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Heart Attack

Well that was a training session I won’t forget.

I was coaching my under 7’s when I started to feel a bit light headed and clammy. I thought i’d just overdone things – I’m 55 and don’t run as much as I used to – so I thought a bottle of water would sort me out.

To cut a long story short, I was blue lighted to the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle and was told I was having a heart attack.

Within an hour I was having a stent fitted and was electric shocked 16 times after suffering a Cardiac Arrest.

Only 1 hour after that I was on the ward feeling 100% better !

Thank you to the NHS … and I was out of hospital 2 days later.

That was 3 weeks ago and I hope to return to coaching later this week ….

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No Hunger in Paradise

There’s been a lot of discussion recently about Academies following the excellent programme and book “No Hunger in Paradise”

It’s basically an expose of how the Academy system treats kids when they are released

For kids who are picked up at 9 years of age and who go through the system only to get released at 16/17 or whatever, it can seem like a cruel system.

But what’s the alternative?

I think it’s down to parents to keep their kids feet on the ground.

Don’t be telling them that they are going to make loads of money. Just re-iterate that they are lucky to be having such great training and are lucky to be wearing the strip for whatever length of time.

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Boxing Day

Boxing Day football is a great tradition. Having virtually given up watching Premiership Football, I took in 2 great games. The first was the 12 noon derby clash between Ashington and Morpeth in the Northern League. The visitors, Morpeth, were a class above and took a 4 goal lead by half time. A crowd of 430 saw the game. Morpeth look well set to win the league and take enforced promotion to the Evostik League.

Taking promotion in these parts is an expensive business with costly travels eating well into club finances.

I then travelled to Croft Park to see Blyth Spartans entertain Spennymoor Town in the National League North. Over 1100 fans were there to see Spenny grab a deserved injury time winner. Both teams are in a Play Off place. Imagine seeing Spartans or Spenny in the National League.

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Freezing

Training for our under 7’s and 8’s is on Friday nights from 6 – 8pm, outside on a 3g pitch.

Tonight was absolutely freezing. The kids don’t mind one little bit !  It’s not too bad for the coaches who can keep on the move. But for the parents it’s baltic !

Parents get a bad press in junior football but the vast majority will do anything for their kids. They’re so supportive. Not all start out loving football but when they see how much their kids get out of it, they soon get to love it themselves.

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2nd December 2018

I don’t know why people watch the Premier League when you can watch games like I did today. Over 1000 fans went to Croft Park to watch Blyth Spartans play Salford City. What a fantastic end to end game with both teams showing great technical ability. Salford are well backed by the Man U contingent and their players are full time professionals. Their organisation certainly showed in the first half but Spartans resilience saw them take over after the break. Only a penalty separated the teams at the final whistle with Salford running out 1-0 winners.

 

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Weekend

The weekend starts on Friday evening with training from 6 till 8.

Raining, as it always does, but the kids don’t mind. Aged 5 to 8 years they’re excited to be finished school and to be playing football.

Saturday brings the FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round, Spennymoor v Gainsborough. Disappointment as the Moors go down to a late goal.