football firsts
Bradford defender Matt Kilgallon talks us through his football memories
First game watched live? I think it was Leeds v Arsenal around 1997. I can just remember Ian Wright chipping Nigel Martyn and that was my first proper live experience. I loved it because Elland Road was packed back then. When I signed for Leeds at the Centre of Excellence, I was a ball boy every Saturday. They were good days, Champions League nights and big matches. It is sad to see what they have become. First football hero? I used to love watching Paul Gascoigne play for England. I was a striker when I was younger, but because I was tall I was changed to centre-half at 13-yearsold. I started to watch a different part of the game, so I started to like Jonathan Woodgate and Rio Ferdinand, who changed the way defenders played. Rio was just outstanding. First boots? I used to get one pair a year at Christmas and the first ones were a pair of Lotto boots. They were black with a green top. I think Ruud Gullit had them and I used to love them. I have kept a couple of pairs, likes the ones I wore when Sunderland beat Manchester City in 2012. But we send most off to Africa to help young boys out there. First kit? My first kit was a Juventus one. I used to play for Rowntrees in York and, after the matches, we would go to the pub and my dad would play dominoes. I would sit in another room and watch Italian football on Channel 4. I loved that show! I have some good ones now. I have swapped shirts with Alan Shearer, Rio Ferdinand and Vincent Kompany. I get them framed. First game? My debut was in the UEFA Cup for Leeds against Hapoel Tel Aviv at a neutral ground ,so it was a weird experience. Terry Venables was the boss and I was on the bench. Lucas Radebe went down injured and I was on – it was crazy. We won 4-1, with Alan Smith scoring all four. My first game at Elland Road, against West Ham, was class and then I made my first start against Aston Villa and Dion Dublin. It was the first time I thought I could play at that level. First goal? That was against Southampton, when we lost 2-1 in 2004. It was a header from an Ian Harte cross and I glanced it into the bottom corner. As I have got older, I do get forward more, but I probably should have scored more goals in my career. My best was for Sheffield United and it wasn’t a header, which surprised even me! The keeper came out and punched a ball clear and I lobbed him from the edge of the box on the volley. First red card? The first one was away at Brighton for Leeds, when I got two bookings. It was at the old Withdean Stadium and you could hear everything from the changing rooms. About two minutes later, Paul Butler was sent off, too! The worst one was in the Sheffield derby, when I was shown a straight red card. The referee thought I had kicked a guy in the chest ten minutes in, but I never touched him! I was getting a lot of abuse and we
lost 1-0.