When I was younger as most boys, I wanted to score in the FA Cup final, for me the dream was to be in a Gooner shirt and to be scoring that goal in the final minute against Spurs. As I grew older, I would realise that I was not good enough, so the next best thing would be to work for a professional football club.
For the past 10 years I have lived in Ipswich, and to be honest, because of an overly biased mother in-law who is an avid season ticket holder, I never took much interest in Ipswich Town FC, why would I, my team was the mighty Arsenal..
Then in the summer of 2008 I got a call and would soon take up the role of Ipswich Town Football club's Masseur. I work as part of a team of Masseurs under the guidance of the physio's, where up until recently, our role was to loosen, stretch and relax the bodies of the players at the training ground.
In January 2011 the club went through a few major changes, the new manager Paul Jewell and his backroom staff, the arrival of Jimmy Bullard, but there was a not so glamorous appointment in the physio department, me taking on the role as away day match day masseur.
The appointment could not come at a better time, a few weeks before I lost one of my businesses, something I had put a lot of time, money and passion into. The appointment also came a week before the league cup semi final game against Arsenal at the Emerites stadium!!I had prayed for this tie for 4 years, I even remember 2008 3rd round FA cup draw, I put on hold booking a holiday because I was convinced Arsenal and Ipswich would be drawn out of the hat together....
Obviously I get paid for my job, however for this game, if asked, I would have paid for my seat on the bench - but it was a priceless seat!
For this game I made my own way to North London with a couple of friends, to say I was excited was an understatement. Ahead of schedule I arrived at the Emirates and was escorted in via the players entrance on a golf buggy!
When I was 7 I was lucky enough to have taken a tour around Highbury, I remember the tour guide telling us how the decorated the away changing rooms to create a depressing atmosphere and how the away dug out had no heating, well if they done the same at the Emirates the designer must have been a very happy person! The size of the changing rooms were enormous, let alone the shower and toilet area, I then walked around the corner to the coaches area which was bigger than most changing rooms alone! This is where my treatment table was.
I had plenty of time, so I decided to have a walk on the hallowed turf, As I looked around I could see a few eager fans in the stadium along with a few stewards. I walked out to the centre spot and looked around - WOW! This was my team that I followed since the age of 5, and now I was going to be sitting on the opposing bench.
The team normally arrive an hour and half before kick off, today they were a little early, you could see a lot of the lads were quite tense and different from how I normally see them at the training ground. I had previously worked a few games, but none of this magnitude, in fact most of the lads had never played in a game like this, the league cup semi-final with a 1-0 lead against the best footballing team in Britain, and in my opinion only bettered by Barcelona.
Having a masseur at a game is a new thing for the team, im not sure if it was the gaffer that bought it in or the Physio Matt Byard, I would say when Roy Keane parted company, Matt saw it as a good opportunity to make some changes to help him out, but either way, it was a something that would help the team in their preparation for a game.
The massage therapy I normally give on a training day is normally, hard, deep and slow, where as the idea on a match day is to get extra heat into the muscles to loosen up any tight spots before the warm up, like a pre-warm up.
So this game was a test for me, if I was seen to be standing around and doing nothing by the coaching staff and Matt this could be the last, but I couldn't really walk around the lads and ask them if they would like a massage, I had to wait, would anyone want one? Fortunately all footballers like to be pampered and gradually they jumped on the bench - I think all in all I saw 7 players in 25 minutes - that was fast work! These players included Connor Wickham, Mark Kennedy, Jason Scotland, Colin Healey, a group of players who would regularly have massage as part of their routine, Im not sure if they felt it was beneficial or they were just superstitious, either way it was part of their pre match preparation.
The players normally go out for a warm up 45 minutes before kick-off, during this time I will clean up my area and then pop out and observe the warm up and soak up the atmosphere.
The players then come back into the changing rooms and do their final touches to prepare for the game, the manager then normally has the last word, during this time you can feel the intensity increase, the manager certainly knows how to focus the lads and has great words and delivery for this, then the bell rings, and the changing room explodes!
The players lead by Chuck, the captain then line up in the tunnel, followed by the subs and the management staff, I waited for the manager to go out and followed him....any chance to get on the TV!
So, Im sitting on the away bench facing my boyhood team, to say I was confused was an understatement!
As the game went on my mindset was changing, My heart was Arsenal, my head was Blue!
With the half time score 0-0 and at this point Ipswich were leading, back into the changing room we went. Paul Jewell encouraged, congratulated but also kept the lads feet grounded, Chris Hutchins would be more tactical, in telling the players where they went wrong but also what was working.
As the bell rang for the second time, something changed, as much as I love the gooners, I knew these guys personally, I have friends and family who are passionate Town fans, how could I not want them to win........
