football firsts
Plymouth Argyle midfielder Joe Edwards talks us through his football memories
First game you watched live? My dad got me tickets one Christmas to go and watch Manchester United play Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day at Old Trafford. It was 1998, so I was eight years old and I remember Ronny Johnsen scored twice! I was a massive United fan as a kid so I always remember walking in and taking in how big the stadium was. It was a big day, we left early in the morning because we lived in the south-west, and I was flat out asleep by the time we got home. It’s a special memory and something I’ll always cherish. First football hero? Ryan Giggs and David Beckham – they were the two players that I looked up to massively. Growing up as a United fan in the 90s was very enjoyable, but both of those stood out for me. I’d love to say I base my game on Becks but I’m not sure many people would back that up, I probably should have gone for Gary Neville! First football boots? I think they were a pair of Puma Kings when I was about six or seven, very basic. A pair of black Puma Kings with massive white tongues. I always remember my mum trying to get me to stay in the smaller sizes for as long as possible because they were half the price! My feet were squeezed in as small as they could for as long as they could. I scored a few goals in them as well, a lot more than I get now, I know that! First kit? That would have been a United kit as well, one of the classic red ones with Sharp on the front and probably a big collar like the 90s kits had. My first shirt had Giggs on the back, and then it was Beckham after that. First professional game? I went on loan to Bath City in the Conference for the first half of the 2010-11 season, and made my debut against Darlington, but then was recalled by Bristol City and put into the squad away to Preston in February 2011. It was the best feeling ever. I’d been at Bristol City since I was 11 or 12 and come all the way through the academy, so to play in the first team was really special. I’d only been going up to Preston with the team to get experience but then I was in the matchday squad and came off the bench with a couple of minutes left when we were winning 4-0 – it was a great feeling! First professional goal? I got loaned out to Yeovil from Bristol City the following season and scored on my League One debut against Tranmere.
Gary Johnson signed me there and put me straight into the team and I managed to score, so it was a nice way to say thanks to him. It was an alright strike actually – a firsttime shot from about 20 yards when the ball fell to me – so I was pleasantly surprised! I had all my family there as well watching so it meant a lot. When I later signed permanently with Yeovil I got about four goals in 120 games so I wasn’t the goalscoring midfielder they thought! First red card? It was for Yeovil at Tranmere in October 2012. We were 2-1 up and I got booked in the first half, and I remember Gary Johnson telling me to be careful. Then I got a second yellow in the second half and the boys lost 3-2, so I got the hairdryer treatment after the game for that
– it was a tough learning curve.