Sunday League footy memories and funny stories (4 Viewers)

[Esoterica]

I guess many people on here have played or been involved in Sunday league footy. Got any favourite memories or funny stories to share?

A good friend of mine, whose eyesight is not the sharpest, often recalls the tale of how his legs were burning all the way through the first half of a match. At half time he tooks his shin pads and socks off and realised he'd rubbed photo glue on his legs instead of Deep Heat and the chemical reaction had melted half his leg hair.

 

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[Speedies_Chips]

I played in a team that was so bad, that the trainers bucket won player of the season.

 

[Nick]

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezeeeeeeeee!

 

[skybluebeduff]

I was playing in CM and put a through ball in to my mate, who then slid across the ground to slide the ball in...

Never played since that day, some twats had squashed a can of coke into the ground where my mate slid, you can imagine the rest

On a positive side though, I once punched the ball like maradonna into the net, in a school cup final in East Yorkshire and got away with it 23 years ago that was, fooking hell!

 

[Nick]

I have watched a couple of sunday league games recently and it has changed a fair bit.

Not many of them have come straight from a drinking session and the games I watched they were a bit soft. Too many kids with colourful boots trying to be Ronaldo.

Not a single decent tackle where they leave the other player on the ground and walk away either, all very nicey nicey.

 

[lifeskyblue]

I have watched a couple of sunday league games recently and it has changed a fair bit.

Not many of them have come straight from a drinking session and the games I watched they were a bit soft. Too many kids with colourful boots trying to be Ronaldo.

Not a single decent tackle where they leave the other player on the ground and walk away either, all very nicey nicey.

In response to this I watched an u13 game on Sunday....a pre season friendly. Most of the game like you say nice touches and a few less than full-blooded tackles. However in the last five mins it started to get tougher; one lad was taken out by three tacklers one of them over the top studs showing, another from behind and the third about knee high. The ref (older bro of one of kids) gave the free kick. Lad who was dumped on ground jumped up and piled in on one of tacklers. He punched his own player who tried to separate them. Other players joined in and a few parents marched on effing and blinding at the kids and each other.
Ref abandoned the game



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[woody11462]

Was a scrawny 17 year old playing open age and slid in for a head on challenge with a big clumsy centre back. His knee went right into my bollocks and I was in agony. Looked down to see blood all over my white shorts and went light headed and started screaming thinking I'd ripped my ball bag open. Until someone pointed out the centre back's knee was cut open and the blood was off him. Felt a right prat.

 

[lifeskyblue]

Was a scrawny 17 year old playing open age and slid in for a head on challenge with a big clumsy centre back. His knee went right into my bollocks and I was in agony. Looked down to see blood all over my white shorts and went light headed and started screaming thinking I'd ripped my ball bag open. Until someone pointed out the centre back's knee was cut open and the blood was off him. Felt a right prat.

Lol Woody I can see your point though. I think I would have fainted if I thought my balls were dropping out on a public field.


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[CJ_covblaze]

I once got bought in as a ringer years ago for the last game of a season. Due to injury the ball got put out and then played back to me in goal by one of their players. It hit a divot, went over my shoulder and they went 1-0 up. I was allowed to score from kick off Leon Clarke style. Game finished 1-1.

The team I played for finished level on points and GD with 2nd but won the league on goals scored, by one goal!

 

[jimmyhillsfanclub]

Not a funny story, but some fella got shot 3 times in the legs for a non-football related incident while warming up for a Saturday morning game......I was down at the lower end pitches warming up for a rare press-ganged appearance in a veterans game so didn't see anything officer, but witnessed the commotion......all 10 games were abandoned before KO which suited me as it was freezing & I had man-flu....

...not played 11-a-side since.

 

[Esoterica]

Was a scrawny 17 year old playing open age and slid in for a head on challenge with a big clumsy centre back. His knee went right into my bollocks and I was in agony. Looked down to see blood all over my white shorts and went light headed and started screaming thinking I'd ripped my ball bag open. Until someone pointed out the centre back's knee was cut open and the blood was off him. Felt a right prat.

You must have pubes like barbed wire!

 

[Joy Division]

Playing for my school team I remember being humiliated by the lad I was meant to be marking all game. We'd faced that school a few times and everyone knew he was the best player, wasn't until he turned out for Cov that I realised it was John Eustace.

