View Full Version : Humble Beginnings
After being released by the Arsenal youth set-up at 17½ years old, I wasn't quite sure what to do next. Liam Brady had told me it wasn't because I wasn't good enough, but that there was enough cover at left back in the squad for years to come. Cole, Clichy, Traore.. all quick athletic players. I was more of your David Unsworth sort of build, but without the height..
So, being an unknown having never played for the first team (or even the reserves) I packed my bags and headed up north to Halifax Town, who were the first club to offer me a trial. 1 week later and I had secured myself a pretty decent contract considering they were a conference team. 5 years to boot! They obviously saw some promise in me, though I wasn't expected to play a part in the first team immediately.
Of course, that wasn't allowing for Matt Doughty, the first choice left-back and firm fan favourite, pulling his hamstring in the last pre-season game. The boss told me I'd be playing in the season opener against Kidderminster. I spent as much time as I could in the gym in the week beforehand, trying to build up my stamina and 'biting the ankles' of our star striker, the wonderfully named Shane Smeltz.
Saturday 13th August arrived and here I was, making my pro debut at left wingback vs Kidderminster. A few early passes gave me confidence but I was just a spectator as Shane Smeltz opened the scoring for us on 24 mins. Half-time rushed onward and I felt a little out of the game, only having made 3 passes. The lads told me I was positioning myself well though, so I wasn't too unhappy.
I strove to get more into the game in the second half and on 55 minutes I pushed onward and found space inbetween the opposition defence and midfield, steadying myself, I sent a rasping shot towards the bottom right hand corner only to see it palmed away by the GK. The fact the defender who got to it first only succeded in blasting the ball onto Craig Forest's head and into the goal was some consolation though! Forest broke through again on the hour mark and made it 3-0 at the 3rd time of asking.
It was around this time I started to feel my body complain and surely enough, following a long passage of play where the ball simply refused to go out, I was replaced on 78 mins as the team changed to a flat 4-4-2 formation. I felt tired but it was good to have made my debut and performed alright. The following day I went straight to the back page of the 'Halifax Chronicle', the popular local paper who could be the harshest critics of local sporting heroes. The report had such comments as "a good debut", "solid passing" and "needs to work on his stamina". I wasn't too disheartened by the 6/10 rating, having only made 7 passes and a few block tackles in addition to my shot. They definitely right about the stamina though, I was still shattered!
I missed the next two games as Doughty had made a quick recovery aside from not being the first choice left-back, he still felt I was short of match-fitness compared to him. "Best get back in the gym then" I told myself. I was a happy spectator for the next two games though, as we beat Northwich Victoria (2-0) and Gravesend (2-1) to top the table on goal difference.
Called back into the squad for the match against Exeter, I expected to be warming the bench again. You can imagine my surprise when the boss read out the starting XI and I was there instead of Matt. Seemed the gaffer had decided on a firm squad rotation policy this season! I wasn't going to complain, I wanted to get a few games under my belt this season.
After making a confident start, knocking a few passes around the left, I pushed ahead of the left midfielder and started to drift inwards down the left flank, wanting to cut in onto my favoured right foot. The nearest opposition player was getting closer by the second and our attackers hadn't yet made it into the box for me to cross. Seeing the goalie slightly off his line and probably expecting the cross, I swept across the ball with the outside of my right foot, looping it high in the air..
Unfortunately my involvement in the game was ended prematurley after 34 minutes by a rough tackle from an Exeter midfielder. Limping off the pitch, I'd already done enough to secure my MOTM award and 10 rating according to the Chronicle. The physio told me I'd miss next week's game at Crawley but should be able to train again after that. Missing wins against Crawley and Burton, I trained harder to improve my passing and my stamina, which was becoming a bit of an obsession.
I had a nice bonus in my next pay packet. The club had sold 48 shirts with my name on! It was nice to know some fans saw my name as worthy on their backs. Least the extra cash would help keep me in energy drinks. I didn't have any spare money so aside from watching England play out a dire 1-1 draw with Finland, I worked on my passing during training in the hope of making the Aldershot game.
Not quite back to full fitness, the manager still decided to play me from the start against Aldershot. I repaid him on 35 minutes by chasing a horribly overhit Kearney pass and somehow heading it inside the full-back for Shane Smeltz to cut inside and cross for Craig Forest, who powerfully headed the ball into the back of the net. It was the highlight of a solid game for me as I defended well when needed but got down the flank at every chance too. Despite heaping the pressure on, we had to settle for a 1-0 win.
Cookie Monster
07-19-2008, 08:10 PM
Nick with a story :blimey:
:lol:
Good career btw :) Might I ask, were you playing this at work? If so I'm telling your boss :lol:
Clayton
07-19-2008, 11:00 PM
Nice story, I really like the detail, I have read a few and they just write went here played X number of games scored Y number of goals then moved there scored.... and so on, and to me it is pretty dull, I enjoyed this one.
Thanks guys, there's more to come too. Not a match by match detail but I'll pick out highlights and key events. Pea, don't be so surprised, I really enjoyed writing my 'flashback' story too ;)
Cookie Monster
07-20-2008, 05:20 PM
As long as you don't get fired by flashbacking at work ;) :lol:
Oh and no, this is all from home..
wow...plenty of detail, nice write up.
To celebrate the good start to the season, Gus Uhleenbeek organised a trip to a local casino. I didn't want to seem like a bore so I went along, even though I was rooted in my overdraft and couldn't afford to join in! It was a good night though, and we all had a laugh.
The next morning I realised how little I was seeing of my family. Maybe I should ease up on the training and go see them sometime soon. Problem was, this would mean losing out on some time in the gym. So, in order to make the most of the time I did have to train, I took some 'supplements' to accelerate my progress. I just hoped I wasn't asked to submit a urine sample for a few weeks...
Anyway, after popping in to see the parents for a while in the week, my sights were firmly set on our midweek fixture against Woking. Feeling stronger than this time last week, I was involved in the build-up to our first goal, supplying the pass to Craig Forest who put the ball away after the goalie parried his first effort. As the game wore on I continually demoralised the Woking right winger, robbing him of the ball time after time and passing inwards to our midfield. Despite our domination we couldn't seem to convert posession into a second goal and paid the price when Ollie Berquez burst past our right back and lashed a wonderful shot into the top left corner.. on 83 minutes.
"Great, just great" I thought. If that was me on that side I'd have stopped him, I was sure. We got straight back on top of them after the restart but we didn't have long did we? I found myself drifting up the field towards the end, desperate to be there in case I could do anything to help the team gain the win we deserved.
Then, on 89 minutes, Smeltz played a glorious long ball to Forest, who played a smart ball back to Shane. His heavy touch gave Stuart Nethercott (former Spurs defender, how I'd love to get one up on him!) the chance to try and close him down before getting the ball under control. The collision was inevitable but, sensing the ball would probably bobble between them, I positioned myself so I might be able to take it on. Nethercott was a big lad though and I didn't have time to think as I lashed my right foot at the ball...
