Quickfire Questions:-
Favourite hot drink: Cup of tea, two sugars, quite strong I usually go for.
Favourite cold drink: Coke, with a bit of cool ice on a nice summers day.
Favourite video game: Fortnite. I'm sure the other boys said FIFA but I don't actually play FIFA that much anymore, as I've got older so I'm going to go with Fortnite. I like gun games a bit more, big more aggressive than the other lads!
Favourite video game growing up: Got to be FIFA, has to be growing up, don't think there's a debate for that!
XBOX or PlayStation: I'm a PlayStation lad!
Coke or Pepsi: Coke, definitely coke 100%.
Favourite TV Show: Peaky Blinders I reckon.
Favourite Film: Football Factory with Danny Dyer in, football hooligan film, can't beat it!
Favourite sport other than football: To watch probably cricket, to play probably snooker and darts - I do like the pub games a lot to be fair but I do like quite a lot. I do like watching the cricket as I've got older, I didn't like so much when I was younger but my dad's a big fan of cricket and I've got into it a bit more now. It's decent I think!
Favourite professional team: Tottenham, which I get a lot of stick for but I can't choose because it's my dad's fault! There's a lot worse but there's also a lot better, we haven't won a cup since 2008.
Favourite professional player: There's a couple, as I was growing up it was Robbie Keane, as I've got a little bit older it was definitely Gareth Bale and then it probably still is Bale even though he plays for Madrid. Also you can't beat Harry Kane and Moussa Dembele, couple of Tottenham players I've enjoyed watching over the years.
Me: What's the best game you've watched live?
Sam: I've watched quite a few Tottenham games but neither of them have been that bad. When I've watched them in the Champions League when we lost to Monaco and I watched them play Millwall in the FA Cup and Brighton when we won both games, but the best game I think I've seen live was either the Ipswich v Arsenal game where Priskin scored that goal and they went 1-0 up in the first leg of the cup, or they played a game against Coventry as well, which I enjoyed that and Pablo Counago scored in like the 97th minute, so in terms of the best game - dramatic game - I've watched live it's probably them 2 Ipswich matches rather than the Tottenham matches I've been to.
I went quite a lot (Ipswich), when I was growing up with Freddie (Stewart-Hogg) so I've had the chance to see quite a lot of matches.
Me: If you could relive any sporting moment which one would you pick?
Sam: Obviously you have to pick the 1966 world Cup win, but that's quite a long time ago, so I'm going to go for something more recent. The cricket World Cup final (2019) was pretty decent when I watched that. That's what got me a bit more invested into cricket, I thought the sport was a bit boring before that and then I saw something like that and I don't think you get any better sport to be honest with you! I'm a big fan of Ben Stokes as well!
Me: If you could pick any two professionals current or former to play with for Ferals who would you pick?
Sam: I'd go Roy Keane because he'd give us a kick up the backside when we're not warming up properly and you'd probably have to say somebody like Ronaldo because he's a top player and I'm a Ronaldo over Messi fan, which is quite contraversial as well, he's the best player.
Me: How do you reflect on your time with Ferals so far?
Sam: Pretty good, obviously I've been at Ferals since the season they started, so that's about 11 or 12 years now? Probably most enjoyable time as a footballer that I've played from a child to an adult and it is nice to play with your mates. It's also nice to have mates that are decent as well, I've never really played in a really bad Ferals team.
We were probably the worst when we first started, but we've all got better and we've won things at youth level and at adult level, overall very happy!
Me: What's been your highlight for Ferals?
Sam: Probably that Horringer cup final, I got Man Of The Match, scored 2 goals so you can't really have a better game in a cup final I don't think, so for a highlight it's probably that!
During the season that year we played Horringer in the league and struggled a bit, so I think going into the final we were all a bit nervous thinking "we could lose this, we could lose heavily," and to turn it around and to get a 5-1 victory over a decent side proved that we were a lot better than what we thought we were. Obviously we were a lot younger at the time, it was our first season of adults football, we were all about 17 or 18 most of us, so it's tough but I do think the bigger pitch suited us because we're younger and can run around loads and they had a couple of older boys at the back and I'm thinking "I wouldn't want to be you if I was playing against us!"
Depends on how hungover everyone is when they turn up!
Me: What's your top 3 goals that you've scored for Ferals?
