How good are you at football?

Played most of my best stuff in the Bristol leagues and Gloucestershire Northern Senior. A few games in the County League but wasn't really good enough at that level. Scored over 200 goals in our local leagues, here in Gloucestershire, before quitting at age 34 with a smashed ankle. Started again when we founded a new club at the age of 41, and added another 50 to that tally, before age finally got the better of me. Scored in my last game, with my 16 year old son on the pitch with me.
Got a goal at the Riverside in a charity tournament, which is a highlight for me
 
I peaked playing for Stockton West End as a kid. Know my way around a five a side pitch but that's about it. Jack of all trades on the pitch but definitely a master of none.
 
Borotommo said:
Played most of my best stuff in the Bristol leagues and Gloucestershire Northern Senior. A few games in the County League but wasn't really good enough at that level. Scored over 200 goals in our local leagues, here in Gloucestershire, before quitting at age 34 with a smashed ankle. Started again when we founded a new club at the age of 41, and added another 50 to that tally, before age finally got the better of me. Scored in my last game, with my 16 year old son on the pitch with me.
Got a goal at the Riverside in a charity tournament, which is a highlight for me
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Love that bit about your last goal while your son was on the pitch, love out like that, 👍
 
Borotommo said:
Played most of my best stuff in the Bristol leagues and Gloucestershire Northern Senior. A few games in the County League but wasn't really good enough at that level. Scored over 200 goals in our local leagues, here in Gloucestershire, before quitting at age 34 with a smashed ankle. Started again when we founded a new club at the age of 41, and added another 50 to that tally, before age finally got the better of me. Scored in my last game, with my 16 year old son on the pitch with me.
Got a goal at the Riverside in a charity tournament, which is a highlight for me
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Cracking
 
Never played at a high level. Northern Alliance was my peak. Played Sunday morning footie till I was 48. Kept on playing 5 aside was still coining it when lockdown started. At 69 was playing with people one third my age. Looking forward to getting back to it about next September.
 
I played in a couple of the charity games at the Boro,

the local radio station was bigging it up saying there was going to be at least a 10000 strong crowd there. Needless to say this estimate was somewhat exaggerated!

I remember one of them as it was the day city won the league and the Aguero moment - I missed all that as I was making my own magic hehem. Anyway I was in the team managed by Mowbray with Colin Cooper the other manager.

First half - id asked to play cf or left midfield, the response your tall you can play in defence. Only notable incident was when I cleared the ball with some venom for it to honour and hit the celebrity commentators daughter in the face - the shame.

second half - was given my favoured position and told to run at them - at one point I had the simplest of one twos with Mendietta to go through on goal I did my part and asked for the return, he tried something fancy and completely cocked it up and slightly exasperated I was like “Mendy” before realising I was whinging at one of the best footballers in Europe in his day and I was lucky to be on the same pitch as him.

anyway it was great day, the whole sitting in the changing rooms, walking out onto the pitch, warming up and sitting in the dugout was just the stuff dreams are made of.
 
atypical_boro said:
I was captain of my semi-rural primary school team (it was a small school) and Cubs team, and off the back of it I had a trial match at Darlo when Big Mal was scouting. Fair to say I didn't remotely stand out as a no-nonsense central defender.

Once I got to big school, I wasn't as confident in the air against the hard knocks from Stockton town centre, so I became a goal-hanging striker in the mould of my hero, Bernie Slaven. I didn't play to any significant level (yes I was pretty rubbish) and was better at cricket (and not brilliant at that either).

In adult life, I remained a prolific five a side goalhanger.....err I mean scorer.... much to the malaise of my peers who took it far too seriously and wanted me to 'work harder' (yawn). I then got bored of playing and got into squash, cycling and now boxing.

Being able to ride a bike fast and defend myself (all at once is needed in some Manchester suburbs) is way more useful to me now, though football remains my first love.
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There are ever more similarities between us it seems atypical.
Cycling however should be outlawed - clogging up the roads etc etc. Cue a 62 year old C Store Exec getting on his bike from Lincolnshire.
 