Needless to say, the Chroncile bestowed a MOTM-worthy 10 rating on my performance. 11 passes, 5 tackles, 2 shots capped by that wonderful late winner. Thanks to my weak stamina I missed our 2-0 vs Tamworth away, which put us top by 3 points over Stevenage after 9 games. Taking stock at this point I'd earned an average rating of 8 per game, completed 28 passes and 11 tackles. Just 4 games into my pro career and I was scoring 0.5 goals per game!
The gaffer was obviously taking all this into account when he presented me with my new contract. He said it was fair reward to such a fine start. Hell, I wasn't going to say otherwise when my wages quadrupled overnight!
I seemed to be back in the gym whenever possible, my only break before our next game being a lazy day topped off with watching Arsenal beat Werder Bremen 2-1 in the CL group stage.
That Saturday we entertained Stafford Rangers at the Shay. They'd made a poor start to the season and we made a strong start to the game, with yours truly shooting just wide after 28 minutes. Craig Forest went even closer before half-time, just missing the outside of the bar.
Smeltz went even closer again on 55 minutes. I swear there was actually a layer of paint missing from the outside of the post. It was like the Alamo. An abolsute barrage! We were sending volleys and headers over and wide, every crunching tackle earned a cheer from our home fans. The match ended 0-0. Go figure.
I was starting to use my left foot more during matches and was becoming all the better for doing so. The Chronicle were describing me as a 'playmaking left-back', who had an 'accomplished style' belying my young years. Unfortunately my stamina was still an issue as ever, and as such I missed the next game, a 0-0 with Southport. Our inability to win either of our last two games saw Stevenage go top by 1 point.
Clayton
07-22-2008, 10:25 PM
Great stuff, looking forward to your next posts.
It seemed that no sooner had I started to clear my overdraft, circumstances put me back at square one. I could hardly say no to by brother's impassioned pleas to help clear his £75,000 debt, brought about by a less than intelligent investment in some holiday homes in Eastern Europe. This really sucked as I had an international week to kill but didn't have the funds to do anything interesting now. So, I had to make do with watching England cause further harm to their EC qualification hopes by drawing 1-1 with Andorra and then 2-2 with Sweden. At least Arsenal beat Hamburg 2-1 midweek in their ECL group game.
Back on the pitch I had a quiet game against Oxford, a match which didn't feature any goals. Back in training I picked up a slight knock on my ankle which seemed to affect my ability to do stepovers. Just as well I didn't fancy myself as a Ronaldo! Thing is, I think our Manager did. He called me into the office a few days after my injury and said that he wasn't happy with the happy out midfield had played recently. He went on to explain that with Matt Doughty as a competent and probably still first choice left-back, he was considering trying me out in midfield. I was happy to accept if it meant helping out the team but still felt my long-term future was as a full-back or wing-back.
So, after watching Arsenal squeeze past Roma 2 goals to 1, and all but secure their place in the final stages of the Champions League, I began my 1st game as a midfielder, away versus Grays Atheltic. Things didn't start too well for us, as Grays applied some early pressure. I felt somewhat unlucky on 14 minutes after throwing myself at a goalbound header by a Grays player and just missing it. Things didn't get better anytime soon, as although I started to grow in confidence in my new position, Grays went 2-0 up on 35 minutes.
We were a different team in the second half, with echoes of the Stafford match as we threw attack after attack at the Grays back line but were somehow denied. I was almost turning away in celebration on 63 minutes as I sent a header goalwards but somehow I'd managed to send it over, just clipping the crossbar. This was quickly followed by some long range efforts which tested the Grays keeper but it wasn't until the 81st minute when Craig Forest pulled once back that we made it 1-2. The boss then decided we had to go all out and ordered us to switch to a 4-2-4 formation. Now I'm not a manager but having one of your two midfielders with 9 minutes to go being a rookie right footed left back didn't strike me as smart. Our defence didn't help matters as our midfield was over-run and Grays ran the clock down to secure the 3 points.
I was starting to doubt the neutrality of the Chronicles' sports reporter the next day, wondering what I'd done to earn another 10 rating. Obviously 14 passes, 8 tackles and 3 shots in a 2-1 reverse was MOTM stuff these days...
Stevenage were starting to pull away from us now, but I was happy with my 8.6 average rating so far, putting me just ahead of Craig Forest in the Chronicle's Player of the Season competition. We'd all put £100 in at the start of the season and the winner would take all. Sometimes I wasn't sure if I was keeping my performances so high just to win that!
Next up was an FA Cup tie against Carlisle. They were definitely favourites against us, but we outplayed them for the majority of the game. I'd performed well enough when I was taken off in the second half, my stamina not quite seeing me through my excessive training before the match. I was banking on the lads keeping up the momentum we'd built up but my withdrawl seemed to signal a breakdown in confidence on the pitch and Carlisle grabbed a goal just 5 minutes after I went off. I was a frustrated onlooker as they made it to 90 minutes and sent us packing.
Another international week gave me hope for some cheer and England finally got a 1-0 win against Lithuania to get their qualifying campaign kickstarted. It didn't last long though as they managed to concede a last minute goal to Ukraine 4 days later to only leave Kiev with a 2-2 draw. It really wasn't looking good for qualification now.
Switching from 'fan mode' to 'player mode', Altrincham were the next opponents and though I had a slightly disjointed game on on the left, I still chipped in with a goal in a 4-0 win. The gap between us and Stevenage was 9 points but at least we'd just sent out a warning. The next day Tom Kearney took great delight in telling everyone he was the top passer in the Conference according to Opta. I was a little more surprised to see I was second! Considering i'd only just started to play more than every other game, I was quite chuffed with myself :)
We kept our form up during the next two games, firstly with a 1-0 win against Stevenage thanks to my assist, and then another 4-0, this time against Kidderminster. This was a special game for me, the first time I'd scored more than one goal in a match. The first was a 35 yard screamer on 69 minutes which dipped just below the crossbar. Even my celebration was a little shocked! The second came just 6 minutes later following some neat interplay between the front two and myself. I was starting to think I was in with a chance of a hat-trick until I saw my number come up on the electronic board after Smeltz made it 3-0 on 79 minutes. Was I starting to expect too much of myself?
We started to claw back some ground on Stevenage with a 1-0 win at Northwich, shortly before a 9 day break. I hoped the gap between Northwich and our next game at Gravesend wouldn't affect the momentum we were starting to build up. The boss had planned a team building exercise in Blackpool to take place early on in the 9 day break but I told him that I'd spent enough time with my team-mates recently, either in the gym or on the training ground, and that I wanted the time off to visit my family. He was quite understanding and gave me the time off I felt I needed, though the other players seemed a little off with me about it..
According to the local press, the previous week I was now worth £100,000. That seemed a lot of money for an unproven Conference player but apparently it was based on "sheer potential alone". Now, 4 days later without playing a game, a website was placing me in the £150,000 bracket! Must have been something to do with those fans in the broken down car I helped out. The media loved it and I'd joked I could always become a mechanic if I didn't make it in football. On the subject of values and stats, I'd now become the top passer in the Conference but had still only contributed two assists to my team all season. After watching Arsenal lose 2-1 to Man Utd in the FA Cup quarters, I made a resolution to try and make at least 10 assists by the end of the season. Our goalie Craig Mawson was also top of the clean sheet chart, with 15. Testament to the great defence in front of him?
