It is with great sorrow and regret that I inform you that Alex's football career passed away peacefully last week on an astro-turf pitch in Stratford, London. A career spanning 2 centuries and included appearances at great stadiums such as Highbury, Dean Court and Shepherd's Bush Rec. It was widely regarded as one of the great losses to modern football that it never made it onto the professional stage - by himself, his close family and gullible friends. A versatile player, with a keen eye for goal and an unequalled understanding of the modern game. He will be sorely missed by all
It started in the early eighties where his schooling was taken on by Bournemouth Saxons and Bournemouth School. This laid the foundations for what was to become a long and illustrious international career.
In the late 80's he moved to France to try his skills on the continent. His record of scoring in 100% of the games he played in and a 100% success rate with the team remains a local record. Unfortunately, his time abroad was cut short as it was only a two week French exchange and he returned to the South Coast of England. However, he picked up a lot of new continental skills that would serve him well down the years. In particular the Cruft turn was one of his trade mark skills. Much like the Cruyff turn - but performed with twice as many legs and more fur!
A knee injury (Osgood Schlatters Disease) - called for a period on the sidelines, and the career was halted for about 1 year. After the injury he returned for a spell playing for
Christchurch FC, a semi professional team near Bournemouth. This was arguably the pinnacle of his career. At this point though he made the decision to turn his back (slightly) on football and pursue a career in IT, attending University in Portsmouth for 4 years. However, he still turned out for the University team.
A self imposed absence as he started his new career in IT in London, led to him leaving the game entirely for about 3 years. The effects were felt far and wide - as far and wide as the nearest pub team who had one less player, but crucially, one more drinker!! A move to Warwick in the early 21st Century heralded a return to weekend football and a 2 year stint playing for Shipston. A successful period was cruelly ended in September 2005 shortly after his 30th birthday when he broke his wrist. This was to be his last game on grass (though that summer it was pretty much like playing on concrete - hence the broken wrist).
In 2006 he joined his last club, Century Life, playing in Stratford. Like David Beckham playing for England and LA Galaxy, many were concerned that his performances might be affected by the commute from Canary Wharf to Stratford on the DLR on a weekly basis. He soon put his doubters to rest, putting in a string of stirring performances - leading the team to success in both League and Cup competitions.
Most footballers don't know when their last game is going to be. Alex had the fortunate position of knowing when his last game was to take place - and what a game! In tough conditions, the team won 2-1, with Alex scoring both goals. One a 25 yard bullet, the other a sweetly taken goal after making an intelligent run and rounding the keeper. It would have been nice to sign out on a hat-trick but this is no fairy tale - just a tale of one man's battle with seemingly insurmountable odds to carve his own piece of footballing history!
One man - one legend!
What lies next? Well, he is to have a knee operation at the end of August and it is this that has effectively brought down the curtain on his career. However, he had decided that it was now or never to have the operation and hopefully his rebuilt knee should see him out until his 60's when he should be able to pick up a new one from Boots in a lunch hour. There is talk of a resurrection and a potentially lucrative offer from the Far East or South America after recovering from the operation but as yet these rumours remain unconfirmed.
The following high profile patrons of the game had this to say:
Sir Alex Ferguson : 'Alex who? Never heard of him!'
Jamie Redknapp: 'I remember playing with Alex at the Bournemouth Soccer Schools. His Cruft turned rocked! I could never master it myself but then I married Louise from Eternal so I don't care any more!'
Mr Shepherd (ex-PE teacher at Bournemouth School): 'Could have been so much more! I blame that Asa kid'
The player himself: 'I've loved playing football over the years. I'm not sad that it's coming to an end and will continue to make guest appearances in the future. It's been a big part of my life and will continue to be so and I've enjoyed it a lot.'
