Liam Ridgewell

Should find one of his Team-Mates on Twitter and send it to them... Am sure they'd love to share it round the dressing room lol!

Raith_C_Chattonell said:

Pilchard will be interested in this photo. Junior Robins about to K.O. against a team from op north. Two cute little mascots - the one on the left is my little hero, the one on the right is Liam. I wonder how much HK I could have charged, had the roles had been reversed? Anyway it proves Liam once wore a Charlton shirt!

The darker skin coach used to train me as a kid, couldn't stand him. Is his name Sandy? or something like that.

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Yep Dicky was my first manager over at Bostall woods.... i was a year younger than Lee (went to School with him too) so played in the year below that lot. They were a great team, but we always gave them a run for their money in the pre season friendlies. The team a year below us were probably the best though! They had Dicks other son Tommy!

Just looked at Clark's Ridgewell's facebook page and he is the brother that supports Palace!

AFKABartram said:

Was that coach called Dusty, or something like that ?

Sandy

AFKABartram said:

Ha, nearly right. Think he went on to coach / scout for Wimbledon as I'm sure he tried to get me to go over there

Couldn't stand him. He still coaches kids now!!!

Sonicstud85 said:

Yep Dicky was my first manager over at Bostall woods.... i was a year younger than Lee (went to School with him too) so played in the year below that lot. They were a great team, but we always gave them a run for their money in the pre season friendlies. The team a year below us were probably the best though! They had Dicks other son Tommy!

BGS?

Raith_C_Chattonell said:

Pilchard will be interested in this photo. Junior Robins about to K.O. against a team from op north. Two cute little mascots - the one on the left is my little hero, the one on the right is Liam. I wonder how much HK I could have charged, had the roles had been reversed? Anyway it proves Liam once wore a Charlton shirt!

I remember some of those guys particularly Liam and the two coaches in the background! What year was that picture taken- I'm guessing 88/89 ish? Nice 86-88 era Adidas strip too!

ValleyGary said:

Raith_C_Chattonell said:

Pilchard will be interested in this photo. Junior Robins about to K.O. against a team from op north. Two cute little mascots - the one on the left is my little hero, the one on the right is Liam. I wonder how much HK I could have charged, had the roles had been reversed? Anyway it proves Liam once wore a Charlton shirt!

The darker skin coach used to train me as a kid, couldn't stand him. Is his name Sandy? or something like that.

Haha! I was the keeper in that team! Good memories & some very good players! Really surprised how none went on to bigger things. It was fantastic to use Sparrows Lane & wear the kit with pride too!

Liam was always around, always in his kit, & always kicking a football! His family was a little mixed up when it came to the teams they supported. His dad is Palace. His eldest brother seemed to switch between Palace & QPR, & I never really new who the brother (who was in the Junior Robins team with me) supported (Liverpool I think - gloryhunter, haha!).

Liam's Dad ended up as manager of the team as well! I always found it odd/slightly irksome, how Palace fans ended up playing for, & managing, a Junior Reds organised team (we had a few Millwall as well)! :-D

Sandy Sharmah was indeed 1 of the coaches, & yes, he was pretty hardline! I think a lot of us were happy/relieved when he left! (Especially me! As a bit of a chubby b'stard back then! :-D)

Raith - If I am correct, going by your little hero comment, I had the pleasure of playing alongside your 'elder/bigger hero', for both the Junior Robins & Villacourt Rovers. My best to you both! (Again, if I am correct)

Sparrows Lane Lion said:

ValleyGary said:

Sparrows Lane Lion said:

O-Randy-Hunt said:

They used to have some class games them 2. Remember watching my brother in the London cup final. Think Liam got a hat trick. Did Michael Turner play for villacourt.

Yeah cracking rivalry, Villacourt probably just edged it over the years. YMCA came close now & again. Can't recall Long Lane ever winning the London Cup? Villacourt beat Tufnell around 96/7, beat Senrab & Puma that year I think.

Turner was CB for Villacourt yes.

I played for Phoenix Sports growing up and we had a brief spell in the A league, same age as Liam. Villacourt were quality, YMCA were good as well with Danny Morris and Matt Rouse (who went to Ajax to train if i remember correctly). Cant remember too much about Long Lane. Amazing to see how many good players back then don't touch a football now. Who did you play for SLL?

I played for the best team in London, no the best team of all......Villacourt.

YMCA had some fantastic players back in the era of that Junior Robins pic' too! Played against Jimmy Bullard on numerous occasions (he was a class above!), & there was another kid called Ross Venables who was a fearsome striker for them too! We always struggled against them. I think our closest result was something like a 2-5 defeat! (those two also had the most fantastic mullets at the time too! Haha!)

Sparrows' - When did you play for Villacourt (age group to season), & was it Rovers, or just Villacourt?

ValleyGary said:

Didn't Ben May play for Junior Robins? Remember playing against him at STC and he was about 2ft taller than anyone else.

He might have but not for the Robins team that Stefco played in

Raith - If I am correct, going by your little hero comment, I had the pleasure of playing alongside your 'elder/bigger hero', for both the Junior Robins & Villacourt Rovers. My best to you both! (Again, if I am correct)

You are correct Stefco - great to hear from you! A very ‘agile’, effective keeper - despite your self depreciation. My bigger/elder hero is still into his sports, but I’m afraid that his balls have shrunk, and he now spends his (sporting) time searching for them at the local golf facility. I jest of course. He is a fine player (that’s what he tells me anyway) and still an active Charlton supporter - naturally.

I agree with you. There were indeed some good players around and I share your surprise that some didn’t go on. I don’t know of anyone, including the adversaries within the age group, who joined the professional ranks - apart from Jimmy Bullard. It is a tough old business - but hey, who could possibly be happy as a globe trotting, multi millionaire, who gets applauded - just for warming up?

The TV commentator at the cricket last night spoke of Robert Keys the Kent captain as ‘creaking a bit’, now that he is 35. 35 being the age of you guys from that Junior Robins team. Quite thought provoking, and very scarey to be a parent of a ‘creaking age’ child.

Nice one oakster. Great interview.