Arsenal stepped up the pressure, and it was about the 60th minute when I looked at the clock and made the mistake of starting to think about my suit for Wembley - Yes I really did, I started to imagine walking out in the league cup final and wondering if I would be allowed to keep the club suit.......Then the Crowd erupted 1-0 to the Arsenal! I was gutted, Arsenal hadn't won a trophy for 6 years and were looking like getting their best chance to do so, and I was praying for an away goal! The game quickly ended, it was a brave 3-0 but it wasn't good enough to reach Wembley. In the dressing room players were disappointed, yes disappointed after losing against some of the worlds best players, Cesc, Wilshire, Nasri and Bentdner....Well the first 3 anyway!
I think they were disappointed because two of the goals were mistakes, mistakes that on another day wouldn't of have happened, but that was enough to end the dream.
The Away days came quick after Arsenal, Derby, Barnsley and Doncaster in quick succession, Barnsley on the Saturday then back up the A1 for Doncaster 3 days later was tough, even though we won emphatically in Donny, my driver got lost getting out of Doncaster and we didnt arrive home til 2 in the morning and I had to be back in work for 7! Derby and Donny were recently new stadiums, I was very impressed with Doncaster's hospitality, Barnsley was a much older stadium with a very strange atmosphere: the stand where the dug out was, was empty, so you could clearly hear every conversation on the pitch!
For a lot of these games my couch was set up in the shower rooms, some of the newer grounds did have more space, but stadiums like Barnsley, Leeds and QPR had very limited space, in fact, as a semi-pro player, I played in grounds that had bigger changing rooms than some of these teams!
The next test was QPR, the league leaders with a class squad. I think if we had of won, the momentum would have put us in a great position for the play-offs. I made my own way down to London for this game, and got there a bit early, Loftus road is one of the strangest grounds, literally the stand of the players entrance is in the middle of a high rise housing estate. For this game I invited my cousin to the game, the club get 50 tickets for each away game and there are usually lots left over, so I thought there wouldn't be a problem....forgetting that fellow Londoners Jimmy Bullard and Lee Martin would take about 40 between them! I ran around looking for extra's, I even had the QPR 'old boy' scrounging around in the QPR dressing room, but no luck! The game was a sell out and my cousin and his mate were waiting outside, so I ended up buying the tickets from the nice ladies in the ticket office. Before the game the atmosphere was relaxed, Damien Delaney and ex QPR player had got some new boots...without laces! he took some stick and decided against wearing them. Anyway, the game was a good one, and Town should have had the game wrapped up in the first half, however Rangers went on to win 2-0.
Following QPR we had a few tough fixtures and journeys, Cardiff, Leeds and Burnley.
I missed Burnley as my wife was about to give birth to our daughter Rosie, however the other two were long trips so I had plenty of time to get to know the rest of the backroom staff. Our drivers Danny and Dave - they have both been part of the club for many years and follow the team to all corners, on home match days they help out with player hospitality. Also travelling is the club doctor, which rotates between three. When we head north or far west, Steve Pearce the club reporter jumps in with us. Then there's Ken Goody, Ken again has been part of the club for years, mainly as part of the youth set-up, but in recent years he has assisted Wayne the kit man. The Kit man has a very important job, hence needing two of them. Its not just about putting 11 shirts, socks and shorts on the pegs, the squad including coaches on match days is normally about 25, and its Ken and Waynes job to make sure all of them have warm up gear, match day kit, boots, shin pads, spare boots (some players take 4 pairs) and then the lads have their own underwear preference too. On top of this there are about 10 large chests of kit, all in place to help the team on match days.
So we had a good run, 2 wins and a draw, the draw in my opinion was a great draw at Elland road, Elland road is the most intimidating ground I have been to, the crowd was raucous, to the point where I didn't want to turn around and look at the persons hurling abuse from behind!
Following Leeds was Bristol City, again another great win but sadly this game would be remembered for Lee Martins sending off and Grant Leadbitter's visit to the hospital. Grant had got a whack on the head, and was out cold for a worryingly long time. Grant came out of hospital that evening and was back playing three days later - Also for this game I was sat next to 12 Cheerleaders - I bet you're thinking lucky guy! well, no, they sounded and looked like Vicky Pollard!
By now the season was over and only pride to play for, and the last two games are better forgotten, Swansea & Leicester.
It was a great few months, hard work (even though it was only 20mins of work each game) but a great experience. I am excited for the prospects of 2011-12 season, and If Paul Jewell carries on making the changes that are needed, Im sure he can lead Ipswich Town into the premier league something I would love to be a part of, and with my record of Played 10, won 5, Drawn 2, Lost 3, that is promotion form!!
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