Next up against Gravesend we were already 1-0 when Kearney found me on the left 50 yards out. Looking forward I had only Shane and Craig ahead of me so decided to advance a little. I saw the twinkle in Craig's eye as he changed direction and began to cut outside the opposing centre back. I could see what he planned and where he wanted the ball, but was I able to supply? (See HalifaGraves1)
The win was secured when the Gravesend keeper misjudged a Campbell cross and yours truely, probably the shortest player on the pitch, dinked a header into the back of the net (HalifaGraves2). It was enough to put the icing on yet another MOTM performance. But not all was well. Aside from being annoyed at myself because of some wild shooting during the game, I'd been forced to play the second half as the defensive midfielder in a 4-4-2 diamond formation. I'd played in about 6 different roles already this season thanks to the tinkering of the manager. A few of us had a quiet chat about it after the game between ourselves and it seemed we wanted a bit more stability in our tactics.
Before I'd realised it, it was January 30th. As well as being the day England played Ukraine in the final Euro qualifier, it was the last day of the transfer window. I wasn't expecting it but Oldham Athletic tabled a bid for me in the region of £150,000. The terms they offered were attractive too but I simply felt I hadn't yet done enough at Hailfax and that it was too soon for a move. I was feeling happy with my decision as I got my first beer out of the fridge to watch the England game that night with a few of the lads. It was 'same old, same old' as that bunch of over-paid prima donnas conspired to snatch a draw from the jaws of victory. Unfortunately the price of a 2-2 draw was not qualifying for the Euros. Ashley Cole in particular had a bad game, letting Shevchenko get past him late on to score the equalisers. "I bet I could do better one day" I thought as I stumbled home that night..
The next day we were introduced to Jason Matthews, a goalkeeper who we'd signed from Weymouth. Apparently he was here to provide stiff competition for Craig Mawson. A few of us looked questioningly at each other as we left the dressing room following the introductions. Craig was the top keeper in the division so far, why did he need such competition? I was similarly puzzled by Trevor Sinclair's move to Barcelona on a 3 year contract but Luke Young signing for the Villa was a reasonable move. Maybe Charlton would be looking for a new full back soon?
I was glad to get back on the pitch by the time the Exeter match came around. The past few days had given me far too much thinking and drinking time. I was in the starting line up on the left wing, this time in a 4-4-2 formation. Matthews also got his debut against a former club of his. It made me wonder if I'd ever play against Halifax for another club? Again, too much thinking. That seemed to typify my performance on the pitch. My only noteworthy input was a wildly mis-hit shot on 10 mins that would have gone out for a throw-in were it not for Uhlenbeek being in the way. Thankfully he managed to control the ball and cross it for Shane Smeltz to head powerfully into the back of the net. I felt isolated and out of sorts for the rest of the game and my 7 rating in the Chronicle reflected this. The 1-0 win still left us 3 points behind Stevenage.
Next up was a visit to Crawley, where the gaffer told us before the match we were starting with a 4-4-2 with a midfield diamond. This was only adding to reservations some of us had about the constant changes in tactics, and the effects shew in our early performance, with only a few incidents worth mentioning. The first came on 14 minutes after I drew a free kick down left. Gingerly getting back to my feet and, left unmarked, my perfect cross from out wide cross found Sugden who forced the opposition goalie into a good save. Moments later I was involved in some neat interplay with Fry who only managed to shoot wide. Before the half I'd rattled my opposition midfielder into a yellow card.
Fancying himself as a bit of a Rafa, the boss switched to a flat 4-4-2 for the second half. We eventually made the breakthrough with Ryan Sugden beating the goalie inside his near post after 71 mins. It was a hard 1-0 win, but 3 points was 3 points. I was pleased to read about my "incisive passing" the next day and felt my 9 rating in the Chronicle was fair.
During the next few days I threw myself back into the gym and the training ground but probably overdone things and left myself feeling a little drained before our away match against Burton. The team were in good form so I asked the boss if I could sit it out, saying I had a slight calf strain. Couldn't do any harm could it?
A 3-1 reverse left me feeling a little guilty. Luckily Stevenage lost at Tamworth too, leaving us still only 3 points behind them. I'm sure I'd have enough go on during the upcoming 9 day break to forget those feelings.
It was indeed an eventful 9 days. On Thursday I had a call from an editor from 442 magazine asking if I had some time free tomorrow to do an interview for them in their 'Non-League Talent' article. I was down to their offices nice and early on Friday and picked up just under £2k for the pleasure!
On Saturday the FA Cup Semis took place, with Chelsea and Man Utd booking their place in the final. Come Monday, the gaffer took me to one side and asked if I'd mind helping out with some training for the youth team. I struggled to keep a straight face as I accepted! I was barely out of the youth team and the boss wanted me to go back and train them? :lol:
The week didn't slow down as on Tuesday I gained my first sponsorship deal! Apta (who?) saw me a bright young thing and wanted me to promote their boots for £54000 per year. I wanted to clear my overdraft so suggested £62k was a nice figure. I was mildly surprised when they accepted my 'negotiation' and threw in a nice new pair of red boots as well. Wednesday saw Barcelona and AC Milan gain passage to the Champions League final, both scrapping through on away goals. The next few days were spent relaxing with a little training thrown in for good measure.
The week culminated in anti-climax as we played host to Aldershot and somehow conspired to grind out a 0-0 draw. Our teamplay was non existent, formation fluid to the point of confusion and finishing akin to a 2 year old swinging his legs wildly in the back garden. However, on the way off the pitch I was approach by a man in a suit and another in a white coat, holding an empty sample bottle...
I was aware that I was probably quiet and withdrawn during the next few days, as I reflected on the potential consequences of my foolish actions earlier in the season. I made a solemn vow to myself to never seek advantages through means unfair.. even if I didn't get caught.
I was back to my usual chirpy self by the time we made the trip to Kingfield Stadium to take on Woking. The frustrations of the last few weeks were starting to build up and manifested themselves in a messy first half in which shots were hitting the post, tackles were flying in and I was getting involved in a little off-the-ball action with the Woking right midfielder.
As the seconds wore down Woking gave away a cheap free-kick in the middle of the fielding. Former Liverpool trainee Steve Torpey stood behind the ball as a few of us made a nusiance of ourselves in the box. The ball was suddenly lofted up high into the box, swerving slightly away from the goal.. (see WokinHalif1)
Early in the second half I played a quick one-two with Tom Kearney and fired a low shot towards the left hand corner. The Woking goalie made a great save but Smeltz would surely pounce? Woooooaaaaahhhh!! An amazing save from Nick Gindre. That was up there with Banks, Higuita and Seaman! Shame he couldn't keep the ball under control and Craig Forest was on hand to tap in.
I was running things again from the left of midfield but was just a spectator on 80 minutes when Shane took 6 attempts to get the ball into the back of the net to make it 3-0. I was still laughing hard as we finished our goal celebrations and heard my name called by the assistant boss to come off for Sugden. Just over 10 minutes later the full-time whistle went and we'd completed a hard earned 3-0 victory despite the best efforts of Woking's Argentine goalie.
