Ron's Blog

Ron's Q&A

1. How have you enjoyed Banter’s start to the season? Has anything surprised you and what do you feel’s been key?

I have enjoyed our start very much. It’s nice to still feel involved even though I’m injured. I often wear the kit to bed, complete with shin pads and tape.

The key for me seems to have been the inclusion of 4 of Gerald’s Sopranos. Their transition into the group and the team has been seamless. Each one brings something different to a different position, so instantly we have 4 very good quality players added to the squad who don’t appear to have any commitment issues. Not having to trudge down to Duppas Hill every week has also been a welcome positive, especially given the quality of the pitches we now play on. Whilst they aren’t faultless, they are incomparable to Duppas Hill, and it will be interesting to see how we fair when/if we return to our old hunting ground for an away game.

What has surprised me most is the tendency to play football in our early games, rather than just lump it up field and over the heads of those in the middle. Gone are the days when the midfield spend most of the time running backwards and forwards getting stiff necks from looking up all morning, or getting a st!ffy from looking at Parin. Some of the football has been really excellent, and this was helped by some solid pre-season performances. Our most recent 9-2 victory highlights this enormously. Playing on a lopsided Purley Way pitch we insisted on keeping the ball on the floor and committed ourselves to playing football the way it should be played. The result speaks for itself, long may this continue.

2. Clearly you’d love to be involved, when do you expect to be back playing?

Clearly, although I’m not sure I would get in the team right now! Things are progressing well, particularly over the last couple of weeks. I have been running on it a bit more and working on body weight and balance exercises to keep my leg strength up. I am looking to be back training within a month at best. I’m going to tickles Edward a lot.

What’s great is that I won’t have to rush back and I look forward to the time when I can produce some 20 minute cameo displays up front. Having an abundance of centre mids (well three I suppose!) who seem to be forming a strong bond, I can see myself filling the void left by Wommy when he is policing the streets of Clapham with his lollipop stick. Perhaps I won’t score the goals of last season, but certainly the tireless running and holding up the ball bringing others into play. I played up front for Caterham Old Boys you know. I’m not sure what that means. I think I’m just dreaming. I’ll warm the bench.

3. Wuker looks set to break your appearance record. When he next plays, that’ll be 40 competitive games. Are you precious about holding on to such records?

I’m not precious at all. I’m proud that after being dubbed Banter’s very own Darren Anderton prior to our first season, I can boast our appearance record after 2 seasons. I didn’t expect that, but I knew I was never that injury prone anyway (despite the current situation). I expect I will never again hold this record unless I start fairly soon, so I’ll enjoy it while it lasts (play Dean this weekend yeh?)

4. Which moment stands out as your favourite since BCFC began?

There are as many favourite moments as there are ‘favourites’, the cup run (the semi final in particular) being one that is hard to overlook. However, I am going to opt for the 1-0 victory over Santos last season. A strange choice perhaps, but I have my reasons. Without your fine captaining skills we took to the field against a side that were clearly going to be up for it from the off after the 5-1 drubbing we handed to them previously. It is my favourite moment because I’ve never enjoyed a win so much. We worked so hard for it, and it was the first time that we really ground out a performance for the whole 90 minutes. Not one player could come off the pitch knowing they hadn’t worked their socks off for the win. Everyone was just brilliant from start to finish and it is certainly my most memorable victory. If I was to pick one exact moment, I think it has to be Bom’s goal against Santos in the 5-1 victory.

5. What is your personal highlight as an individual?

Just in general? Probably being born.

On the pitch? Oh…

I would say my performances after being subbed against Croydon Postal last season. I really wasn’t enjoying the football that much and it led to a rubbish performance against Postal when I really couldn’t have cared less what was happening on the pitch. Every game after that I took to the pitch with a smile on my face and kept running and running and running until I couldn’t anymore (Most likely the cause of my injury!). I think that reaction to being subbed is my personal highlight, because I really started expressing myself a bit more on the pitch and actually enjoying things.

6. We came so close in 2008, but can Banter win something in their 3rd season?

I think the start to the season has opened the eyes of some who perhaps didn’t believe so. With the additions to the squad we have a good chance in the league, and I think Real Madras over the next 2 weeks will give us a good gauge as to where we are in that sense. On our day we are a match for any team in the cup, we only have to think back to our cup run to remember that. But it is on our off days and the reaction the following week where we really see the winners from the losers. I’m going to reserve judgement for now, but the start has been very positive indeed.

7. Finally, who’s the longest in the shower?

I’ve heard Wilkes is so big that he doesn’t want to shower because he might intimidate the other boys. Either that or, as I suspect, he’s gay and doesn’t want to get excited in front of the squad.