Burton Albion defender Jake Buxton talks us through his football memories
First match? My first match was Sheffield United v Nottingham Forest. My cousin, Steven Kennedy, was a YTS (youth team scholar) at Sheffield United at the time, so he managed to get us some free tickets. I can remember being sat at Bramall Lane and it was a crazy experience for my first game. I can remember the Forest kit having a chip-stoned pattern and Brian Deane playing because my cousin cleaned his boots. I’d have been about five. First hero? It was a mix between Stuart Pearce and Paul Gascoigne. I followed England quite a lot and, even now, I’m a big fan of the national side. We had house parties at our place for things like Euro 96 and the World Cups. My dad used to take me to watch Forest regularly and Stuart Pearce would come up to the Trent End, where we used to have tickets. He was a big fans’ favourite. Gazza was loved by everybody and Italia 90 was probably a big reason why I got into football. I was a Forest fan as a young boy and then I joined Mansfield Town as a 12-yearold. We got free season tickets, so I basically turned into a Stags fan. I was dragged all the way around Europe to watch Forest – to Munich, Malmo (in the 95-96 UEFA Cup) and all that, but then I followed Mansfield. First boots? They would have been an Umbro pair. I got them from a car boot sale. My dad was a miner and he was on strike at the pits, so I can remember him buying me some football boots. They were old-school black ones, with a diamond on the side and, since then, I’ve always really worn Umbro. First kit? I had a Fiorentina shirt. We went away as a family and I came back with a purple Fiorentina shirt with 7Up on the front. Batistuta was a big hero at the time, so I had it with his name on the back. First game? I played in the LDV Vans Trophy as a kid against Crewe (in October 2002). We lost 4-0 and Rob Hulse scored three goals. I later went on to play with Rob at Derby – he remembered that. My first league game was 3-3 away at Blackpool, so that was a good affair. First goal? We played Leyton Orient away at the start of the following season and I scored from a set-piece. I think I was supposed to be going around the back, but I ended up running to the near stick and it came off my shoulder when I went to head it. It was a nice feeling to score my first goal for my home town club, with mum and dad there watching me. First red card? It was Chesterfield v Mansfield at Field Mill in September 2007, a derby with quite a lot of rivalry between the clubs at the time. Jack Lester had just dropped down from Forest and he was a class above. I was a young captain at the time and it didn’t go down too well with the fans, getting a man sent off and losing. I got booked early doors and then I gave a penalty away – both fouls on Jack Lester – and I got too tired, which I sometimes still do now. I had three red cards that season, but I soon learned when I left Mansfield.