Summertown Coach No More

Today was my last stint as manager for Summertown Stars, quite sad to be honest but also a weight off my shoulders and I will move on now. So this season I have been running the Stars team that I started as 7 year olds even though Jack has been playing for Horspath. It’s been really tough going to be honest and at Xmas I said that I was standing down and we talked the Comets managers to take over and they’ve been involved the last fortnight and brought some players across with them.

Today we played Oxford Blackbirds who are pushing for promotion, I had 19 boys to choose from and I used them to my own ends for once and for the first time that I can remember the result was more important and 4 of them didn’t get a game!!! I felt guilty for that but the nature of the match made it hard to give them all a game because we ended up edging them out 4-3 in a thrilling match which I was delighted with.

Obviously I apologised but they were fine with it. I played some of the new lads and they were excellent so hopefully the team will do well next season. Had a few speeches afterwards and some cards and alcohol given to me. It was all a bit of a blur to be honest but I shook all their hands and the parents and it was quite emotional all round. I got some photos taken as well, I’ve really enjoyed seeing them grow up and I am saddened that it’s stopping now, I would have liked to have seen them through to 18s but Jack is more important and I will likely get more involved with them now and help Horspath improve.

Some nice comments in the cards thanking me for encouraging them and teaching them their football, I liked a comment from Cian that was he’s known me ‘half his life’!

Some nice comments on Facebook as well so all in all a nice end to an era. We will organise a get-together at the end of the season, probably paintballing.

I’ve made the right decision though, in Jack’s match it was too easy, he was pushed up to centre forward and scored a hat-trick, shame I missed that, but won’t from now on!

Some other photos from days gone by: