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Anecdotes from a Walking Footballer/Senior Player
Our oldest player is 85 year old Mike Williams. He is obviously far from his prime but still performs excellently as a left back. He was born the same year as Pele and in the great Brazilian’s last last months when he was confined to a wheelchair I told Mike that he could now say he was a better player than Pele.
Despite his frail stature, Mike has headed three goal bound efforts from me off of the line as well as having thwarted others in this manner, most notably when my team were two one down late in a game. Nigel cut inside from the left and unleashed a hard shot past the keeper from 15 yards. But there was old Mike to bravely head it off the line and to safety. It was a surprise the strength of the shot hadn’t knocked him over. The game finished 2-1. And his teammates including Southey were correctly lauding Mike Williams before he toddled off home for securing them their win.
The general consensus in the pub afterwards was that we were surprised it hadn’t killed him. And that we would not do such a reckless thing if we reached that grand old age.
‘But,’ Southey remarked in all seriousness, ‘he had to do it. It would’ve been two-all, otherwise!’
I responded somewhat sarcastically that I was sure that would’ve brought much consolation to his grieving widow.
Jonty Morgan Humour Sampler 