DREAM TEAM
BRADLEY PRITCHARD – The Leyton Orient midfielder chooses his favourite XI, made up from players he has played with in his football career.
GOAL KEEPER
Ben Hamer – Leicester City I wouldn’t like to give him the confidence but I have to say Ben Hamer because he has the best distribution of any keeper I’ve played with. He could hit halfvolleys with incredible accuracy. He has the body of a postman, though. RIGHT-BACKI Chris Solly – Charlton Athletic He’s a club hero at Charlton. I probably remember 20 minutes of one game against Middlesbrough where he struggled but, apart from that, no-one has even come close to dribbling past him on a regular basis. He’s got the footballing brain to play in the Premier. CENTRE-BACKI Chris Smith – Alfreton Town He’s an old friend of mine who I played with at Tamworth. He was really composed and a good leader. We had a young team at the time and he was one of the main reasons we got promoted, even if we used to laugh at how he looks like a horse! CENTRE-BACKI Tom Cadmore – Whitehawk I played with him at Hayes & Yeading and his distribution was first class. He didn’t run much but he didn’t need to. He could certainly ping a ball and he had a good football brain. LEFT-BACKI Cedric Evina – Doncaster Rovers I have to go for my exroom-mate Cedric Evina, purely because people need a bit of humour to concentrate on the pitch and he was a real character. One of the key things the year Charlton went up from League One was our team spirit and he was one of the main guys who created that atmosphere. RIGHT MIDFIELDI Jake Sheridan – Alfreton Town He was one of my close friends at Tamworth and he was a real hard-working winger. He had the quality as well, though. We had a good understanding and a good link-up. CENTRE MIDFIELDI Dale Stephens – Brighton & Hove Albion He was certainly one of the best midfielders I have played with, he was just a complete player. He was outstanding in Charlton’s promotion year. His distribution was superb and I think he’s Premier quality. CENTRE MIDFIELDI Danny Hollands – Portsmouth The year Charlton went up I think he got eight goals and he’s fantastic on a night out as well, he definitely helps with team spirit. A lot of memories I have of Charlton are off the field and Danny is one of the major protagonists in those! LEFT MIDFIELDI Alex Rodman – Gateshead I played with him at Tamworth and for the British Universities team. He was mentally tough and a really tricky winger. He had such raw pace and skill. I was so happy to see him get a chance in the Football League with Aldershot and York. I think he’s done really well. STRIKERI Brian Quailey – Retired I’m putting Brian in but definitely not because of his footballing ability! He was at Nuneaton Borough and he added a lot to my game because he wouldn’t move! You had to learn how to pass accurately because if you put the ball even a metre away from him he wasn’t going to get there. He couldn’t finish either! At Nuneaton, they call a miss a Quailey! He’s a cult hero, but for different reasons to someone like Chris Solly. STRIKERI Bradley WrightPhillips – New York Red Bulls I have to put him in after the season he’s had with New York. You could see that he was a quality finisher and a good guy to have around the place. After all he did to get Charlton into the Championship, it was good to see him get the recognition he deserves at Red Bulls.