As the old joke goes, I was a bit of a utility player back in the day as I could play to the same standard in several positions. Unfortunately that standard was sh*te!
 
Was always the best player in my year apart from the 2 lads at school who were in the boro academy but they weren’t allowed to play for the school team so I was always regarded as the best, I was always known as the ‘left footed right winger’. Played for Hardwick youth as a kid from age 9 until 16 enjoyed that and won a couple of league titles and since played for various pub teams but last year or so it’s been just 5 a side and I would still say I’m a good player but I am only 25 so I should be really. Don’t mind giving my self an ego a boost when it comes to playing football because I am woeful at every other sport.
 
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Stockton Boys (with David Mills) in the 60’s, then Synners Juniors, a few games for the first team, then Whitby & finally West Auckland, Jack Durnell was manager,think he played in Whitby’s Amateur Cup Final game when they lost to Hendon. My dad got tickets from Barry Geldart who he worked with.
 
In my heyday I used to cut in off the wing and lash one into the corner of the net. More often than not the keeper wouldn‘t even see it - because more often than not it didn’t happen.
I played 1970 to 1983 for schools, sixth form and university teams then retired from competitive football aged 21.
I was ok but had a poor left foot and didn‘t like heading the ball ( fearing brain damage, I was ahead of the medics on this).
 
Was decent when I was mid to late teens as I was usually the fastest player on the pitch. Could beat players purely on pace alone. Had some trials but I was a bit daft and wanted to just play for fun and not take it too seriously.
Did my hamstring at 19 and never fully recovered properly from it and lost that extra bit of pace. Wish I’d worked more on my technical game before that as I was half the player without the speed. After that was just an average Saturday and Sunday league player.
Stopped playing 11 a side at about 28 when no matter what I did I couldn’t finish a game without an injury.
 
HolgateCorner said:
In my heyday I used to cut in off the wing and lash one into the corner of the net. More often than not the keeper wouldn‘t even see it - because more often than not it didn’t happen.
I played 1970 to 1983 for schools, sixth form and university teams then retired from competitive football aged 21.
I was ok but had a poor left foot and didn‘t like heading the ball ( fearing brain damage, I was ahead of the medics on this).
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Think we've all had those dreams when scoring at Wembley for the Boro 👍
 
Block21 said:
Was always the best player in my year apart from the 2 lads at school who were in the boro academy but they weren’t allowed to play for the school team so I was always regarded as the best, I was always known as the ‘left footed right winger’. Played for Hardwick youth as a kid from age 9 until 16 enjoyed that and won a couple of league titles and since played for various pub teams but last year or so it’s been just 5 a side and I would still say I’m a good player but I am only 25 so I should be really. Don’t mind giving my self an ego a boost when it comes to playing football because I am woeful at every other sport.
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I loved 5 a side, wanted to play till into my 50's, good enough & fit enough but at 48 when running I done my achilles & not played since, 12 years ago now

Thought of doing walking football but covids put a stop to that
 
Erimus74 said:
I loved 5 a side, wanted to play till into my 50's, good enough & fit enough but at 48 when running I done my achilles & not played since, 12 years ago now

Thought of doing walking football but covids put a stop to that
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5aside for me is so enjoyable, can have a bit of crack aswell. Good fun and it’s great always being involved in the game and getting so many touches.
 
Block21 said:
Was always the best player in my year apart from the 2 lads at school who were in the boro academy but they weren’t allowed to play for the school team so I was always regarded as the best, I was always known as the ‘left footed right winger’. Played for Hardwick youth as a kid from age 9 until 16 enjoyed that and won a couple of league titles and since played for various pub teams but last year or so it’s been just 5 a side and I would still say I’m a good player but I am only 25 so I should be really. Don’t mind giving my self an ego a boost when it comes to playing football because I am woeful at every other sport.
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Left footed right winger, I think I read the other day,may even have been on here that that is known as an inverted winger!
 
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