There are obviously quite a few posters who have played football regularly and understand the game very well. My actual football experience is limited to a very public 9-0 defeat in a charity game against Herne Bay Ladies. I was in defence, and my only defence is that they most certainly weren't ladies. I would love to know what your footballing history is.
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age 16.......Phoenix Sports (Kent Youth)
age 17.......VCD Reserves
age 18.......Dartford FC kent youth (top scorer in kent youth league)
age 19.......Dartford reserves (inc. 3 appearances for the 1st team)
age 20-23...Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania (NCAA D2)
age 23-now...Phoenix Sports (currently manager of the reserves as im injured)
starting to lose interest now as i had my chance but wasnt good enough and decided to go out to America. Prefer spending my saturdays watching charlton and having a beer.
Comforted myself over the years with the thought that I wouldnt have made it anyway. 5.11and goalkeeping doesnt compute.
Highlight was a Sunday Kent Cup Final in front of about 250 (lost 3-2 after extra time).
Now playing Vets football for a local team.
Last few years have played against Metrogas Vets when Steve Gritt & John Bumstead have been playing. Gritt was quality still and very fit (in footballing terms, not handsome wise).
My boy's at Phoenix and I play for one of the Vets teams. Small world.
as an adult played for well hall utd and lincoln on sundays in london and kent border league. and johnson phillips for a short while on saturdays (dont know which league).
3 years playing in goal for North Kent Schools and Bexley League representative team
3 years attending Kent Schools trials but getting overlooked for my North Kent team mate and some fat kid who was already in the clique
At various stages in my teens
2 week trial for QPR (at Sparrows lane) but released without making an appearance
Played for Erith and Belvedere youth for a few months
8 months with Charlton youth team. played 3 or 4 times. released as part of a sizeable cull. Absolutely devastated.
Around 17 I started playing for Phoenix Sports reserves but after a couple of months broke my leg against Bearsted and never really got back into it - played a bit of Sunday league (either in goal of in midfield) but lost interest at 23 when I relocated to Essex with work.
Played about 5 times in the last 10 years and still surprise myself with my positioning and reading of the game but - as the CL Weight Loss thread will attest - the mind may be willing but the body is certainly unable.
Having said that I am sorely tempted to do some coaching badges.
Was selected for one of the Charlton academy things in Kent but never went anywhere.
Played for Orpington Rovers, Rivercray and Orpington as a kid and a teen and then just 5 asides and Uni through my twenties until i ruptured knee ligaments which goes every time i play even in a kickabout now ;-(
Gutted as im fitter now than i was throughout my twenties and would love to get back to playing for a sunday team but get bored of hobbling about on crutches after the last 3 times ive had a kickabout has put paid to that.
I wonder if any of us played against each other without realising - I'm 34. I think AFKA was the year above me for North Kent
I often played against Teviot, RiverCray, Orpington Rovers etc and for the district my final game was against Bromley in a cup final which we lost 1-0.
But I got chosen for the team a couple of times, i was chuffed to bits to pull on the full Charlton kit and play
At rivercray there was a kid in one of the older teams who had a long blonde mullet and in the black and white Newcastle- esque colours we wore he looked like a young Barry Venison.
Used to hate playing Thamesmead. They were all fully grown men by the age of 15 and some right nutters. Think their fans got banned one year after a touchline stabbing.
Also remember Phoenix Sports had a short stocky lad who used to wear a blue knee bandage and was an absolute loon to be avoided in leg breaking tackles.
Went to orpington college with a bloke who played for Phoenix called Gareth (wont put his surname up) was a big bloke with a long blonde barnet and think his dad was a coach at millwall so not sure if any of you know him.
God I miss it. We had style, we had panache, we had Cammaraderie (the little Italian fella)
When I arrived at uni, I got the girls who were playing hockey plus a few others to have a go at football. We then found a couple of other colleges with girls' teams. I got us organised with a league and cup competition - by the time I left, there were 17 women's teams.
I was captain of our team: played right midfield - knew what I wanted to do, but was never very good at actually doing it! We won the Cup in my second year. The final was a draw, but then the replay was rescheduled for a Sat afternoon, clashing with CAFC v Luton relegation battle at Selhurst. I opted to attend the latter, so was a bit gutted when Charlton lost, and I never got to lift the Cup! Ever since then, I've been a bit more careful about weighing up the consequsences of my decisions...
