Anyone Ever Have A Trial?

[Midlands Yellow 4,114]

For Norwich or any other professional team. Best standard I got to was Barwell 87 (who are about 4 leagues from the National League North) scored 2 on my debut as a sub and never hit the onion bag again. Hated it and retired at 19 years old. 

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

I pleaded guilty and settled out of court😀

[TheGunnShow 6,029]

Nah. Didn't help that I was a goalie and worse still, was tiny. Was 5'2" until I hit 16, then managed to hit 5'8". The funny thing was, I ended up being fairly infamous / legendary / annoying (delete where appropriate) at five-a-side but I was never great at elevens. Although with one team I played for one lad said "if TGS were 6'4" he'd be outstanding", and the captain said "if TGS were 6'4" he wouldn't be playing for us."

I did have former England international striker Paul Mariner (who coached at my old school for a bit) praising my reflexes. And when a mate who was ex-academy (he was at Bolton and Blackburn but didn't make it) put a team together with the aim of battering everyone at fives, he asked me to be the goalie. Think five of our regular seven were ex-academy lads. I know I was a lot ****ing older.

[Haus 259]

Did a summer trial at luton and a couple of invite events with norwich in the 90s.  

Was quite firmly told i would never play professional football 😂😂😂

Edited September 7, 2022 by Haus

[Yellow Green Army 237]

Yeah, I did. Would have been late 80’s. I Must have been 10/11 at the time. Remember turning up and being put in the wrong age group, u13’s or u14’s. I was too shy to say anything at the time so just went along with it. Did ok but didn’t standout against the older lads. Have always regretted not suing anything, could have been a different story if I played in the correct age group. 

[Greavsy 2,464]

I've done jury service twice if that counts...... 

[CDMullins 446]

Spent my youth at Leeds, Coventry, York City and Halifax Town,

Released from Halifax at 16

Played a couple of years 'College Academy' football

Then a handful of semi-pro games before giving it up.

[Ken Hairy 3,782]

4 minutes ago, Haus said:

Did a summer trial at luton and a couple of invite events with norwich in the 90s.  

Was quite firmly told i would never play professional football 😂😂😂

I had a trial at Luton in my early teens, on that horrid plastic pitch. Scored a screamer but still didn't get any further. 

[Yellow Green Army 237]

Think it may have been early 90’s actually as I remember Sammy Morgan being heavily involved and giving me lots of encouragement, advice.

[RugbyCanary 94]

Had a crack at semi pro rugby. Wasn't bad. Still play (lower down) at mid 40's

[Nexus_Canary 1,028]

Ive taught approximately 6 people who have made first team appearances for NCFC and maybe 9 that did not make it at the club and did elsewhere or quit pro football.

Not sports based education i hasten to add, I was frankly appalling at football as a lad

 

 

Edited September 7, 2022 by Nexus_Canary

[Ekoku: The Ambassador Of The People 122]

Invited for a trial for Norwich. Turned it down.  

[Midlands Yellow 4,114]

35 minutes ago, CDMullins said:

Spent my youth at Leeds, Coventry, York City and Halifax Town,

Released from Halifax at 16

Played a couple of years 'College Academy' football

Then a handful of semi-pro games before giving it up.

Impressive, what went wrong from your perspective? 

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

I had a trial at Cambridge United when 13 or 14 but was never going to get signed by anybody unless it was as an academy squad filler to make up the numbers, in all honesty, I wasn't delusional either, knew one of the other players in that age group really well and just knew that he was superior in every footballing aspect. He didn't quite make it pro either but he played a decent non-league level for a few years before calling it a day.

Highest I played adult football was in the top division of the Anglian Combination where I held my own for a year or two, but every so often you'd come across a player in that league who should very obviously have been playing a few levels higher and that would serve as a reminder of the levels involved. 

Had a friend who had a short career in League Two but he was only paid £400 a week and he was burning through a quarter of that in petrol, had bills to pay so got a 9-5 and was obese within a year so that was the end of that.

[Parma Ham's gone mouldy 2,243]

Parma. Unsurprisingly. 

Offered initial contract at their Div 3 feeder club. Wanted first team squad straightaway. 

Some very, very expensive players in that squad at the time.

U21s did not get look in. Seemed odd. Then Parmalat scandal broke. 

Got offered very interesting job at multi-National as gopher to CEO in Italy. Learned a lot. 