The next day the lads gave me grief about being such a 'golden boy' as they stuck up the Chronicle's match report in the dressing room, complete with yet another 10 rating for yours truely. I was trying hard to keep my feet on the ground but picking out snippets like "will become world class", "rare talent" and "superb passing" amongst the article, I was beginning to wonder how far I really could go. Picking up the remains of the newspaper I scanned over yesterday's only other result of any interest to me.. Stevenage 1 - Oxford 0. They were still 5 points clear and I was starting to think that anything less than 1st for Halifax would be a personal failure.
Cookie Monster
08-25-2008, 10:30 PM
I see you haven't updated in a while, but it was worth the waiting. ;)
Keep up the good work Mr. Piece of Underwear :P xD
Hell, I've had to the end of the season written for 2 weeks now, just a case of finding time to post it :lol:
***
Before the visit of Tamworth I received my next royalty payment for shirt sales. 112 more fans (did we have that many?) decided my name would look good on their back so I was now well and truely clear of my overdraft. I had the feeling I wouldn't be needing that again in a hurry.
Saturday arrived and I woke up feeling great. Must have been a great night's sleep or something. All the guys had become Morecambe fans for the day in the hope they'd do us a favour and beat Stevenage. Of course, we still needed to put in a performance against Tamworth! In the changing room before the game the boss told me I'd be in my usual LM position but warned me to watch out for Tamworth's Paul Devlin trying to wind me up. I could remember him playing for Notts County against Arsenal in the 1st division, the year before the Premier Division was set up. That was over 14 years ago! He'd be an old man now, easy pickings!
I was still feeling light-footed and psyched by the time the match started, and still so after 10 minutes, during which I hadn't even touched the ball. I was still aware enough to make a break when Chris Billy tackled an opposing player and broke down the right wing. Taking a lucky touch off the full-back, he crossed deep, past the poorly position keeper (see HalifaTamwo1 from next post).
6 minutes later I put in a crunching tackle on 'Old Man Devlin' (as I'd come to call him in my head) which resulted in the ball breaking to Fry just outside the box. Jinking past the centre-back he calmly slotted the ball past the keeper to make it 2-0. The fans were already starting to pay more attention to their radios and commentary on Boro's match. Thankfully we were still paying attention to matters on this pitch and kept the pressure up til half-time, going in 2-0 up but psychologically it was a cricket score.
During the interval we were disappointed to find out Stevenage had grabbed a goal in first half stoppage time to lead 1-0 at the break. 'Rafa' decided 4-5-1 was the way to go in the second half, which pushed me out wide on the wing. Way I saw it though, I had a little licence to drop inside and support Smeltz, who was now our solitary striker.
It took us a while to get used to the formation but on 60 minutes Taylor broke past two opponents and played a ball to my feet just over the halfway line. Steering it on towards Shane I turned and made started to break down the left. Surprisingly I got the ball back fron Shane about 35 yards out but lost a little momentum as he'd played it slightly behind me. The chance of a clean 2v3 situation had disappeared and with an opponent closing in behind me and the keeper covering his near post already, I pulled back and let rip.. (see HalifaTamwo2)
6 minutes later and I found myself the grateful recipient of a misplaced pass from OMD in near enough the same spot I'd got the ball a little earlier. Deciding to run with it for a bit first and see if Shane could make some space, the same midfielder who nearly caught me then was now struggling to make up the ground. By the time he did, I was 30 yards out at the same spot I decided to shot from before. "Sod it" I thought as I realised Shane had strayed into Tamworth's offside trap. Shooting again was the only option (see HalifaTamwo3).
The good vibes of the day starting to wear thin at the 71 minute mark, as I could only stand by and watch as Matthews made a hash of a soft shot and allowed Matthew Rouse to pull one back for Tamworth. I'm sure someone said he used to be a trainee at Highbury. My wandering mind had more to contend with as I saw Torpey warming up on the 80 mark and glances my way. Looks like I was ready to come off according to Benitez-Lite. For the next 3 minutes the ball conspired to stay in play though a throw-in looked on the cards before Billy again intercepted the ball and played a quick pass inside. By this time I was near enough playing as a second striker but actually found myself ahead of Smeltz by the time he received the ball and played a lovely first time pass to me, taking 3 defenders out of the game.
I was 30 yards out, 28, 26, 23.. what was going on? The nearest Tamworth player had seemingly not realised he was the last man and by the time he had, I was 19 yards out and bricking it, with only the goalie standing between me and my first professional hat-trick. Sure, I'd scored a couple in my youth games but they weren't competitive like this. The pressure cramped me a little as I struck the ball, aiming for the top right corner of the goal (see HalifaTamwo4).
Just as well the keeper didn't fancy getting his kit any dirtier!! I wheeled away towards the crowd, team-mates in tow. The sliding tackle celebration was testament to one of my earliest first team training experiences, which strangely involved a training cone. It was later remarked that we bore more than a passing resemblance to a pack of dying swans. It was also my last action on the pitch as Torpey came on to replace me for the last 5 minutes or so. We ran out as 4-1 winners and I'd done nothing to hurt my Golden Boy tag. I was actually starting to wonder if I wanted to go back to left-back.. Were 4 shots, 3 goals, 13 passes, 1 assist and 4 tackles the match stats of a defender?
Cookie Monster
08-26-2008, 11:04 PM
Good, as usual :D
Just a thing: the Zip file is called Haifax vs Tamworth.zip, not Halifax vs Tamworth.zip ;)
Unfortunately Stevenage won 2-0, so we were still 5 points behind. Many were already predicting it would be a tight run contest between us for the top spot this season, so the boss said we needed a few more goals as we were +30 on goal difference compared to Boro's +33. Stevenage were fortunate enough to have both Tony Thorpe and Hector Mackie in the top 10 goalscorers chart. On a personal note, I'd now hit 300 successful passes if Opta were to be believed, with Tom Kearney next on 242! Craig Forest was the league's top scorer, Shane Smeltz top of assists and Craig Mawson still had the most clean sheet. All in all Halifax players top of 4 out of 6 charts, so morale was high!
2 days before travelling to Stafford Rangers I helped my cousin move house. She was a bit of a hoarder so there was plenty to move; shoes, clothes, what felt like a van full of tacky holiday trinkets. It was a long and tiring day but a good chance to catch up with some family I guess. Fortunately come match day I was fully recovered and fit to face Stafford Rangers. As was par for the course, we made all the early running and had 2 great efforts within the first 15 minutes. The first was a Forest header just past left hand post after a cross from the right, then Shane Smeltz put a cheeky chip just past the same post a few minutes later.
We seemed sure to take the lead on 37 minutes, my burst down the left allowing me to put in a lovely outswinging cross, landing at the feet of Craig Forest, 7 yards out (see StaffHalif1). There were further chances during the 1st half, and the first 20 mins of the 2nd, before Stafford found their feet and began to assert themselves against us. I had been isolated for a good while by the time Matty Barlow put Stafford ahead on 73 mins after Jason Matthews spilt an easy shot.