When I was playing sunday league a few years later I stretched for the ball in a 50/50 challenge with the opposition attacker. Landed really awkwardly and the pain was incredible, I was screaming out "fuuuuck I broke my leg, I've broke my leg arrrgghhgh" much to the concern of most people around. Only when the pain faded after about 30 seconds did I realise I had cramp. Felt like a complete tit.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

I guess many people on here have played or been involved in Sunday league footy. Got any favourite memories or funny stories to share?

A good friend of mine, whose eyesight is not the sharpest, often recalls the tale of how his legs were burning all the way through the first half of a match. At half time he tooks his shin pads and socks off and realised he'd rubbed photo glue on his legs instead of Deep Heat and the chemical reaction had melted half his leg hair.

To be fair I have never had much leg hair and this didn't help. What about the picture em took of me jumping for a header and only being 1mm off the ground?

 

[Esoterica]

To be fair I have never had much leg hair and this didn't help. What about the picture em took of me jumping for a header and only being 1mm off the ground?

Oi! You're supposed to be on holiday! Get off SBT and spend some quality time with the kids! And as for that header, well the boots were much heavier back when you still played!!

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

Oi! You're supposed to be on holiday! Get off SBT and spend some quality time with the kids! And as for that header, well the boots were much heavier back when you still played!!

Mean!!

You'd have loved Armstrong Saturday buddy!

 

[Johhny Blue]

I have watched a couple of sunday league games recently and it has changed a fair bit.

Not many of them have come straight from a drinking session and the games I watched they were a bit soft. Too many kids with colourful boots trying to be Ronaldo.

Not a single decent tackle where they leave the other player on the ground and walk away either, all very nicey nicey.

When I played in the '70s tackles were tackles you pretty much had to knife someone to get a yellow card. Watching the modern game drives me nuts seeing some of the yellows for little handbag scuffles and "Man tackles"

 

[eastwoodsdustman]

I run a lads team and a couple of years ago we had an old boy as our ref. Anyhow, we were ready to kick off and I couldn't find him anywhere but his moped was in the car park. He appeared like the shopkeeper off Mr Benn and came up and shook my hand. He then proceeded to tell me that he'd just been for a crap in the bushes as he was desperate.

 

[Chipfat]

Game got called off one Sunday against the "Old Clarence" nice lot them,, so happily we went and watched a game at the back of the boozer safe in the knowledge we were safe for the day. Standing next to all there Lads on the sideline,, it started with mild banter with the ref,, then with the RM who they knew for about 10 mins constant banter which then turned into abuse solely of the ref!!! for every decision he made... Then the ball moved to the other side of the pitch which lead them to closeline this RM and dragged him off the field by his feet,, thus giving time for 10 of them to sit on him for the next 5 mins.. Poor lad was trying to get up make noise,, by now players on his team worked out he was missing, making them shout at the ref, we have a missing player,,, ref looked confused but game carried on regardless..

Then they let the lad up shouted to the ref,, SUB SUB SUB,, he turned round all mixed up and scared and agreed,, the lad ran on to which the ref sadi who is going off,, lads on the sideline shouted a number.. Which in turn made the ref try to get this player off the pitch while other s explaining that they only had 11 on the field and not 12... So the ref started counting players, which had all on and off the field in bits,, by then the players would not stand still as now they were happy to join in the madness....

The Clarence boys were happy with the mornings work which allowed us to walk away without ending up being bothered..

 

[johnniericoh]

I guess many people on here have played or been involved in Sunday league footy. Got any favourite memories or funny stories to share?

A good friend of mine, whose eyesight is not the sharpest, often recalls the tale of how his legs were burning all the way through the first half of a match. At half time he tooks his shin pads and socks off and realised he'd rubbed photo glue on his legs instead of Deep Heat and the chemical reaction had melted half his leg hair.

Published before but still worth a laugh and painful memories
[h=2]ONCE I WAS A MANAGER - I Remember It Well[/h]

Feeling a tad nostalgic and knowing Wingy likes my football anecdotes I though I'd post this one about my exploits as a football manager NO not FIFA or FOOTBALL MANAGER but a real live AT type warts and all.

It began in 1976 when I was a member of the Coventry City Supporters Club (CCSC) then based within the Sky Blue Stand at Highfield Road.

My love of football as a touchline spectator embraced all levels of the game from pub leagues to the Premier League and so I thoroughly enjoyed following CCSC playing kn the top flight Coventry and District Sunday Premier League having been promoted the following season.

Then a bizarre sequence of events plus my inclination to say yes to every challenge I suddenly found myself being elevated from a no commitment spectator to sponge man, then linesman, then trainer and finally unbelievably MANAGER of the CCSC First Team all within two weeks.