Sam: The header against Horringer in that cup final, the first one. Rob Morgan used to play for us, he used to do lobbed throw ins, so I used to start my run from the edge of the box just run in and try and get my head onto it. I was waiting on the edge of the box and I saw Rob doing a long throw-in, so I just ran in full pelt got a head on it and scored the first goal, so that's probably my favourite!
Most goals I've scored are headers, probably because I'm better with my head than I am my feet, so another one is the bullet header against Brandon and then a couple of years back I played Moreton Hall 86 away, Proctor was playing for us and he put a corner in and I was just sitting on the edge of the box as we were winning and I couldn't be bothered to get in there, I was like "just leave it." Proctor put the ball in, a defender headed it out and I just half-volleyed it into the bottom corner, I couldn't believe it! Decent goal!
I usually shank it wide and get a few laughs from the sidelines!
Good banter, it's why I like Sunday League! Saturday you play you're best football whilst Sunday you can have a laugh but still take it seriously, so you get the best of both worlds!
Me: With the Ferals progressing through the divisions, how have you found the journey so far?
Sam: Yeah it's been alright! I did have a strong idea that we'd get up to Division One, back to beat leagues and some cups along the way. In a way its favoured a little bit, as I think footballing ability wise we could've probably started at Division One but Sunday League is more physical, I'd played men's football before so I was sort of used to it, but not everyone had.
I think starting in Division Three and working our way up to Division Two and Division One was probably the best way for us to progress as a team, because I think we would've been a bit like rabbits in headlights had we played Division One first year, especially as the older we've got the players stop going out!
In the first year the whole team was going out every Saturday and coming to play hungover on the Sunday, sometimes you get caught out when you do that! It's been a good journey and I've enjoyed it to be fair.
Me: What would say has been the best Ferals team performance?
Sam: I've been thinking of this and I saw Charlie's interview and he mentioned the Walsham Reserve game and he was spot on, as we've never played as well as a team,it was one of those games where everything is going right!
Crowey's pinging 40-yard balls into my path, I'm touching it perfectly, knocking it back to Charlie, he knocks it to me, I knock the ball over to Cam and he scores. I'm thinking "Jesus, why can't we do this on a Sunday," but it's because it was a Tuesday night and everyone was fit and ready, so in terms of team performance everyone in that Reserve game was probably a 7/10 or above. I'd forgotten about that game and been thinking about a few others, so probably that game and the Horringer Cup final as well! 5-1 victory in a cup final, you've got to have a good result to get that result!
(Walsham Reserve game) Yeah you missed a cracker, it was unreal!
Me: What about your best personal Ferals performance?
Sam: Definitely that Horringer match, I've already spoke about it, two goals, Man Of The Match, you don't really need to say much more really, speaks for itself.
Me: What targets did you have going into this season?
Sam: I've just finished university, so I've only played every now and then, so I've not really thought about it as much but for me we came third last year, we got to a cup final, its just always remain competitive in cups. I don't think anyone's target was to go unbeaten at the start of the year, but now that we've set that standard I think that's the target. Goals for the new season is just to remain competitive in the league and remain competitive in the cups and hopefully get a few cup finals and do well in the league!
Gym last year, obviously Gym have always been very good, they pose a threat, unfortunately they weren't as good this year and obviously they've folded this year but they always posed a threat.
Me: Do you reckon they'll be much pressure on you guys next season?
Sam: I don't know to be honest, that's a good question! There's always sorts of pressure, because everyone's now going to want to best us because we haven't lost in the league, when you've performed that well it sort of makes you the number 1 target. I played both Wetherden games this year and on the surface they don't seem like a great team, honestly they gave us one heck of a game both times because they want to beat us that badly! I think we've just got to carry on what we've been doing and try and keep up the standard, obviously I'll be playing most weeks now, which I'm happy about, but in the other direction Matty Glover is going to university, things chop and change - it's about keeping the main team together and playing well as much as we can all the time!
Me: You got your 300th appearance at the start of the season, that must feel good having being there from the start and being almost ever present?
Sam: Yeah I think it's quality that Ade (Crowe) keeps the stats, to do it over all those years is nice for all the boys to be honest, because Cam's got more goals than he's got games or he's close to something like that, so it's always nice to have a stat in the locker - I've played over 300 games, got over 100 goals, so with Ade keeping those stats it's a nice reminder of football as a child and going into it as an adult!
