Fergus Bell, ex-Mansfield and Yeovil midfielder, talks us through his football memories
First game? I remember standing at the Roker End at Roker Park watching Sunderland. It was so cold and so misty. I went with my dad and uncle and I was around four years old. I could barely see anything. Paul Bracewell was playing and I think it was against Southampton and I think we won. Roker Park is probably the coldest place I’ve ever been to, but I still loved it. First hero? My first footballing hero was Kevin Phillips. He was scoring goals for fun when I was growing up. The fact that he won the European Golden Boot, for scoring 30 goals for Sunderland, was quite frankly absurd if you think about the value of that in today’s market. He’s a great guy and, when I met him, he was exactly what I hoped for from a schoolboy hero. He’s probably Sunderland’s greatest ever player. First boots? I had a pair of Nike Tiempos that were full black with a Nike tick on them and I was given them by a nextdoor neighbour who worked for Nike when they were based in Durham. Paul Scholes was wearing them at the time, so I got some serious kudos for owning those boots. They were way out of my price range but were very generously given to me. I used to wash them almost every single day because I did not want to get mud on them, even though that’s what boots are for! First kit? I remember being given a Real Madrid shirt by a family friend from Spain and I think it had (Fernando) Hierro on the back. I was forced to wear that. There are a few photos of me wearing it. I know I had a Sunderland shirt in the locker, but it wasn’t quite as exotic as a Real Madrid shirt! First match? I played for Hibs in the 2008-09 Scottish Youth Cup and we ended up winning the whole thing. I can’t remember who exactly it was against, but it was on AstroTurf. I remember getting absolutely nailed in the dressing room at half-time. I thought I had played quite well, but I got an earful at the break and that was a great welcome to the game. First goal? It was actually in my first game for Jerez Industrial against Algeciras in 2010. I was put in on goal by Sam Clucas, I think. I was one-on-one and I slid the ball to the right-hand side of the goalkeeper. I actually scored a second goal in that match, but I could not tell you too much about it. It was a crazy start to my life out there. I think it all went downhill after that! First red card? I never actually received a professional red card, but I do remember my first red card at youth level. I was playing for a North of England representative team at U14 level. We were playing in the World Youth Cup in Sweden. We had a team made up of academy lads from Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Sunderland and we got all the way to the semi-final. The final was going to be in front of a big crowd in Gothenburg and I got a second yellow for kicking the ball away, but I wasn’t kicking it away at all. I was devastated. The whole coaching team spent the next 48 hours appealing it and it was eventually rescinded about two hours before the final.