Not fully appreciating what was to follow I plunged headlong into the new role and boy it wasn't easy.......

PRE MATCH DUTIES

* Check players availability during week
* Ensure playing kit was cleaned and available
* Mark out pitch
* Man house phone over weekend (no mobiles) for calls from players "can't play boss injured" was all too common after a Saturday night meant the player was pissed

MATCHDAY

* Pick up oranges and bottles of water
* Pick players up on route to ground (based at Shilton) - also get some of them out of bed.
* Ensure players put goalposts and nets up ("what me again boss"
* Collects subs from players - absolute nightmare ("short week boss", "forgot to bring money", "can I pay next week"
* Await star man (still pissed from night before, but "on the way")
* Pick team ("wtf - not sub again boss)
* Induce potential heart attack to myself watching game ("never offside ref", "send him off", "penalty")
*Ensure players take posts and nets down ("not me yet again boss"

POST MATCH

* Training twice per week at local school gym
* Fund raising (200 club, raffles, sponsorship)
* FA meetings
* Liaise with local groundsman as to state of pitch throughout week
* Weekly meetings with second team manager and football committee
* Wash 16 sets of kit (her indoors not particularly "happy" about this ahem...)

FIRST HALF SEASON ANALYSIS

The Sunday Premier League was no pushover with the top sides fielding a number of semi pros from Nuneaton Borough, Bedworth Town and Atherstone.and I managed to acquire one of these individuals a superb centre back from Bedworth Town, the rest of the squad was made up from the previous season, transfers in and the cream from a local trial held in the summer.

The season duly started and what followed was fairy tale stuff - our record after just 10 league and cup games was W8 - D1 - L1 and we were placed 2nd in the league with 16 points from 7 games.

I was held up as footballing genius for results in the league consisting of teams like J F Kennedy, Arley and Tam O Shanter all huge clubs at that time.

When I entered the Supporters Club during this period people came up to me showering me with plaudits and handshakes, players morale was on a high and I was considered the Dogs B------s - happy days.

My best result was a 1-0 win against J F Kennedy at home via a first half penalty - it was just like the Alamo after that goal camped in our own half, so one sided it was unreal.

JFK were not best pleased and after the game promptly kicked down the away dressing room door followed by a bit of a "scuffle"

SECOND HALF SEASON ANALYSIS

Yes you've probably guessed right, it went well and truly tits up losing 5 league games on the trot with an aggregate of 6 goals for and 21 against - plummeting down the league, players disgruntled with people wanting to shake my throat not my hand and the football committee casting raised eyebrows in my direction.

Anyway we finished 3rd from bottom, not relegated and survived intact for next season.

Incidently my league record for that season was: P22 - W7 - D3 - L12 - F37 - A63 with a win ratio of 32%.

CONCLUSIONS

Well there you have it my one and only excursion into football management experiencing a variety of emotions ranging from absolute elation to downright despair.

Seriously though it took a lot out of me having to put in a surprising number of hours to do the job properly and I understand now how AT feels operating within an environment of great expectation and little resource.

Did I consider doing it again - not in a million years

PUSB​

 

[Astute]

Many years ago I got asked by a few mates to join a team they had just started playing for in goal. It was poor quality something like 9th division. Within a few weeks we had nearly taken over the whole team. We were winning each game easily whilst turning up pissed. Then during one game the ball went out for a throw. The ref suddenly blew his whistle and came running up the pitch to me. He showed me the red card I asked him what I had done wrong. All I was doing was sitting against a post with a spliff in one hand and a tinnie in the other. He said you wasn't allowed to drink or smoke on the pitch. I pointed out that players do have a drink. I also asked him what rule said you couldn't drink or smoke. We had about a 5 minute debate as I couldn't see what I had done wrong. My team mates were taking the piss. They ended up telling me to get off the pitch. They never replaced me. We still won 10-1

 

[Chipfat]

Played for a works team years ago,, we picked the nutter of our group to play in goal!!! few games did ok,, won easy enough and apart from collecting a few crosses and wayward shots from behind the goal, he done ok.. About the 5th game in he had a shocker, which prompted the team to start making comments about his performance and ability, which in turn made him walk off in the middle of a game never to be seen again.. Not in work, not on sunday, never again,, he even took the kit.

Which meant the week after we got our No2 who was pretty blind with specs but totally blind without make his first and only appearance, in what can only be described as an early only gay in the village kit... Great times

 

[B-Ban-Boogie]

Where do i start...

