Читать книгу Goals to Gold - Lee Sandford - Страница 16

I probably got more serious about football over other sports because of my best friend at the time, Matt. We’d met at primary school and that’s where we first got really keen on football. Matt’s dad ran the local football team, so as soon as we were old enough and good enough, Matt and I were recruited. By the time we were approaching our teens, we had become local football heroes, playing games every weekend. We were always entering and winning tournaments, leading to cabinets full of trophies and medals.

My dad was instrumental in making it possible for me to play so much football at an early age. He would drive me to practice every Tuesday, and to all the weekend games; he was on my side every step of the way. The only thing dad and I seriously fell out over was our football teams. He supported Chelsea. In defiance, and partly because we had an uncle, Jim, who worked at White Hart Lane, Paul and I had chosen Spurs. My Uncle Jim was a great guy. He sadly passed away recently, but he left a real legacy behind him; many of my family members (myself, Paul, and many of our cousins) are all still huge Spurs fans.

Mum’s support was crucial too. Without her, I wouldn’t have had any kit to play in! Us boys would pile out of the house on a Sunday morning and return several hours later, happy, exhausted and covered in mud. There would be baths run, the washing machine would be loaded up with our filthy clothes, and there would be a big Sunday roast on the table by three o’clock.

My parents never put much pressure on me in terms of my schoolwork. They simply said, “Do your best, son. As long as you do your best, that’s fine with us.” Looking back, I think what I actually heard was, “Do as little as you can get away with.” I know my friends got punishments and lost privileges for not doing their homework, but mum and dad were pretty laid back with me. I seem to remember getting a CSE in Pottery and Art, but that was about it from my time at school. I often ask myself if I regret the fact that my parents didn’t push me harder to get a better education. Maybe it would have given me other opportunities, but perhaps I would have rebelled anyway. My head was filled with sport; there was no room for anything else.

There was another big reason why I lacked the motivation and incentive to try hard academically... I knew I had a job lined up as soon as I hit 16. That must have played a major part in how little I did in school.