Worse was to come on 75 mins when R's midfielder Cowling took out my standing leg whilst I was preparing to pass and sent me crashing to the ground. I felt bones in my shoulder grind as I hit the ground and through the haze of pain just about saw Cowling pick up Stafford's 3rd yellow card for his troubles. I watched the rest of the match in agony from the bench as we failed to overturn the deficit and went down 1-0 losers. I thought I couldn't feel much worse but the physio informed me the next day I was looking at about 6 weeks out due to the shoulder injury! I couldn't believe it, that seemed like a long time..
Determined not to mope and get down on myself, I made sure my time over the that month and a half was anything but inactive. Mike Nash, a well respected seminar speaker, wanted me to deliver some spiel on the virtues of confidence to a group of meek and shy wannabee go-getters. I was happy to oblige and more than happy to pick up the £10,000 on offer! Handy considering I wouldn't be getting any bonuses for the forseeable. I also spent more time with family and friends, who were glad to see me and tell me "You'll be back in no time". I couldn't leave the training ground alone altogether though and did wander down there once or twice and ended up signing some autographs for some die-hard fans.
All in all though, it was nice to slow things down for a while. I had the chance to visit Wembley to watch Chelsea beat Man Utd 1-0 in the Cup Final, and even treated myself to a trip to the Stade de France to take in the 1st leg of the Champions League final, with Barcelona sneaking a 2-1 win against AC Milan.
Closer to home, we won 2-1 vs Southport whilst Stevenage done the same against Forest Green. Next up was an away trip to Oxford, where I was joined on the injured list by Ryan Sugden. We were hoping 3rd placed Dagenham would do us a favour against Stevenage and they did let help us claw back 2 points with a 2-2 draw whilst we came away from the Kassam Stadium 2-0 victors. The highlight of my day however was the look on Jason Matthew's face when he got back to the dressing room, after Ryan and myself had arranged a montage of 'manly pictures' inside his kit bag :lol:
We stuck to our winning ways with a 3-2 vs Morecambe whilst Stevenage again stuttered with another 2-2 draw, this time against Cambridge United. The gap was now down to 4 points and we could almost smell their blood, figuratively speaking of course (my spell on the sidelines was making me a little dramatic).
The boss suggested I do a little light work with a personal trainer once the physio gave the all clear, and I was happy to get back in the gym even if it was just for some leg toning. I was looking forward to seeing the benefits when Martin Foster joined Ryan and myself on the crocked list for the FGR game. With players being played out position due to the mounting injuries and suspensions, there was no great surprise (but still disappointment) when we lost 1-0. That was further felt as Stevenage won, putting them 7 points ahead with just 8 games left. Despite being able to spend more time with friends and family, I was genuinely itching to get back on pitch. I felt a little useless helping out in training putting the cones back up and the pranks were starting to wear thin with the rest of the squads.
Now it was our turn to face Dagenham, the team reshuffled with Kearney taking my place out left with Steve Torpey in the middle. They done what was needed as the team ground out a 2-1 away win. Morale was back on the up as we heard Weymouth had beaten Stevenage 1-0 but we were down to the bare bones as both Andy Campbell and Torpey faced time on the treatment table. Luckily Ryan was fit again!
Seems the papers were getting bored of me not being on the pitch too, and I was surprised to read about a possible transfer to Huddersfield in the Chronicle, next to the match report of our 2-2 draw with Cambridge. The next day my return statement declaring I'd never play for them appeared next to a few inches about Boro's 2-1 loss to Kidderminster. My family and friends seemed to think I should show more ambition but I wanted to be loyal to the club that gave me my big break. There wasn't anything wrong with that, was there?
I was climbing the walls by the time we'd beaten Altrincham 2-0 and drawn 1-1 vs York (Sugden was back on bench through suspension so we had a laugh at least!). Depsite Boro matching our last two results, morale was high and the team were enjoying the chase. Still 3 points behind, our next game was away to Weymouth, where yours truly would make his return from injury. COME ON!!
Cookie Monster
09-04-2008, 11:13 AM
Nice one. My favourite part was when Jason found the manly pictures :lol:
BACK FOR WEYMOUTH AWAY! Shoulder now moving freely and causing me no pain, I came straight back in on left hand side of a 4 man midfield. I got my first real experience of being 'match rusty' as I struggled to get back into the game. My contribution to the half an hour basically consisted of a few passes and a wild shot on 26 mins. Then on 31 mins, I played a quick 1-2 with Fry and fired a shot in across the goal. It would have gone wide if it weren't for the defender getting in the way. His kind touch fell to Forest, bang.. 1-0. He wasn't top of the scoring charts for nothing you know ;)
My only other action of note before the 45 was a shot on 43 minutes that would have won 3 points... if we were playing rugby. I was a little put out by the fact I was still not getting into game properly, but "At least we're winning" I told myself as I wandered out for the second half. My cobwebs seemed well and truly blown away in the second period, starting with a shot just wide on 53 mins as the defence began to back off. This was followed up with a bullet header saved on 58mins. I could feel myself starting to get back into groove. I forced yet another save on 64 and Forest would have made it 2-0 with the tap-in if he'd managed to stay onside.
For the rest of the game I seemed to become the focal point of our play and drew numerous freekicks. I was careful to avoid any scything tackles as we played out an easy 1-0 victory. There were now 3 games to go and we were still 3 points behind Stevenage. Next up.. Stevenage Borough @ the Shay. A real 'six-pointer' if ever there was one.
Anticipation was high in the days before the Boro match. The whole town was buzzing and I daren't tell anyone that I barely slept the night before the game in case the boss thought I'd be too tired to play. There was no way I was going to miss this game, not for the world. It felt like we had double our six and a half thousand capacity in the stands as we walked out to a huge cheer. As the line-ups were read out by the stadium PA, a huge cheer went up for each Halifax player, and a cacophony of jeers for each opposition. The scene was set.
It was a dream start too. Just 5 minutes in, Fry gained possesion of the ball but both our forwards had dropped deep and now found themself shackled and unable to advance quickly enough to gain the upper hand. Sensing this, I'd already begun my bombing run down the left. Fry showed great composure to play the ball across the lumbering centre-back into my path. All I had to do was cut inside past him and work that ball into the back of the net (see HalifSteve1) for us to go 1-0 up.
Stevenage were shaken and their cause took a further blow when Adam Miller misplaced a pass on 23 mins to Chris Billy, allowing him to find Fry, who got his second assist of the match by playing another great ball, this time to Smeltz for an easy finish. 2-0. We were going to the top of the league!! On goal difference anyway!
Things however got a little shaky on the half hour mark as a weak 20 yard shot from Steve Morison somehow slipped it's way through Mawson's gloves and rolled over line despite his efforts to back-track. 2-1. Looks like maybe we'd have to change our prank target..
Content to make it to half-time, I dropped back to get more involved and called for the ball after we'd gained a free-kick just outside our own box. Simply looking to run the clock down I knocked it across to Taylor, who seemed surprised to be receiving the ball. His panic let to Morison gaining possesion just outside the box. Back to goal, he played it back to Tony Thorpe, who showed he still 'had it' with a smart finished from 20 yards. 2-2. It was the last action of the half. As I trudged into the dressing room I couldn't help but feel a little responsible. Should I have left the ball for the defence to clear?