Played men's football at 14 for the the Royal Oak in Keresley and EVERY single game there was a brawl..
I think it was Sunday league Intergalactic Division 8 or something and the standard was so bad that most of the teams we played had a known hardman\criminal playing for them.
I was pretty tidy as a young lad and was kicked to f**k every week.
I kid you not on one occasion at Coundon Hall Park, all 10 outfield players were fighting with the opposition team while i was shitting myself hiding behind a goalpost.. haha.

Then i moved on to play for Shilton for a short while and that was too serious for me so then I moved on to the Devonshire Arms where we would try and fill the changing rooms (if there were any) with as much weed smoke as we could before we went out on the pitch, there was numerous times players were spewing by the corner flag just before kick off.

I remember one Sunday playing Whitley at the Whitley Common and as i went up for a header 2 big lads sandwiched me and i landed on the back of my neck.
I was in a bad way but in those days you just hobbled off and sat in agony on the sidelines...
I thought i had winded myself and hurt my knee but after going to hospital about 3 days later I realised how bad it was and had dislocated my shoulder AND kneecap as i landed so badly with the 2 blokes on top...

I then played Saturdays for the Dunlop where one canley lad, who had no job, robbed shops and stuff, when skint would get sent off on purpose then go and rob money from cloths in the oppositions changing rooms. Jesus he was a wanker...

Then i moved onto the Coventry Colliery and stayed there for years, and had some right dingdongs with the Wallace and Hare and Hounds..

Best memory with the Colliery was playing in the Carlsberg Cup (which was basically any Social Club that served the beer could enter and with the final being at Anfield, we thought "Bollocks, why not" and entered...)

Amazingly we got to the last 64 teams in England and went to Birmingham City's, St Andrews ground, for the final 64 round draw.
I was captain at the time and as we're drinking the free Carlsberg (obviously) Liverpools Mark Lawrenson comes over and asks us who we want to draw in the next round.
We didn't know who our next Sunday league opponent was let alone who we wanted to play in this and just said we'd be happy with an away draw at a decent ground.

When the draw started we realise that Mark Lawrenson was actually pulling the away teams out the hat and yes.. you guessed it, he pulled our name out against Bridgend (who we later found out were pretty much a semi professional club who had just picked up players from West Brom...)
It was so cool to have him call our name and look for us in the crowd and give us a thumbs up.

So the day comes and we hire a coach so everyone can come and watch.
The beers are flowing and the joints are being passed around on the trip over and we get there about an hour before kickoff.
Bridgend are already on the field doing shuttle runs and all kinds of shit.. lol.. and it's a ground with 3 stands... (remember we are used to the Colliery, Sowe Common, Coundon Hall, Whitley common etc)
The banter in the dressing room before was magnificent.

To cut this short, we lose 3-2, play bloody fantastic and were unlucky not to win to be fair.

We shower, head to the clubhouse and the other team are all in their tracksuits and drinking energy drinks and we hit the bar...
My brother wins a bottle of whiskey in the raffle and it's shots all round...
The other team leave and the beers are flowing nicely.

The owners of the social club say they wish we had played there as we actually spend money behind the bar and the other team was a bunch of prima donnas..

In the next room a 50th birthday party is going on and Right Said Freds "I'm too sexy" comes on really loud.
We had 2 bald lads in our team who we called Right Said Fred and they proceed to gatecrash the 50th party and start stripping down to boxer shorts on the dance floor..
We are all in a circle dancing and clapping and encouraging the lads to strip and a few younger ladies join the circle and it's all going well...

After about 10 minutes the guy who's birthday it is has had enough and comes and screams at us to get out and starts kicking the lads (who are in their boxers by now) up the arse until we leave.
Bear in mind we are only in the next room and it seemed the ladies enjoyed our company more than the 50th bloke as they joined us for the rest of the evening
(i even think one of them was smashed in the toilets by a right said fred guy... lol

Man, I have never laughed so hard in my life... what a day that was..

 

[skybluedan]

Used to play with iyseden Christie And we got a pen and I can't remember he says it was me and I remember being him but I put the ball down and he ran and took the pen the twat and put it wide Good old allesley aces. I also went for an overhead kick against Stoke park once and caught Marcus hall in the face, he leaked bad

 

[letsallsingtogether]

As assistant manager of my lads team I remember the manager saying at a training session
"right I want you all to do 5 keeppie uppies everyone can do that"
As an ex Rugger player and shit at football I had to walk away very quietly.

