football firsts

Leon Best former Coventry, Newcastle, Blackburn and Charlton striker talks us through his football memories

First match? The first game I can actually remember was a Nottingham Forest match, with Pierre van Hooijdonk playing at the time, it’s terrible but I can’t really be certain who it was against. He scored a free-kick anyway, which was quite common for him. I remember watching and seeing the fans jump around, it was just crazy. I actually met van Hooijdonk later, he was buying a bike in my local area - St Ann’s, Nottingham he was really nice and gave me an autograph. First hero? My first hero who I actually wanted to be like was Stan Collymore, he was always running at players, quick, and got the players going. He was the first live professional that I saw and I just went ‘wow’ - I’d seen people on TV but it’s different live. He turned on the Christmas lights in Nottingham one year and I went with a few mates. I can remember running through the crowd and he got into a car, so I chased after it and he stopped the car, signed a piece of paper for me - I met him a few years later and he remembered that, crazy. First boots? They were a pair of Patrick and they had a white back and a black front, we bought them from JJB Sports! I remember them well because I’d not been playing football properly that long and I went to a Notts County trial, all the boys had the Nikes and the Adidas’ and I rolled up in my Patricks. We had a bit of banter and they were asking why I was wearing Patrick, I just said ‘It doesn’t matter about the boots, who’s top goalscorer?’ It was me by about six goals! First kit? It would’ve been a Liverpool one for sure because my brother was a big Liverpool fan and he’d always speak about them. When people got you shirts as a kid it was them buying so it’s their choice isn’t it. I think my first would’ve been around 1996, I definitely remember having the cream one as one of my first but a few home shirts as well. First game? My debut was for Southampton against Newcastle in 2004, I came on when we were losing I think (Newcastle won 2-1). I’d just played in an FA Youth Cup game a week or so before, I did well and I remember getting a call saying I’d be travelling with the first team. I was over the moon, I didn’t think I’d come on but I was delighted once I was on the pitch - I knew that’s what I wanted in life. First goal? It came on loan at Sheffield Wednesday in 2005 and it was against Hull. It was a decent build up, I had a touch on the halfway line, laid it back and it’s gone out wide. I’ve followed my run and it’s been whipped in, first-time shot and it’s gone in! First red card? Blackburn away at Watford (in 2013). I’d just recovered from an ACL and I was having a good battle with an Italian defender (Marco Cassetti), he was pulling me and roughing me up a bit. I went up for a header and as I’m landing he’s kicked me in my bad knee. I was down on the floor and then I just got up and saw red, saw the smirk on his face and I thought ‘You don’t know what I’ve been through with this injury’ and I headbutted him, lost the plot!