football firsts
Michael Brown talks us through his football memories
First game you watched live?
It was a Hartlepool United home game against Tottenham in the League Cup and Paul Gascoigne was playing – I actually gave him a chocolate bar and he said ‘thanks very much’ – we ended up losing 5-0 though.
My dad used to run The Corner Flag pub outside the stadium, so I used to spend loads of time there and I was actually a ball boy from when I was about eight years old.
First football hero?
It was Gazza for sure – I loved his antics and his cheeky smile – he wanted to interact with people, and I have always tried to enjoy my football like he did. Of course, he had flair and immense talent too.
Football is too much of a business these days and I think it is important to remember the love of the game – people are paid a lot of money to play but they should also want to do it for free if they weren’t paid.
First football boots?
The first proper leather ones I had were a New Balance pair and my dad was obsessed with cleaning them for me – and when I used to look after players’ boots as an apprentice, I already knew how to do it.
First kit?
I think it might have been a Liverpool kit with the Crown paints logo splashed across the front – I definitely had one of those, but it might also have been a Hartlepool one from when I was doing the ball boy games.
I always wore the Liverpool one though – they were a top side back then.
First professional game?
My first game will have been in a Man City shirt away against QPR at Loftus Road – I only played 12 minutes of that game before I got sent off.
Alan Ball put me on, and I pulled Andy Impey’s shirt and the referee thought I was the last man, but the video showed Alan Kernaghan was covering anyway.
It wasn’t the best debut, but I remember it and I think I was unlucky on the day.
First professional goal?
I remember it was for Hartlepool against local rivals Darlington while I was out on loan there in 1996 - we were fighting relegation and I managed to score a goal that ultimately kept us up.
It was a free-kick, a nice curling one into the top corner and it was amazing to see how much it meant to my dad and all the fans that were there on the day.
It was brilliant scenes and that is what football is all about – I never got my shirt back from that game though sadly.
First red card?
Well, we know all about my first red card and I got quite a few but I don’t think I got another one for a while after that. I distinctly remember getting sent off at Burnley in 2003 though because it was just before I moved to Spurs. I overstretched for the ball and had a lunge and ultimately got myself in trouble – but you see that quite regularly even now.