I also remember going training with a friend of mine. during training the Pub owners Son in Law no other then Brian (Harry)Roberts came along to help out.
He would say to me keep up I would follow him up the park where he would go past everyone and then cross the ball to me I would score a hat full, never actually played for the team as I was Rubbish the team did however win the league that season........

 

[B-Ban-Boogie]

I remember playing in a cup game against Walsgrave on some pitches by the hospital, and i scored a penalty and so did the opposition to tie the game 1-1 in normal time.
We go to extra time and then penalties...
I score the first of ours and it goes through every player in the team.. (some had to put their kits back on to take their's)
Both goal keepers also score so it's 11-11 and I have to step up again and smash it top right corner... their guy misses and we win 12-11 with me getting a hat-trick of penalties!! :guitar2:
(i was in the pink for the that too... )

 

[Dions Dong]

Love this thread!!! Been chuckling at some of these...I remember playing a cup match in the Cambs under 15 league and initially losing 3-2 in a Semi final game.

Begrudgingly we trudged off the pitch and to our amusement watched the goalie of the opposite team spark up a fag, get in a motor and drive off.

Unfortunately for him the ref also clocked it, and awarded us the win...we won the cup the following month HAPPY DAYS

 

[JulianDarbyFTW]

Playing five-a-side during the summer holidays. Our opponents were four big bruisers and a dwarf. As in, a genuine forty-year-old, three-foot-nothing little chap.

At one point the ball was bobbling around, and sat up at chest height, perfect for me to offer up a glorious scissor-cum-overhead kick into the top corner. The sort of goal you dream about. I leapt into the air and swivelled, at the exact point in time that the little fella ran in to jump up and head the ball away. His head acted as a pivot, and I went flying over the top and landed like a sack of spuds.

My hospital notes said: Broken wrist. Cause - incident with over-enthusiastic dwarf.

 

[M&B Stand]

Where do i start...

Played men's football at 14 for the the Royal Oak in Keresley and EVERY single game there was a brawl..
I think it was Sunday league Intergalactic Division 8 or something and the standard was so bad that most of the teams we played had a known hardman\criminal playing for them.
I was pretty tidy as a young lad and was kicked to f**k every week.
I kid you not on one occasion at Coundon Hall Park, all 10 outfield players were fighting with the opposition team while i was shitting myself hiding behind a goalpost.. haha.

Then i moved on to play for Shilton for a short while and that was too serious for me so then I moved on to the Devonshire Arms where we would try and fill the changing rooms (if there were any) with as much weed smoke as we could before we went out on the pitch, there was numerous times players were spewing by the corner flag just before kick off.

I remember one Sunday playing Whitley at the Whitley Common and as i went up for a header 2 big lads sandwiched me and i landed on the back of my neck.
I was in a bad way but in those days you just hobbled off and sat in agony on the sidelines...
I thought i had winded myself and hurt my knee but after going to hospital about 3 days later I realised how bad it was and had dislocated my shoulder AND kneecap as i landed so badly with the 2 blokes on top...

I then played Saturdays for the Dunlop where one canley lad, who had no job, robbed shops and stuff, when skint would get sent off on purpose then go and rob money from cloths in the oppositions changing rooms. Jesus he was a wanker...

Then i moved onto the Coventry Colliery and stayed there for years, and had some right dingdongs with the Wallace and Hare and Hounds..

Best memory with the Colliery was playing in the Carlsberg Cup (which was basically any Social Club that served the beer could enter and with the final being at Anfield, we thought "Bollocks, why not" and entered...)

Amazingly we got to the last 64 teams in England and went to Birmingham City's, St Andrews ground, for the final 64 round draw.
I was captain at the time and as we're drinking the free Carlsberg (obviously) Liverpools Mark Lawrenson comes over and asks us who we want to draw in the next round.
We didn't know who our next Sunday league opponent was let alone who we wanted to play in this and just said we'd be happy with an away draw at a decent ground.

When the draw started we realise that Mark Lawrenson was actually pulling the away teams out the hat and yes.. you guessed it, he pulled our name out against Bridgend (who we later found out were pretty much a semi professional club who had just picked up players from West Brom...)
It was so cool to have him call our name and look for us in the crowd and give us a thumbs up.

So the day comes and we hire a coach so everyone can come and watch.
The beers are flowing and the joints are being passed around on the trip over and we get there about an hour before kickoff.
Bridgend are already on the field doing shuttle runs and all kinds of shit.. lol.. and it's a ground with 3 stands... (remember we are used to the Colliery, Sowe Common, Coundon Hall, Whitley common etc)
The banter in the dressing room before was magnificent.