Me: This team is young but it's getting even younger!
Sam: Yeah, you've got my brother (Taylor), you've got Charlie's little brother (Matt Glover), you've got Jordi, you've always got a couple of young lads - it's weird to be now one of the older boys when I've always been one of the younger ones, there's always players about, there's always something to do to keep football going.
Me: How have you found the standard in Division One?
Sam: The top teams are a lot better than the rest of the divisions I find, there is a gap between the divisions but there isn't a gap so big that you'd think "I can't do this it's just sort of hard, they've got better." Some of the teams in Division Two I think need to be in Division One, but the lower teams in Division One could easily be in Division Two, overall the standard is high! You know a couple of teams you're always going to have a hard game, Gym's never an easy game, Howard's always give you a game, Tostock always give you a game and obviously Brandon were up there with us this year and they're always going to give you a game as well.
There's certain games each year where you probably think you're going to be in for it which is different to Division Two or Three, you sort of have that feeling where you should win every game more or less no matter what.
Me: If you could pick any of the Ferals to be in quarantine with who would you choose?
Sam: I love them all could easily quarantine with all of them! Well do a five aside team, I'd go for Fred as he'd run a tight ship and keep everything in order and you need that in your quarantine Inn!
Two, I'd go for Bill Peck just because of his signing, banter, beers, brings a lot to the table.
Three, I'd go for George Palmer, he's a good cook.
Four, I would go for Cam just because you need somebody who you can have some harmless banter with, just does whatever.
Five, I'm going to have to go with Crowey, as me and Crowey could talk about absolute s#@£e for hours and hours, I can't even explain to you how many matches we've played and I've been at centre back and he's been at left back and we've just talked about the most random things, Ade would shout at us for talking! Sometimes it's a bit boring playing at the back for Ferals, so we just have a chat! It's normally food to be fair!
Me: Who would you say is the joker in the team?
Sam: Probably Elz (Elliott Frost-Palmer), he just does things that are just like "you're a funny kid!"
In another way Cam sort of is as well, as he just winds up Ade, which is always good fun! Elz or Cam, Elz for Team banter, Cam for winding Ade up! Elz has always been the joker in the dressing room! Cam's lucky he scores as many goals as he does, because he's a pain in the backside!
Me: Who's your favourite Ferals player?
Sam: 100% Dongray, I don't think there's a better player to play with at any level! I've played with him for a long time and I've always thought he's one of my favourite players to play with, when he winds up up front that's a bit annoying. If there's a tough match and you need a serious performance, you know Dongray's going to be the best player on the pitch.
He's a leader without being the captain, he's strong in a tackle, he's brave on the ball, he'd do everything to be fair!
Me: If you could pick a professional 5 aside team, past or present, who would you pick?
Sam: In goal we will go for De Gea, prime De Gea when he didn't let anything in - I just think in a 5 aside you just wouldn't be able to score. Defensively, probably go for John Terry, I don't like him but you can't discredit what a player he was. I'd definitely stick Moussa Dembele in there, because you can't get the ball off him and I've got to put a Tottenham player in there somehow.
We'll give Messi the nod, just because on a 5 aside he'd be unreal, and finally we'll pick somebody a bit random!
I'm going to go with Francesco Totti, just because I've always thought he was a good player and he doesn't get mentioned a lot and he's a one club man, you've always got to respect a one club man!
Me: Now for the Ferals 5 aside team.
Sam: It's a five aside match as well, which does suit some players better, I'd have Aston in goal - that's not really an argument! I'd go for Dongray, definitely have Dovey (Callum Dove) for 5 aside, just because his touches and his movement and being that good on the ball which is suited for 5 aside. I'll go with Cam for goals and Twinny - he's another one of those with good ball control, lots of energy.
For a 5 aside team, I'd just want Dongray at the back, not let anyone past him and then Twinny, Dovey and Cam getting amongst the goals!
If I had to pick a sub I'd go for Palmer, you need a another defensive player! Aston's handy outfield for a keeper, he scored a goal (v Brandon 18/19), can't discredit that - not a lot of goalies will ever score in their career and he's done it.
great interview...
ReplyDeletePS OLE OUT!!!
(you haven't heard that for a while Drew!)
Thanks Andy, appreciate that! Haha, let's wait for the results first!
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