Played in the odd five-a-side tournament and mixed match since then, with my swansong cameo appearance at The Valley for the victorious Charlton Unathletic.
Still play 7 a side and have threatened to play for glasshalfempty's vets team, although at 42 I'm not quite as quick as I used to be!
- Danson, Thames Poly & Midland Bank
- Wandsworth Vets
In younger years an unskillful but effective centre forward. As the pounds piled on I moved to centre back - in truth I was probably a better centre half than centre forward but it took me a fair few years to admit it.
Started playing 'mens' footie at 16 for Charlton Rangers on a Sunday, then joined Thames Poly Sunday side and stayed for 15 years - we had a cracking side for about a 5 year period and won everything we entered, on Saturday's I spent a couple of seasons playing for Old Roan at a decent standard. Soon gave this up as I missed going to Charlton too much (still always had a season ticket through those times)
Old Sunday side disbanded when the club was sold to Blackheath Rugby club a few years ago, coincided with my daughter being born so I knocked it on the head, now playing for Belvedere Vets with half a dozen of the blokes I used to play with and loving it.
In between I've played many times for the old CASC (supporters club side) and made numerous guest appearances for various saturday and sunday teams as favours, too many to mention..
I am a very poor player...
Went to College and took up Badminton, which I played seven days a week. Became a local league player and club captain.
I continued to play football but only for fun and in works tournaments. I am now 51 and haven't played for 20 years - very sad :-(
Halstead Essex? or Halstead nr Sevenoaks?
Kent Schools
Millwall (ahem!)
London Youth
Aberystwyth Town (Welsh Konica League)
Wales' Universitites Rep side
Old Addeyans
Old Roan
Kent County Representative Side
Retired at 32 as work got too busy, I got too unfit and didn't want to drop down a level. I am now officially a VET - qualifying to play old man's football just before Christmas.
Charlton Atheltic Supporters' team in the whatever it was 5-a-side league challenge where we beat Palace 2-1 (scored both) but lost to Millwall (at the New Den's pitches outside the stadium) 3-2 and thus got knocked out.
Lost to AFKA (TWICE!) it would appear in the LYFA Cup at under 11 and under 12 - they had a quality side in those days.
Play centre forward now, but best position was centre half, though in "proper" football, at 5'10 (1/2!), I always played right back or right wing back, in the days of a 5-3-2 sweeper system.
I was at Millwall the year that side got to the FA Youth Cup final against Arsenal. The likes of Ben Thatcher, Neville Gordon and Jermaine Wright were all much better than me and so I went off to do my A Levels and don't regret it a bit!
Now play Vets for LTSB Goalden Oldies, we have assembled quite a side now, this season we have played 13 Games & won all of them so far. We have a couple of Ex professional's playing for us including ex Addick Paul Williams who is now our coach. Enjoy it as much now as i did when I started, as soon as that buzz goes I will retire. I must have easily played best part of 50 games a season for most of my career so cannot be far off playing a 1000 games all at which have been at Sweeper, centre half or Full back.
samuel montagu boys club
kidbroke park junior school - with david powell son of colin
numerous sunday teams can't remember names
saturday morning football in basildon cant remember team name
then about 12/13 years in the London Legal League ,for my old works team, which is a bloody good standard but on astro turf so now ankles fucked
few games for CIFC scored twice against Palace which I'll always cherish LOL
We did have a pretty amazing Sunday side, went 4-5 years without losing a game. Not that enjoyable though, far too competitive and as you won everything, you never really appreciated winning like you should as a kid. Glad when i left at about 15. BTW, how do you remember such things ???? I can't even remember what time i left work the day before doing my timesheet !
All three played for my Sunday team at various stages, as did Paul Irving and Geoff Pitcher (and Phil O Neil, year below). The Arsenal team they played in that 94 final (which i'd be let go from 2 years before) also had two STM players in it, Matt Rose and Timmy Griggs. 8 players from the same Sunday club in a FA Youth Cup final must be a record.
Palace offered Yts which i took from 16 - 18 but never worked out and no professional contract offered.
Joined Dartford, then Bromley then Faversham before 3 ops on dislocating shoulder and torn cartlidge in knee put pay to my game at 27.
Probably is some kind of record even now!
Like bingaddick, got well into Badminton when in my late 20s, but that too has now fallen by the wayside.