I was once told by a teacher that I would never amount to anything but I was pleased to bump into him not so long ago and hear him admit he was wrong. It was funny seeing his Nissan Micra next to my top-of-the range Mercedes!
Growing up in a mining village (Maltby), you had to be able to look after yourself, and that’s what I did, on and off the pitch. I was expelled from school at 13 and sold flowers in the local market. Making money was always going to win over education for me back then, and happily I have gone on to have a successful business in the building trade. One of my best customers in the early days was John Bentley, when Newcastle got rid and he came to Rotherham. Mike Yarlett, the club’s money man, paid for him to have an extension to his house, and I built it!
I was one of a few lads from Maltby who went down to Rotherham in our teens and I came up through the colts before making my first team debut against Birkenhead Park in 1990. We were in North 1 back then and to be part of the journey up through the Leagues, right to the very top, was brilliant, and something I don’t think will ever be repeated.
In those days, games were self-policed. If you took a backward step people would take advantage. A big part of our success at Rotherham was that we would always stand our ground. We didn’t have the flashiest of players but our pack was one to be feared and, with having a lot of local lads in the side, we played with a lot of heart. If there was any fisticuffs, we sorted it. The biggest melee I can remember was against Harrogate in the Yorkshire Cup final. It kicked off after about 15-20 minutes and we laid them all out.
Denne historien er fra October 29, 2023-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra October 29, 2023-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
England show who's No.1
ENGLAND women’s head coach John Mitchell says his side will take valuable lessons from the 24-12 win over world champions New Zealand as they build towards their WXV1 title defence.
Skivington: We're going to roll dice and go for it
THE Cherry and Whites are the enigmas of the Premiership.
Looking to go one step beyond this time around
NE small step is what it will take for Bath to go one better than last season and secure the Premiership for the first time, but it would be one of the biggest taken by the club in the professional era.
Four-try England make it 17 wins on the spin
ENGLAND women opened the Allianz Stadium era at HQ with a victory over New Zealand to make it 17 wins on the bounce before their WXV title defence.
Time for Borthwick to prove his worth
HONEYMOON periods are not set in stone and in my estimation Steve Borthwick’s ends this summer. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still in good shape.
Barrington ready to power up the Mob
RICHARD Barrington has signed up to the Ampthill “Mob” reassured that he’ll still have a target on his back most weeks.
Skivington keen to build identity
GLOUCESTER won their first trophy for nine years last season and reached the Challenge Cup final, but when George Skivington went on holiday the day after the campaign ended the words in his head were never again.
Roebuck targets England success
WINNING a maiden England Test cap to top the best season of his career will not be enough for Sale winger Tom Roebuck.
Booth: Tough telling players I was leaving
TOBY Booth admits telling his Ospreys players that he would be leaving at the end of the season was one of the hardest things he has had to do in his career.
Stephens' debut try sees off old rivals
DORKING had to dig deep in another tight game between two old rivals, with the lead changing hands twice and result in doubt right up to the final whistle.