Ended up coaching very young in Italy, worked with Ajax and Mechelen coaches, then full time in UK (including Norwich). Qualified under International manager. 

Left when money not enough and progress too slow to start own business (at 25). Italian multinational had shown me plenty. 

Like to move forward and move on. 

Parma 

 

[Mello Yello 2,306]

No but I have a Police record......

 

"Walking on the Moon"....(vinyl).....

[CDMullins 446]

5 hours ago, Midlands Yellow said:

Impressive, what went wrong from your perspective? 

Ultimately I wasn't good enough.

Some mitigation;

I was very slight until I filled out at 21 and was never particularly fast.

I developed late and walked into in my final year at Halifax (U16), into a dressing room full of actual men. I was mentally a young 16, I spent my free time playing Championship Manager, two of the lads at Halifax were preparing to be dad's, the others had began going out, so I didn't really fit in, something that is key at that age.

Looking back now, I think mentally the penny never dropped that if I really applied myself, I could do it as a job.

The 'College Academy' was a great standard and there was talks of trials in Ireland and scholarships in US but it only really worked out for one lad, our goalkeeper who ended up playing in the US for a while before moving to Scandinavia.

Our college/district games were played at Ossett Town and Albion. I was asked to start playing for Albion's reserves who were in the North East Counties meaning we spent every Tuesday playing over the pennienes, some where far, far away, add that to training twice a week, a game at the weekend and starting work at 6am every morning and something had to give.

By 21 I'd filled out and learnt how to use my body and had developed a confidence and arrogance that I wish I'd have had in my younger days but I still couldn't see that there was a (slight) chance to work my way up and play football for a living, something that happened to Martyn Woolford. Martyn came on trial at Coventry but was rejected at the first stage, he played locally, got bought by Guisley and then got his big move to S****horpe, from there he went to Bristol City and scored a playoff final goal at Wembley and signed for Sheff Utd.

Edited September 8, 2022 by CDMullins

[Naturalcynic 678]

No, but played against numerous ex-pros who, despite being a little in excess of their optimum fighting weights, ran absolute rings round me.

Edited September 8, 2022 by Naturalcynic

[Channon’s Windmill 336]

I got selected to play a trial match for Suffolk v Norfolk back in the 80s, all the East of England scouts were there. I did ok but was a winger playing full back so didn’t catch the eye. Two players did and went onto have very good professional careers, Adrian Pennock and Steve McGavin. Match was at Diss under the floodlights with a good turn out.

[jaberry2 556]

13 hours ago, Midlands Yellow said:

For Norwich or any other professional team. Best standard I got to was Barwell 87 (who are about 4 leagues from the National League North) scored 2 on my debut as a sub and never hit the onion bag again. Hated it and retired at 19 years old. 

Did 8 months in juvie for killing members of an online forum, other than that im squeaky clean.

[Google Bot 3,342]

Me and my mates pretended someone had killed us via an online forum when they blocked us during a heated argument. 

Sent them a fake admin message, and they actually believed it.   Subsequently told their parents, who took them to the cop shop and was made to do 8 months service.  So he done a season long trial at Norwich as a kid! haha.

Apparently still suffering mentally with it to this day. 😂

Edited September 8, 2022 by Google Bot

[jaberry2 556]

8 minutes ago, Google Bot said:

Me and my mates pretended someone had killed us via an online forum when they blocked us during a heated argument. 

Sent them a fake admin message, and they actually believed it.   Subsequently told their parents, who took them to the cop shop and was made to do 8 months service.  So he done a season long trial at Norwich as a kid! haha.

Apparently still suffering mentally with it to this day. 😂

That was me lol

[Google Bot 3,342]

3 minutes ago, jaberry2 said:

That was me lol

omg lol!! Small world.  Heard it totally ruined your life, oh what a laugh that was for us.

[Segura 84]

16 hours ago, TheGunnShow said:

Nah. Didn't help that I was a goalie and worse still, was tiny. Was 5'2" until I hit 16, then managed to hit 5'8". The funny thing was, I ended up being fairly infamous / legendary / annoying (delete where appropriate) at five-a-side but I was never great at elevens. Although with one team I played for one lad said "if TGS were 6'4" he'd be outstanding", and the captain said "if TGS were 6'4" he wouldn't be playing for us."

I did have former England international striker Paul Mariner (who coached at my old school for a bit) praising my reflexes. And when a mate who was ex-academy (he was at Bolton and Blackburn but didn't make it) put a team together with the aim of battering everyone at fives, he asked me to be the goalie. Think five of our regular seven were ex-academy lads. I know I was a lot ****ing older.

