| Best player you've played with / against? 14:09 - Oct 3 with 10009 views | giant_stow |
My mate in the over 35s played against Paul Konchesky the other day. Apparently, he had the star struck ref in his pocket. (cool story bro)
Personally, its some Ex-Charlton bod whose name escapes me (in an over 45s game).
Beat that! |  |
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| Best player you've played with / against? on 09:02 - Oct 4 with 1889 views | Blue_Balls |
Dyer, Richard Wright and Ed Upson were in a youth team (Whitton Sports?) that used to beat us with regular ease
Played with Keith Gilchrist, brother of Phil (Oxford, Leicester, West Brom, late 90s/early 00s) in our work team. |  | | |
| Best player you've played with / against? on 09:10 - Oct 4 with 1854 views | hype313 |
| Best player you've played with / against? on 09:02 - Oct 4 by Blue_Balls |
Dyer, Richard Wright and Ed Upson were in a youth team (Whitton Sports?) that used to beat us with regular ease
Played with Keith Gilchrist, brother of Phil (Oxford, Leicester, West Brom, late 90s/early 00s) in our work team. |
Yep, also The Hollies team which had Sergie Balthacha Jnr and Matt Upson was always a tricky fixture... |  |
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| Best player you've played with / against? on 09:22 - Oct 4 with 1821 views | NthQldITFC |
| Best player you've played with / against? on 05:16 - Oct 4 by BondiBlue |
I played football (our sort - soccer) last season with a guy who's won the NRL (australian rugby league). Different sport but he's still an absolute weapon. |
Not Hopoate, I hope!  |  |
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| Best player you've played with / against? on 09:24 - Oct 4 with 1812 views | Josebadleg |
Luke Shaw was in my school team.
In rugby I've played against Kyle Sinkler when he was at Battersea. I gave up trying to tackle him normally so went for a mixture of a judo throw and a clothesline to get him down. I also played against Anthony Watson when his school wanted a warm up match before their final. I didn't get anywhere near him. |  |
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| Best player you've played with / against? on 09:48 - Oct 4 with 1772 views | hype313 |
| Best player you've played with / against? on 09:22 - Oct 4 by NthQldITFC |
Not Hopoate, I hope! |
He's still walking like John Wayne, so we must presume it was | |
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| Best player you've played with / against? on 09:55 - Oct 4 with 1762 views | wkj |
My post school job was with Sainsbury's at Warren Heath. This was a common are to find town players setting up shop. There was a lad who collected trolleys there who would spot the players and never fail to go up to a player if they came in - and he was pretty full on. Needless to say, Fabian came in one night and the trolley fellow began his approach - Old' WKJ delivered a beautiful diagonal with 14 trolleys (the maximum allowed is 10, call me a chancer) thus blocking the path of the other fella. Wilnis looked at me and gave a subtle nod and a slight smile - he knew what I was up to.
To this day, the best linkup play I have ever been involved in with a footballer. |  |
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| Best player you've played with / against? on 10:23 - Oct 4 with 1725 views | Bluish |
| Best player you've played with / against? on 09:55 - Oct 4 by wkj |
My post school job was with Sainsbury's at Warren Heath. This was a common are to find town players setting up shop. There was a lad who collected trolleys there who would spot the players and never fail to go up to a player if they came in - and he was pretty full on. Needless to say, Fabian came in one night and the trolley fellow began his approach - Old' WKJ delivered a beautiful diagonal with 14 trolleys (the maximum allowed is 10, call me a chancer) thus blocking the path of the other fella. Wilnis looked at me and gave a subtle nod and a slight smile - he knew what I was up to.
To this day, the best linkup play I have ever been involved in with a footballer. |
Friend's husband used to have Mark Hollis of Talk Talk turn out for his five-a-side team in Bury St Eds (he lived out this way for a while). By all accounts a really good guy, humble and a half decent player. |  | | |
| Best player you've played with / against? on 10:44 - Oct 4 with 1695 views | ParisBlue |
| Best player you've played with / against? on 17:23 - Oct 3 by VanSaParody |
Don't know, I live/work in Coventry (never actually lived in Suffolk)
Was just about to post one last thing, not footie, but driving home from a Sunday league game (Moira Utd, nr Ashby de la Zouch) saw huge bloke on a pushbike
When I looked in mirror, it was Frank Bruno
I tooted/waved (but didn't stop) & saw him wave back! |
Similar non-playing story. Growing up in mid-sussex mid-80s I was walking to the train station when someone leant out of their car window asking for directions to the local cricket ground.
I immediately recognised him as Mick Channon, playing for Norwich at the time.
I can proudly announce my quick thinking resulted in me sending him in the wrong direction, around the local one way system.
That'll teach him. |  |
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| Best player you've played with / against? on 10:50 - Oct 4 with 1687 views | BondiBlue |
| Best player you've played with / against? on 09:22 - Oct 4 by NthQldITFC |
Not Hopoate, I hope! |
Haha no. Bryce Gibbs. |  |
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| Best player you've played with / against? on 11:02 - Oct 4 with 1658 views | Radlett_blue |
| Best player you've played with / against? on 15:31 - Oct 3 by VanSaParody |
This thread is triggering all sorts of memories!
I recall playing Sunday league as a kid on a pitch behind Barnet's old Underhill ground, & while play was up the other end, from a distance, I saw a man walking his dog on the footpath behind my goal, & the dog looked like Schnorbitz
The closer they got, while the play was still up the other end, it was indeed Bernie Winters & his famous dog
I sad "morning Bernie"
"Morning 'keeper" |
Bernie Winters wanted to join Hadley Wood Golf Club (near Barnet), but they wouldn't let him in, either because (1) Jewish (2) celebrity type or (3) lousy golfer, or maybe some combination of these factors. Winters owned a big house & his garden overlooked the course. After he was blackballed, he installed a huge statue of a gorilla, which was making a V sign in the direction of the club. |  |
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| Best player you've played with / against? on 12:16 - Oct 4 with 1587 views | VanSaParody |
| Best player you've played with / against? on 11:02 - Oct 4 by Radlett_blue |
Bernie Winters wanted to join Hadley Wood Golf Club (near Barnet), but they wouldn't let him in, either because (1) Jewish (2) celebrity type or (3) lousy golfer, or maybe some combination of these factors. Winters owned a big house & his garden overlooked the course. After he was blackballed, he installed a huge statue of a gorilla, which was making a V sign in the direction of the club. |
Didn't think this thread was the place you & I could reel off all the EastEnders/Auf Weidersen Pet/On The Buses/Grange Hill actors we must have seen locally!
As I recall, just over the bridge that is the railway station between Elstree/Borehamwood, used to live Viv Anderson
As we know, London Colney's so close to Radlett, you're bound to see the occasional Arsenal player on their way to/from training |  | | |
| Best player you've played with / against? on 14:19 - Oct 4 with 1507 views | Leaky |
Played with nnd against Chris turner Posh & John Gregory QPR, Derby & England when I was younger |  | | |
| Best player you've played with / against? on 15:54 - Oct 4 with 1462 views | jontysnut |
I took a leg of darts off Big Cliff Lazarenko but in his defence he was on about his 15th pint of lager. |  | | |
| Best player you've played with / against? on 18:37 - Oct 4 with 1394 views | ITFC_Forever |
Played against John Wark in Sunday league, he was still several classes above everyone else.
Kevin Beattie was their manager and a really good down to earth guy who would chat to anyone.
Other than that, the best player I probably played against was Julian Beaumont, those who knew local football in the 90s and early 00s will know all about him. I know him pretty well now, and have been to away games etc with him. We once worked it out he must have scored well over 1000 goals in his adult career. He never played at a higher level as it would have interfered with his other love which was Banger racing.
Best player I played with was probably my mate at uni. He was one of those players who had such a good touch and control, he always looked like he had 5 more seconds on the ball than anyone else. |  |
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| Best player you've played with / against? on 18:43 - Oct 4 with 1388 views | ITFC_Forever |
| Best player you've played with / against? on 01:45 - Oct 4 by IPS_wich |
I was 15 and it was the last game of the season for the U-15s in the Boys Brigade team I played for. We were told that this 11 year old kid from the 'Anchor Boys' team was going to make up the numbers for the last game.
It's the equivalent of the U-15 Scouts team being told one of the Cubs is playing, or a Primary school kid playing in the Year 10 high school team. We weren't happy but we were told he was really good and was being scouted by Ipswich and several clubs.
