MAGNIFICENT 7 FOR PITMAN
BRETT PITMAN says he loves scoring goals as much as ever – after ending 2023 with an incredible SEVEN in one game for new club Shaftesbury.
The 35-year-old, who made over 600 Football League appearances before dropping into Non-League with Eastleigh two years ago, recorded the impressive haul in the Rockies’ 8-2 thrashing of Christchurch last Saturday.
Since signing for the Wessex League Premier Division club from league rivals AFC Portchester in the summer, the former Bournemouth, Bristol City, Ipswich Town and Portsmouth marksman has scored goals for fun and found himself tied with Amersham Town forward Jake Tabor as English football’s top goalscorer with a healthy 38 going into the new year.
But was scoring seven in a single game a first in his long, distinguished career? “Yeah, I hadn’t done that since school,” Pitman told The NLP. “I think I scored five in one match last season and I’ve got four a couple of times this season but never seven. That’s a first for me.
Accolades
“I got three in the first half – some people would have been happy with that but I knew there was an opportunity to get more and as a striker, you have to be ruthless. The motivation to score goals has never left me.”
Pitman is not fussed by the attention that comes with the amount of goals he has been getting for table-topping Shaftesbury, after hitting 50 goals last term before leaving for the Dorset Rockies.
After missing out on promotion to Step 4 at Portchester, he is aiming to put that right this season and help Jim Milligan and Luke Burbidge’s ambitious side into the Pitching In Southern League.
“It wasn’t a burning ambition of mine before but now I’ve got to really know the people at Shaftesbury and I’m enjoying my football so I hope I can help them go up,” added the Jersey-born player.
“But when it comes to personal accolades, I’m not really bothered about competing with people from this league
or other leagues for goals.
Dignity
“With where I’ve played before, I should be top scorer and I would probably have to have a real look at myself if I wasn’t. I have a job to do.” Pitman’s switch from Portchester certainly raised eyebrows in the summer but the striker, who was promoted from all three Football League divisions with AFC Bournemouth during three spells at his local club, remains positive.
He remains involved with the Cherries as Under-14s coach and is just happy to be playing closer to home after 17 years as a professional.
“I get the odd comment but you get that at any level, it comes with the territory. I like to think we win with a bit of dignity and lose with a bit of dignity,” he said.
“I haven’t feel any real animosity towards me. The move has worked for me and I’ve enjoyed it. I just love playing football and I think I’ve played all but five or ten minutes of the league games so far.”