shocker at Kettering - all my confidence was devoid and it was at around 15 that I lost my love of playing in goal after playing against some EFL and non-league academy sides, who were completely different level to anything that I'd played against before. I was mentally just too weak to compete with kids (and play on the same team as some) who were straight up assholes. Technically I had it, but I wasn't able to match a lot of the other lads' arrogance that gave the peers the competitive edge at that standard. I then started drinking and smoking and that was my hopes done of playing at a good level. 

 

Got back into it a couple years ago playing U18 footy in the same league as Kettering, Corby and AFC Rushden & Diamonds (played a game for their U18 side too, after I'd played well against them and their keeper got a knock - unfortunately messed that chance up, too), and now play adults' saturday footy with my mates. I do often think "what could have been", but think most of us do! Reality is I was probably never good enough, and from 13 to 18 only grown 1 inch to be 6'0", so probably a bit short as well!