It was around now I gained a little respect for the gaffer. Knowing we were assured of promotion but also realising how much it would mean to go up as champions, he switched to 4-3-3 for the 2nd half, pushing Chris Billy into the right forward position. Although I actually found myself surprised thinking "I should be up", considering I'd started the season as a defender (but then a repsectable 12 goals this season, over ½ a goal per game, would do that), this went some way to easing the derision some of us had aimed at him for constantly tinkering with tactics. For once it was justified!
Well, it seemed that way at the time but a period of settling into the new formation seemed to produce some kamikaze defending at the start of the 2nd half. Our back line just couldn't seem to find the right pass or even clear the ball properly, but they managed to keep the Boro strike force at bay. It wasn't until around the 65 mark that we had a clean break, with the ball breaking to Smeltz on left, allowing him to drift out and whip in a decent cross. Craig Forest had made space for himself by breaking away from his marker but Boro goalie Alan Julian had seen him and gave him no space for the header. However, his punched clearance looped back off Forest's head and back to me.. AND ON ME 'ED!! 3-2 (HalifSteve2).
The emotion of the game started to tell on me, my tired legs blasting just over on 77 mins. Along with a few other players, I just about made it to the end of the game on my feet, but wasn't too tired to enjoy the raucous celebrations after the match. The evening edition of the Chronicle hailed the return of the 'Prodigal Son' and generally made me out to be the best thing since sliced bread. It had been a great team effort, my 8 passes and 5 tackles not seeming that special. I was just lucky to have been in the right place at the right time twice in the match, wasn't I? Or was I making my own luck with my attitude and style of play? Either way, we were now level with Boro and only behind by 1 on goal difference, and just two games to go.
Most of the squad went out for a few beers that night, myself included. A good time was had by all but boy could you tell who had overdone it in training the next day. Mind you, at least most of us turned up, unlike Gus. You'd have though a seasoned pro would have set a good example..
Our penultimate game was away to St Albans, who were currently 15th in the table. Stevenage played host to Gravesend who were 13th, so it looked like we both had similar games on our hands. There wasn't much to speak of at Clarence Park until 33 minutes, when I put in a testing shot from 20 yards which Paul Bastock just about managed to save. Somehow Craig Forest also just about managed to not score from the resulting header, clipping it against the post. It was a generally frustrating and average first half, every player seeming to make 1 bad pass for each good, myself included.
The second half pretty much picked up where the 1st left off but livened up just before the hour mark when Wilde crossed for St Albans from the left hand side, over Jason Matthews who had misjudged the flight of the ball, and onto the head of Robert Norris. I'd back-tracked as best I could and threw myself towards the ball as it went towards the goal (see St AlHalif1). Unfortunately my efforts were for nought as the resulting corner was hit in low and hard close to the line and actually came off Jason and into the back of the goal.
Knowing we'd worked so hard so get our noses in front of Boro, I got angry. I knew there was going to be an inquest into my defensive header... 'Was it going wide?', 'Did you not see their striker offside?'.. God help anyone who took it too far in the dressing room if we didn't come back from this. In the meantime it just made me run and hassle and fight for the ball. It seemed to pay off when on 67 minutes I drew a free-kick just outside the box. Casually strolling away from the ball I winked at Tom, unseen by any opposition. The element of surprise was lost however when he played a poor ball back to me, not allowing the first time shot. I literally had to run 2 yards back, collect the ball and beat 2 men in order to get my shot in. Having time to see what was going on, the St Albans goalie should have maybe done better, only parrying the ball into the path of Craig "Surgeon's Knife" Forest who stooped low to head in for 1-1.
Just three minutes later our defence went to sleep, and Ben Martin made the most of it with a header to put us 2-1 down. Rage surfaced again and kept buidling, seeking a release. I thought I'd found it on 80 minutes with a shooting chance but I lacked control as the ball sliced off my foot and started a quick journey towards the corner flag, if I was lucky.. However, Chris Billy had continued his run and threatened to intercept the shot, so City's Flynn decided to clear upfield. Kearney closed down on Magnus Okuonghae who thought he'd be receiving the clearance, and played back to me near enough where I'd just taken my first shot. "Control" I mentally screamed at myself.. (see St AlHalif2) I only wish I'd shown the same control when I decided to do the 'Carlton Dance', inspired by a few too many afternoon's watching Fresh Prince of Bel Air re-runs!
Despite applying late pressure we could only play out the 2-2 draw, giving Stevenage the chance to go clear again thanks to a close 1-0 over Gravesend. They were now 2 points clear with 1 game to go. 2nd wouldn't be a disaster but there was a feeling of disappointment starting to show in the team. We felt like we'd thrown away the chance to go back up as champions.
It seemed a long time ago that I'd unexpectedly taken to the pitch against Kidderminster at a time I thought I'd do well to get more than a handful of games in my first season. Now here I was, taking to the pitch in our last game of the campaign against Rushden & Diamonds, having played in 28 games inbetween and making myself a firm first team favourite.
The season had taken it's toll on all of us and we didn't think there was much to play for as Exeter had suffered a torrid run of form recently so Boro were expected to pick up the 3 points to secure the title. We didn't start too well, with Canadian starlet Simeon Jackson putting the ball just over for R&D on 14 minutes, after a prolonged period of possesion. It turned out to be Rushden's only bright spot of the game. Despite plenty of good pressure from us, the score was still 0-0 at half time.
The Daggers defence was solid and although I was dictating play and finding targets with plenty of passes, we just couldn't seem to find a way through. Then, with little over 15 minutes left of the game, I found myself with space to move through the midfield, my marker already booked and unwilling to put a tackle in. A swerving shot was unleashed.. the goalkeeper saw it late but got a hand to it.. couldn't hold it! There was only one person every Halifax Town fan wanted to be there to mop it up, and he didn't disappoint. Forest pounced to make it 1-0 with his 27th goal of a wonderful season. Last we'd heard it was 0-0 at St James Park. Doing the maths in my head quickly I remember we'd need to win by more than 1 goal in order to go top, if Stevenage drew.
The next 14 minutes were agony. We pushed and pulled and threw the proverbial kitchen sink at the opposition but they stuck to their guns and the ref blew a little over the 90 minutes. A few seconds later, there were some cheers from the crowed. "Are they being slow?" I thought to myself, before realising they were probably listening to the Stevenage game on the radio. Rushing over to listen to the closing stages it turned out Exeter had scored an injury time goal to go 1-0 up. I'd barely had time to catch my breath as we heard the distant trill of a ref's whistle signal time in the south-west. We'd done it!! WE WERE CHAMPIONS!!
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A few days later, suitably recovered, I finally had the chance to reflect on my first season as a professional footballer. It had been difficult to balance work and family but I felt it'd get easier in time. At the very worst I'd have more money in the future to throw at problems, as long as I kept performing like I did!
On the field I couldn't have been much happier though. I was now valued at £250,000 after starting just 30 games. Despite beginning the season as a left-back I'd scored 14 goals and made 362 successful passes during those matches. My 101 tackles showed I was more than capable of getting stuck in when I needed too as well. I was ecstatic with my 13 MOTM awards and average Chronicle rating of 9.2 avg, especially considering I'd been injured for 10 matches. The fact I hadn't received a single card, despite my playing stylel, was also a cause for celebration. I think I was starting to feel like a midfielder now! It was a good season for a few other players too though.