To cut this short, we lose 3-2, play bloody fantastic and were unlucky not to win to be fair.

We shower, head to the clubhouse and the other team are all in their tracksuits and drinking energy drinks and we hit the bar...
My brother wins a bottle of whiskey in the raffle and it's shots all round...
The other team leave and the beers are flowing nicely.

The owners of the social club say they wish we had played there as we actually spend money behind the bar and the other team was a bunch of prima donnas..

In the next room a 50th birthday party is going on and Right Said Freds "I'm too sexy" comes on really loud.
We had 2 bald lads in our team who we called Right Said Fred and they proceed to gatecrash the 50th party and start stripping down to boxer shorts on the dance floor..
We are all in a circle dancing and clapping and encouraging the lads to strip and a few younger ladies join the circle and it's all going well...

After about 10 minutes the guy who's birthday it is has had enough and comes and screams at us to get out and starts kicking the lads (who are in their boxers by now) up the arse until we leave.
Bear in mind we are only in the next room and it seemed the ladies enjoyed our company more than the 50th bloke as they joined us for the rest of the evening
(i even think one of them was smashed in the toilets by a right said fred guy... lol

Man, I have never laughed so hard in my life... what a day that was..

We (Mile Oak Rovers) got to the last eight of the Carlsberg Cup mid-nineties and lost to the Foxhall from Blackpool. Good side we had then.

 

[skybluedan]

Once when playing five a side in me teens me and me pals were playing against one of me mates older brothers and his mates up at St Augustines and they had a guy playing called Danny who had been in a fire and was severely scarred well while playing I took a shot and hit this Danny in the side of the head And his ear fell off, obviously did not realise he had a fake one well fuck me I shit myself everyone was laughing and this Danny starts fuckin chasing me round with this ear in his hand

 

[Terry Gibson's perm]

I played in a Sunday game on a very windy day the ball was passed back to the goalkeeper on the edge of his box who belts the ball forward and up it catches the wind and went straight back over his head into the net.

 

[blueflint]

once scored hat trick of own goals for tile hill old boys

 

[Happy_Martian]

Guess I better own up to being a member of one of the worst teams in Coventry Sunday League history. We went through a full season and never won one game. I was top scorer with 2 own goals but we did get a good write-up once in the Saturday Pink, after losing 23-0 with only 10 players turning up, We had no subs and noone walked away during the 90 minutes. Ahhh, the memories

 

[stupot07]

23-0???


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - so please excuse any spelling or grammar errors

 

[Esoterica]

Awesome to see so many funny memories, thanks for all the input. Sunday league footy is a brilliant thing - footy, mates, beer, banter, delusions of grandeur, more beer etc.

I ruptured my cruciate ligament last year and at the age of 36 thought I was done for but after a year out, for operations and rehab, I'm back playing again for the local ex pats team out here, so was feeling a bit nostalgic. I remember watching Michael Owen make his debut in 1996, when i was 18, and it wasn't until 2013 when he retired (I was 35) that I finally came to terms with the fact I was never going to play for England!!

 

[woody11462]

This thread has got me reminiscing.

Remember playing under 14's in St Helens and I had a brace at the time. Went up for a header and the the defender launched his head backwards catching me square in the mouth. As I got up my mouth was pissing blood and the inside of my mouth was embedded on my braces. I had to pick it off the metal and it left me with a nasty cut on the inside of my mouth that took an age to heal. Everything I ate stung like crazy.

I also did a referees course for my GCSE P.E. as I thought it was a good way to earn some extra money. My second game was local u'10's match which was quite a close game. two young lads went in for challenge near the touch line and they got up and squared up to each other (as much as 10 year olds can do anyway). One lad pushed the other causing him to stumble backwards. The next thing you know is the father of the lad that was pushed ran on to the pitch and absolutely launched the 10 year old that pushed his son causing him to fly backwards and roll over twice he was pushed so hard. It all kicked off, the police were called and I had to give a statement for the assault on the young kid. Needless to say I gave it up not long after, ain't worth it for £8

And on top of that I've played football against non other than Stephen Gerrard. I was playing for my local team at the age above (under 12's) against Whiston. Obviously at the time I had no idea and I don't remember anything about how he played but I don't recall a player ever standing out head and shoulders above everyone else but I suppose at that age you wouldn't necessarily remember it.