Your amateur footballing career sounds very similar to mine - I'm 5'8'' and have always played in goal. Currently I play seven aside and love it (I can touch the crossbar for a start!).

During school I was often told 'oh if only you were taller' which I guess was a compliment but I found frustrating. I've never had any trials but played at a decent local level and these days enjoy playing for fun and fitness. It's certainly humbling to move from 7aside goals into full size goals and have shot after shot fly past you.

As a result of my own experiences, I've always thought a goalkeeper should be a minimum of 6ft. No matter how good you are, if you're not tall enough there's just too much distance for you to cover in a full size goal.

[Fifty 48]

Another 5ft 8 goalie here!

Had trials for the University of Birmingham team which was second only to Loughborough for sports at the time and we had a full international striker in the first team, from the Cayman Islands.

But as a more ‘fun-sized’ keeper and enjoying the beer I preferred the inter-departmental 5-a-side leagues and played 2 games, every lunchtime for lots of different teams, 5 days a week. Easy when a geography degree only has 6-8 taught hours a week.

Played Anglian combination and Sunday leagues for a number of years until a bad ankle injury going over a broken kerb at Cambridge half marathon in km 2 and stupidly ran the remaining 19.

Favourite memory is a pensioner storming onto the pitch at Drayton after a decent game and arguing I shouldn’t be playing as I was Scott Howie and a professional. I couldn’t look less like Scott Howie and was more Fabian Barthez but he was adamant

 

[daly 513]

Got a trial at Cambridge United through a guy called Tommy Crotch who from what I remember had a pub in Norwich and had lots of football connections

Played their around 1960 with one of the great England wingers Johnny Hancocks who was kept out of the England side by Stanley Matthews

That was in the Southern League

Also cousin of a Newcastle captain and Scotland International  

 

[GodlyOtsemobor 2,423]

1 hour ago, Segura said:

I'm 5'8'' .

 

14 minutes ago, Fifty said:

Another 5ft 8 goalie here!

 

 

Same here! Was told I wasn't tall enough Although I'm 5ft 11 so I'm closer 😉 (but yet still so far) and after youth football for sprowston that's why I took up boxing instead 🤷

such is life. 

Edited September 8, 2022 by GodlyOtsemobor

[Segura 84]

1 hour ago, GodlyOtsemobor said:

 

Same here! Was told I wasn't tall enough Although I'm 5ft 11 so I'm closer 😉 (but yet still so far) and after youth football for sprowston that's why I took up boxing instead 🤷

such is life. 

Was recently reading Andy Goram's book (God rest him) he was 5' 10'' but still had a stellar career. His lack of height meant he had to be coached differently to most keepers in terms of positioning and he was always very guarded about coming for crosses, electing to punch most of what came his way rather thank risk a tricky catch in a crowded box.

Think he was an exception to the rule though - can't remember the last professional goalkeeper I saw and thought 'he looks a bit on the small size' possibly Shay Given springs to mind.

[HB1989 27]

Had trials with Peterborough and Cambridge and was in King's Lynn's academy.

Played up front with Dom Dwyer when he got scouted for Norwich and he's still playing in the MLS.

Regrettably stopped playing quite early.

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

51 minutes ago, Segura said:

Was recently reading Andy Goram's book (God rest him) he was 5' 10'' but still had a stellar career. His lack of height meant he had to be coached differently to most keepers in terms of positioning and he was always very guarded about coming for crosses, electing to punch most of what came his way rather thank risk a tricky catch in a crowded box.

Think he was an exception to the rule though - can't remember the last professional goalkeeper I saw and thought 'he looks a bit on the small size' possibly Shay Given springs to mind.

So I always thought that Paddy Kenny was really short.

Apparently was 6ft and half an inch, just looked shorter because he was a bit chubby.

Mark Bunn was allegedly 6ft but always looked a bit shorter than that to me.

I think whereby previously 6ft was seen as the benchmark for being considered tall enough to play in goal, in reality everybody is looking for their keepers to be taller than that now, think anything under 6ft 2" is short for a keeper, Krul at 6ft 3" feels like the average keeper size. 

What if somebody is 6ft but has extraordinarily long arms though, like Inspector Gadget, surely that makes up for the lack of height. 

Edited September 8, 2022 by TeemuVanBasten