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As a fan it was a crap season though, watching my beloved Arsenal come 5th in the league whilst Chelsea bought another title, with no cup success to boot. It didn't get any better as an Englishman that summer either, with my only interest in the World Cup being in Holland performing well as my sweep-stake team. Instead I had to make do with watching a strong Brazil team make it past surprise packagaes Sweden in the final.
Shortly after the final, ex-Arsenal forward Sylvain Wiltord, now of Lyon, was announced as winner of the World Player of the Year trophy. His 40 goals in 47 appearances had catapulted Lyon to a record points tally in Ligue 1, and he'd scored a few for France too.
He wasn't the only one picking up awards. In the end of season ceremonies I was privleged to pick up the Conference National Young Player Of The Year award, which would take pride of place in the corner of my shared accomodation bedroom, until I got somewhere a little nicer to show it off. Not being able to train for most of the summer was good for me, as it gave me some much needed time to rebuild relationships with friends and family, which had suffered during my training obsessed first year as a pro. Mind you, I was making no promises it wouldn't be the same next season..
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Before I knew it, we were back in pre-season training and my birthday had come around. 18! I could finally get rid of that fake ID and stop relying on the lads for me to get drinks while I was out. I was grateful there had been a few places that would serve me before. I never did work out if it some know knew who I was (and therefore my real age) and didn't care or because they didn't know who I was..
They definitely didn't know who I was at Esquires in Bedford, which is where a handul of my mates and some willing team-mates celebrated my 18th. It was a good night even if my former class-mate Jaime presented me with a 1984 Tottenham Hotspur UEFA Cup final medal. Taking the **** surely? :lol: I stumped up for the night, which was largely feasible due to the shirt sales royalties that kept coming in, netting me more than £2k per month!
Before the season kicked off I decided to spend a little time in the gym working on my strength. I knew this season I'd be playing against stronger opponents and didn't want to be too lightweight. I was also looking forward to following my team again this year, and was curious if Arsenal would bring anyone in to replace the now-retired Jens Lehmann. They didn't to my surprise. Amongst other well known retirees were Brad Friedel, Tugay, Teddy Sheringham, Kevin Campbell, Paul Ince and lower league legend Andy Hessenthaler. It was a quiet summer as far as big transfers went, with Kily Gonzalez's move to Man City on a 4 year contract probably the biggest move. There were only two changes to our squad, with yet another keeper in Lee Harper arriving and 17 year old striker Mattie Deeney being promoted from the reserves. I'd played alongside him for half a season and he showed a lot of promise, with pace to burn and a good poacher's instinct.
Waking up in Saturday morning in a hotel room after a 170 mile trip the day before, I felt surprisingly good, despite having to blot out Ryan Sugden's snoring in order to drop off to sleep in the first place. The club had hired out a conference room for breakfast and we kept asking if we should have hired a 'league room' instead! Cornflakes and pancakes washed down with OJ and natural teas, the gaffer gave us an early team-talk and told us Harper and Deeney would be making their debuts in an attacking 4-4-2 formation. I'd be on the left of midfield as usual. A very light session in the hotel gym gave me a lot of thinking time before the match. I started to wonder how I'd cope with the step up to League football and nerves kicked. All this was forgotten however by the time I stepped out on the pitch at Edgar Street, where I was thinking was "COME ON!". It was game time.
Nando
09-09-2008, 02:07 AM
A delightful read.
Looking forward for your next entry.
I got stuck in from the start and after 15 minutes hadn't seen a gap in quality between us and our opponents. That lifted my spirits further, as nice as it was to be the underdog sometimes! I'd hardly had time to put this thought out of my head when I received the ball from Kearney just over halfway. Pushing forward, I was looking to slip ball through to either of our strikers but Shane seemed offside and Deeney couldn't shake his marker. Deciding to have a pop myself, I hit the ball with the outside front of my right foot, hoping the goalie would see it late as there were two players directly between us.. (see HerefHalif1)
I struggled to get involved for the next 25 minutes as the ball seemed attracted to the right side of the pitch. I didn't have a problem staying alert though, and my vigilance was rewarded on 40 mins when the ball broke to Shane who laid off for me to beat the opposition right back, who seemed to have been caught flat-footed by the return of the ball to the left hand side. Surging forward, I found myself 20 yards out with two players unmarked square to the right. Naturally, I done the right thing (see HerefHalif2). The game was effectively ended as a contest when Shane finished at the 2nd time of asking after a clever pass from yours truely. The mood in the changing room at half time couldn't have been better!
The game won, we dropped into a flat 4-4-2 for the second half, but kept plenty of pressure on Hereford, which resulted in them giving away numerous free kicks. One such set piece was intended to be teed back for me to strike but I ended up heading instead as it struck a divot and it bobbled onto my head. Needless to say it provided some light relief for the Bulls defenders and I waw one or two snigger. They weren't laughing on 61 mins when Campbell laid the ball out to me wide left from a free-kick and I curled the ball just inside the far post, much to the surprise of pretty much everyone in the ground (HerefHalif3). My first professional hat-trick!! Our fans applauded me as I raised my arms to them and pumped the air in delight. This was a moment I'd remember for a long time to come.
My involvement in the match ended on 75 minutes with the flashing of a red card. Fortunately it wasn't for me, it was to Hereford's Alan Connell for a second yellow. The break in play gave Chris Billy the chance to come on and replace me, with the game heading firmly for a 4-0 final score. Not a bad start to my Football League career! Needless to say I had a great write-up in the Chronicle, superlatives left right and centre with declarations of 'scary potential'.
Somewhat surprisingly though, the Boss felt the need to state that he expected 100% from every squad member for the remainder of the season. Despite everything going well on the pitch some felt he was becoming a cliche, myself included. We'd just hammered Hereford 4-0, given 110% as always and he came out with this? Not to worry, next up was Mansfield at home, before which I squeezed in some set piece training and had a laugh with Lee Harper, banging some penalties past him whilst asking what life at Arsenal was like..
Apologies for the break, the small matter of NSS4 kinda took over but I've had 9 pages written and waiting in Notepad for some time!
***
Before the match on Saturday I spoke to the Gaffer about the possibility of a new contract. To my delight he said he'd been thinking about that as well and would speak to board, as he felt my fine form and potential needed rewarding and protecting.
I was in high spirits as we took to the pitch on Saturday, and the team made a bright start too, Shane Smeltz firing just wide after Jon d'Layrea gave the ball away dangerously. 6 minutes later I drew a free kick 25 yards out after a surging run, Dawson booked for cynically bringing me down. The free kick came to nothing, Deeney shooting just wide from resulting play. Keeping the pressure on, Smeltz beautifully controlled a Taylor clearance and touched the ball towards me on the overlap. A slide rule pass found Deeney in space and his shot was only just wide, again. We were creating chances and dominating the game but lacking that killer finish right now. A situation not helped by the fact that when we did get the ball on target, Carl Muggleton seemed hellbent on keeping it out, proved by a wonderful double save from Deeney and Fry.
The last incidents of note in the first period came on 37 minutes, when I had a clear run on goal and we had 3 men to Mansfield's 1. Maybe I should have passed but instead my shot flew just over the bar. The first half was summed up with Deeney finding his range (but not the target) from distance from the resulting goal kick. The mood in the dressing room at half time was one of frustration tempered by optimism.
Into the second 2nd half, Mansfield continued to give away free kicks, and it was one on 52 minutes from which Campbell forced Muggleton into a diving save that produced a loose ball for Deeney to pounce on and score his 1st professional goal. I felt pleased for the lad and remembered how I'd felt that day against Exeter and sure enough, he got the same 'arm round the neck and hair ruffle' treatment from a few of the senior pros!
Shortly after the restart, I found myself 30 yards out with time and space but no passing options. My shot was closer than my previous efforts but still not threatening enough. It was just as well that my passing game was well and truley on! I was still getting involved up front and forced a save on 67mins, with Deeney sadly unable to control the rebound.
15 minutes to go, we'd still not managed to turn our total domination into a two goal lead. The closest we came was after I got 'stuck in' around the centre circle, putting in a tough tackle or two to get back the ball I'd just lost. My pass found Smeltz out on the left wing. Seeing the chance, I started to run towards the far post. Shane obliged with a dangerous cross, which evaded the flailing Muggleton but also had a little too much on it for me (HalifMansf1). All hope of a second goal disappeared as I sent another long ranger across goal on 87 mins. 3 points was 3 points though, and a 1-0 final score gave us just that. 14 passes and 5 shots going towards yet another MOTM performance from yours truly.
I went out for quiet drink on Monday night and spent most of the evening staring at a brown haired beauty the other side of the bar. After a few vodka for 'Dutch Courage' I decided to ask her out but got knocked back. I left for home not long after and went into training early next day to try and cheer myself up, as well as work of the effects of the alcohol.
19/08/06, Darlington away. In hindsight, the pass I made at the start of this match had quite an effect on the game. A beautifully dinked pass it was, which, if it had been hit with just a touch less power, would have given Shane a great chance to put us 1-0 up. As it was it had a little too much on it for and was cleared by the Darlo defence. From that clearance, they went on the attack and in my frustration and being blocked off the ball to stop me tackling, got involved off the ball in a bit of a tangle. The ref had a quiet word with me and I promised to behave. I didn't want to pick up 1st card any time soon.
Soon after we gave Darlo another free kick, this time on the right wing. Being mindful of my defensive duties, I positioned myself on the back post. Duke to Wright, flicked on, past Harper. I couldn't get to ball as Giallanza fired home. 0-1. Over the next 25 minutes it started to feel like the Mansfield game again as we enjoyed lots of build-up play but didn't create any clear cut chances. Getting slightly frustrated I gave another free kick away on 40 mins, though it took ball! The ref told me to calm down and 'watch it lad'. Darlington didn't make the most of the free kick though, and played it straight to our defence. Feeling half-time approaching, the defence played the ball around between themselves, but lost it to the marrauding Wright. Harper saved shot his shot but Giallanza was on hand again. 0-2 on stroke of HT. That was not a good half and I was feeling more tired than usual.
Despite getting a small rocket up our collective behind at half time, the team were unable to raise their game in the second half and Giallanza was unlucky not to complete his hat-trick on 58 mins when firing just over from 20 yards. I returned the favour by shooting wide again. I was starting to think I was maybe getting greedy in certain positions and needed to pass more. As Young came on for Doughty before the restart, I also began to wonder how much more I had in tank.
69 mins, I found Deeney with a first time pass. He forced his way past the defence but shot wide. Shortly after, I gave away a sloppy throw-in when failing to control the ball. The throw went to N'goma who thumped it upfield where Giallanza was waiting in earnest. His smart shot knicked the angle of post and bar on the way over. I got a second wind with 15 minutes on the clock and began rampaging through midfield. 2 tackles in quick succession, a through ball to Campbell... to Deeney, smacked against post with the rebound flying past the incoming Smeltz. It was as this point we began to accept it just wasn't our day.
I was still feeling worn down when reading the Chronicle the next day. By my own standards a '7' rating was average, and they'd picked up on the fact I 'looked tired'. Maybe it was something to do with the alcohol I'd been drinking recently? Either way, I still hadn't heard about the new contract yet, and felt frustrated at the way things had gone on the pitch recently, so decided to pop out for a drink or two. Somehow, many hours later, I found myself in a nightclub with local glamour model 'Charlie'. Having decided to leave with her in the early hours of morning, I was surprised to see one or two local paps around. The picture of me looking a little worse for wear and Charlie just about contained in her tight clothes bore the headline "Golden Boy Scores Again" in the local paper the next day. I didn't mind though, I'd had a good night and had agreed to see her again soon. Mind you, the boss wasn't too impressed when I turned up late for training...
We were at home to Chesterfield on Wednesday. In the time between my late appearance at training and matchday, I'd picked up on the fact some fans were unhappy at my recent behaviour off the pitch, and after a bad start to the match I actually heard one or two jeers from home fans!! I was so angry at them, we all needed to relax once in a while no? I reckon it was just down to the fact many of them had failed where I'd succeeded with Charlie.
Unfortunately my anger led to me picking up the first yellow of my career after barely quarter of an hour, after needlessly scything down an oppostion midfielder in the centre circle. I knew I had to calm down but felt pissed off at the fans. Just as I started to pull things back together I lost my cool with Shane as he got in the way of my goalbound shot following a first time lay-off from Deeney. The half was complete when the ref blew for the interval as we began a 2v2 break. I'd played alright but the frustration was threatening to get the better of me. Muttering under my breath on way into dressing room, the gaffer switched us to 4-3-3 for the second half.
It turned out to be a bad choice as our midfield was outpowered, with Tom Kearney picking up booking on 49 mins. The game was getting edgy, as Chesterfield's Hall joined us in the book not long after. Fry had been injured in the tackle so Chris Billy came on. Then, on 72 minutes it all began to fall apart as Kearney, chasing back, made a clumsy tackle and earned his second yellow. There were few complaints though and Chris Billy was next into book as we continued to struggle in what was now effectively a 4-2-3 formation!
What little possesion we did get was being wasted by Deeney forever straying offside when clear. Where the hell was Craig Forrest anyway? 89 minutes on the board, I went in hard for a 50/50 tackle. Winning the ball, I strode forward and found Shane with a precise pass. Looking up, I wondered why he'd come to a halt along with the Chesterfield defenders Turning back I saw the ref shaking his head as he pulled out a yellow card. Was that for me? NO WAY!! "50-50 ball ref!!!" The red card followed.
Storming off the pitch, ignoring the manager and throwing my shirt to the ground in front of the 4th official in disgust, suddenly I just wanted to be anywhere but Halifax. I hardly cared as I heard the cheers from the away fans as O'Hare netted a 92nd minute winner for the visiors, and had already left a sizeable chunk missing from the home dressing room door.
ADY SPART
02-15-2009, 10:33 AM
great story looking forward to hear some more
I'll write up what I've got left during the week, but unfortunately I forgot to transfer the save game file when formatting my c: drive :(
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