Up rocks this tiny kid (tiny even by 11 year old standards) who proceeds to be one of the best players on the pitch. The opposition were getting really riled up and starting to try and rough him up, but he would just spin or weave to avoid the tackle and run off laughing with the ball. We thought it was great but all agreed he'd be too small to become a pro player when he was older.
That kid was Kieron Dyer - he never did grow to be very big, but in hindsight it was obvious he was going to be a pro - the ball was stuck to his foot like velcro and playing against boys twice as big didn't phase him.
I left Boys Brigade a month or two later so didn't see him play again, but my younger brother was only a couple of years older than Kieron and by the time Kieron was 13/14 and playing in the U-15 team the manager was often substituting him off at half time to give the other team a chance (I think he scored close to 100 goals in a season from midfield). |
When I was at Westbourne sixth form, we used to play against the main school at lunchtime and this little kid in a grey Suffolk Schools jumper used run rings round us.
Kieron Dyer. | |
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| Best player you've played with / against? on 18:48 - Oct 4 with 1379 views | ITFC_Forever |
This thread shows how much better the pros are than most mere mortals.
I’ve said this before, my bro-in-law played in goal at L2 / Conference level for 15 years from the late 90s to around 2012.
When we’d have a kick around in the garden / park / beach etc, he was still a million times better than anyone else. | |
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| Best player you've played with / against? on 21:21 - Oct 4 with 1285 views | Radlett_blue |
| Best player you've played with / against? on 18:48 - Oct 4 by ITFC_Forever |
This thread shows how much better the pros are than most mere mortals.
I’ve said this before, my bro-in-law played in goal at L2 / Conference level for 15 years from the late 90s to around 2012.
When we’d have a kick around in the garden / park / beach etc, he was still a million times better than anyone else. |
You only realise how much better such players are when you take the field against them. I played a couple of games in the Essex & Suffolk Border League in the late 1970s & quickly realised I was out of my depth - everything was happening too quickly. Fortunately, the manager also realised this so I didn't last more than my 2 sub appearances. | |
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| Best player you've played with / against? on 21:27 - Oct 4 with 1276 views | tomo |
Liam Trotter, played with for Felixstowe and District rep legaue. Was the best player by a mile. I have a program my parents kept so googled the other players, a few of them kicking around the local non league. |  | | |
| Best player you've played with / against? on 21:38 - Oct 4 with 1272 views | xrayspecs |
Jason Dozzell, when he played for Langham Lions (?) prior to joining Town.
Can add in Ricky Gervais, Daniel Day Lewis, Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkins, Angus Deaton, Jimmy Melville and Rory McGrath, not the best footballer but have done well in their chosen careers. [Post edited 4 Oct 2024 21:40]
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| Best player you've played with / against? on 21:42 - Oct 4 with 1255 views | StNeotsBlue |
| Best player you've played with / against? on 14:19 - Oct 4 by Leaky |
Played with nnd against Chris turner Posh & John Gregory QPR, Derby & England when I was younger |
Couple of St. Neots' old boys there, John Gregory is my mate's uncle.
Played with Matt Oakley at St. Neots before he went on to have a good career at Southampton. |  | | |
| Best player you've played with / against? on 08:02 - Oct 5 with 1084 views | TractorWood |
I was playing golf with mates in Spain in 2014. We finished up on a course just outside Castellón and spotted a familiar looking character on the putting green.
Lo and behold it was Sergio Garcia at what turned out to be his home club as a youngster. We spent 10 minutes having a putting competition with him and chatting. The nicest bloke ever and ridiculously humble bearing in mind he finished runner up at the open 3 months before at Royal Liverpool. |  |
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| Best player you've played with / against? on 09:08 - Oct 5 with 1035 views | Bbmaj |
No doubts for me. Against John Wark and with Simon Milton on the pitch at Portman Road. I don’t remember too much of the charity game where I paid to be the right winger, except for having a headed chance in the box at North Stand end - and fluffing it. Milts was so good with the ball but played a very generous game, a fulcrum feeding the forwards or melding with he midfield, not trying to dominate the game - which his skill would have allowed. I seem to recall Wark was up for it and liked getting stuck in.
For a long time I had a regular friendly mates game on a Thursday night, one lad played for a couple of years who was previously on the books at Newcastle United and was seriously good. If his knees had held up he could well have been a first team player. Used to love being on his side but also relished the challenge of being the opponent.
Played with Phil Ham if you want famous instead… |  | | |
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