‘I’m not thick, I’ve got eleven GCSEs – I just give everything I’ve got on pitch’

ACONFERENCE title-winner in successive seasons with Crawley Town and Fleetwood Town less than a decade ago, Skelmersdale United’s Richard Brodie also nearly won promotion with the club he enjoyed his most sparkling form at, York City.

Also a scorer of over 100 goals in that division, it of course only tells a fraction of the tale when it comes to the ex-Port star’s time in the game.

The 33-year-old frontman’s playing days have taken in FA Trophy finals (and painful defeats) at Wembley, while he was the Crawley player who so agonisingly almost earned a dramatic draw in the FA Cup fifth round against Manchester United at Old Trafford in February 2011, as his header cracked back off the crossbar with Wayne Rooney et al watching on.

He is now at a point of undoubted optimism, as a Skelmersdale United player given the opportunity to kickstart a move into coaching.

What have these last 3-4 months looked like for you?

It’s been strange, to be honest, because I’m one of those people where I like company, and I thought I would really struggle on my own, but I’ve managed to see the kids every day.

I was a taxi driver, which at first I thought would be okay, with the hospital contracts and stuff like that, but it got so bad it was untrue.

Sundays were my favourite days, but the last Sunday that I worked, I did £5 in seven hours.

I carried on going but I applied for a job in the meantime for Morrisons, driving for the home delivery.

You’ve been playing for Skem, what have you found since you joined the club, in terms of the overall picture there?

I went to Ilkeston Town with Fowls, (Lee Fowler), about 18 months ago.

I played with Fowls and he said ‘come and help me out, help get us promoted etc.’

All through being full-time, I never had an injury; I was out for two weeks with a rolled ankle, I was really lucky.

Went to play for Fowls and I lasted 30 seconds before I clicked my knee.

I’d done my meniscus and I was struggling for six months, big time. I went and did a pre-season at Ramsbottom, I got a good pre-season, but I still wasn’t confident on my knee.

I’m living in Southport and they gave me a dual-registration with Skem for a month to get games, and this was October last year.

I found it enjoyable, I was playing every week, and with my career, I’ve always travelled, but when you’ve got work and the kids, the travelling just became a bit of a ballache, to be honest.

I ended up staying there the full season, and it’s historically a big non-league club in the North West.

It’s had a lot of financial difficulties but they’re over that now and they seem to be trying to turn the corner and move the right way.

You’re North West-based now, but is Gateshead where you’ve grown up?

I was born in Newcastle General, but I’m a Gateshead boy. I went to school in Whickham, played football for Whickham, played cricket for them.

Whickham was my life and I ended up moving to Rowlands Gill. That’s where my mam and my gran and granddad, and my auntie and uncle still live now.

Can you paint the picture of what life, football etc. was like growing up?

I lost my dad at a young age, at six, and my gran and granddad brought me up really, as well as my mam, but she worked shifts.

My granddad was an ex-professional, played for Middlesbrough and was captain of them in the 50s, in the same team as Brian Clough. Granddad took me everywhere.

Some weekends I was playing Saturday morning for Redheugh Boys Club and Saturday afternoon for Whickham in the Northern League as a 15-year-old.

Sunday mornings, pub football for the Highwayman in Whickham Highway.

You used to come in from school, quickly do your homework and then you’d play football until it was dark and you couldn’t see the ball any more.

Working-class family, I had a great family life and I still do now, but moving away with football, I ended up here, there and everywhere. I moved to Southport and my two kids are here now, so I’m happy here.

Has it been good to go somewhere entirely different sometimes – as far as Crawley and Aldershot – or has that been tough?

I wish I’d been able to settle somewhere properly, and I still believe to this day if York hadn’t have sold me that day to Crawley, I think I’d have been a one-club man and stayed at York the whole time. I honestly believe that.

The travelling’s just the way it’s worked out and I’ve moved clubs for a lot of reasons; some being my fault and some not being my fault. I left Aldershot because Michelle fell pregnant, so we moved back home. That’s why I’ve stayed at Skem and