Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
TOWN I LOVED SO WELL
Unsung hero Wilson ends 11-year stay at Banbridge club he served with distinction
JAMES Wilson bid farewell to Banbridge Town at the weekend as he pulled the curtain down on 11 years with the Crystal Park club.
Wilson played his final game in Saturday’s goalless stalemate with Tobermore United.
The 29-year-old defender is moving to Sligo, and admits Saturday’s swansong was a “strange experience”.
He told Match on Tuesday: “I didn’t really know how to feel, and it hadn’t really sunk in that it was my final game. It had been touched upon a couple of times during training, sort of as a motivational tool.
“It was a surreal day, and it was only when the final whistle went did I realise that was my time up with Banbridge. I was standing on the pitch on my own and that’s when it dawned on me.
“I looked around and saw family and friends there, and I just paused to reflect on things. During the game you’re caught up in the action and you just want to win. And we should have won.
“So there was a bit of frustration at the end, and then I remember thinking, ‘James, this is your last game’.”
It was almost a fairytale ending for Wilson, who could have nicked a late winner for Banbridge at Fortwilliam Park.
“I was a pass away from scoring the winner,” he smiled.
“It was one of those ones where the keeper had moved to his near post to cover the shot and I was just waiting for the ball in the middle, but my teammate went for the shot.
“We hit the bar in the game and should have won, but it was just one of those days.”
Wilson joined Banbridge in 2010 as a fresh-faced 18-year-old.
The move to Crystal Park ignited his love of football again following a spell playing rugby.
“I joined Banbridge after being out of football for two or three years,” he added.
“I had been playing quite a bit of rugby with my school (Banbridge Academy) and had been enjoying that. Then a few mates were playing for Dromore Amateurs and invited me down to play for their Under 18s at the time.
“I started enjoying it more, and then I was put in touch with someone at Banbridge, and at first I thought I was going to train with the reserves. But when I turned up I saw Ricky Copeland who was a neighbour of mine at the time, and I knew straight away it was the first team.
“And that was it; they just said, ‘Come on in, kid’ and that was it. The rest is history.
“I can’t remember my debut exactly, but I have a feeling I played away to Carrick under Colin Malone in Championship 1, and I came on for about 10 minutes.
“I played left wing, and I think I had a couple of touches of the ball, and one was a shot, and I remember thinking this was class.”
Looking back, Wilson says he has three highlights from his time in local football, including winning the Bob Radcliffe Cup with Banbridge. “I was part of the 2010 squad, and then winning it again in 2018 was very special,” he added.
“The 2018 win was memorable, especially after being at the club for eight years or whatever it was.
“Stuart King was the manager at the time and it was a great achievement. “I also got called up to the Northern Ireland junior international team for the Regions’ Cup
qualifiers, and played against the Republic of Ireland.
“Unfortunately I didn’t make the cut for the finals but it was still a brilliant experience.”
Wilson played under six managers during his time at Banbridge, including Colin Malone, Ronnie Haughey, Ryan Watson, Brian Adair, Stuart King and Frankie Wilson.
“They all contributed to my career in their own individual ways,” the right-back said.
“Ronnie gave me a big chance when he was manager. He was the one who gave me my real first chance.
“We were Championship 1 and he
was thrown into the deep end.
“A lot of people left after Colin Malone, and we had a really young team. The average age was 19 or 20, and we were a really young, inexperienced team.
“He just told me to go out and play, and it gave us all confidence to play at that level.
“They were all different. Stuart and Frankie had played Irish League football for a lot of years, and they were real different personalities to a Ryan Watson who was calm and collected.
“They all have different styles and brought something different to the table.”
Looking to the future, Wilson says he will take a break from football, but will always be a fan of Banbridge Town.
“I will miss the club a lot,” he said. “I’ll miss my teammates and everyone at the club. It is a special place.
“I have friends there for life. The club probably wasn’t as well backed as other clubs, and I think that’s what united everyone and galvanised the club at times.
“Everyone was there for the right reasons, and they wanted the team to do well.
“I will keep in touch with everyone at Banbridge and always look out for their results.
“It isn’t a million miles away.”
It was a surreal day, and it was only when the final whistle went did I realise that was my time up with Banbridge..