IT’S ALL LOVELY GLOVELY FOR STEW
CHARLTON ATH Truro city
STEWART YETTON will pull on the goalie gloves at Charlton Athletic this afternoon for a small pre-match Truro City tradition.
The 32-year-old striker scored over 200 goals to fire the Cornish club up Pyramid with five promotions in six seasons – plus an FA Vase triumph – that took them from Step 7 to Step 2.
These days, in his second spell at the club, he tends to start games on the bench, but it does allow some time for a warm-up ritual.
“For the last five or ten minutes of the warm-up, I always go in goal,” Yetton says. “The lads take shots and free-kicks. We’ve been doing it all season so I’m looking forward to getting the gloves on and diving around beforehand.
“We all have a good laugh and a joke – sometimes I’m so muddy I have to change into new kit. I’m hoping The Valley isn’t too muddy!”
Unlikely, but should Truro’s highly-rated keeper Tom McHale need replacing, then Yetton is the sub goalie. For one title-winning match he scored twice, had to replace their injured stopper and kept a clean sheet.
Of course, his main hope is getting onto the pitch in his natural position. As well as being part of the glory years, he’s also seen bad times at Truro with the club teetering on the brink of extinction in 2011 and 2012.
“We were in the Carlsberg South Western League when I joined,” Yetton says. “When I first joined the chairman at the time wanted to take them up through the leagues. Money was being thrown around but not many people knew if it was genuine.
“I took the plunge with a few other team-mates from Argyle. Cornwall has never had a professional football club, it’s probably more of a rugby county.
“But I’ve got some great memories from my time here. Great league wins, great cup wins – and then some terrible times with going into administration. I’ve seen it all.”
Indeed, it will be a proud day all round as the White Tigers also fly the flag for Cornwall.
Not since Falmouth Town in 1969 has the county been represented in the first round proper.
“The lads certainly feel we’re representing the county,” Yetton says. “There’s been a lot of interest since we’ve got there and it is big day for the club.”