Life begins at 40 for Wilbraham

TO think some Rochdale supporters questioned the wisdom of Aaron Wilbraham’s new contract in the summer. Turning 40 in October, there were one or two grumblings during a fans’ forum meeting given the striker’s advancing years. Age, however, is just a number — and so is the cash windfall his secondhalf strike has earned the League One club after securing a lucrative replay at St James’ Park. Now Wilbraham’s seniority is a source of celebration, not concern. ‘Our young players idolise him,’ said Rochdale boss Brian Barry-Murphy, just one year older and a former team-mate of Wilbraham. One relationship that Irishman Barry-Murphy has encouraged is that between Saturday’s scorer and the creator, 17-year-old Luke Matheson, who made headlines after netting at Old Trafford in the Carabao Cup in September. It was his cross that Wilbraham turned home in the 79th minute, making it four consecutive decades in which he has scored senior goals. ‘I have been telling Luke to put the ball in the box earlier,’ said Wilbraham. ‘He bombs up and down that right wing now and gets it in nice and early. He was a bit low last week when he had a bad game and got brought off. But I said to him: “Listen, that’s what can happen in football, a week is a long time and now you are on top of the world again”. ‘I like being the father of the team. I am 23 years older than him — I am the same age as some of their mums and dads — so sometimes I have to act like that.’ Wilbraham has been dealing with the grief of losing his mother, Gail, before Christmas. ‘My mum was my biggest fan,’ he said. ‘She drove me everywhere when I was younger in a little brown Fiesta, with about £2.50 petrol money in the tank, to make training. I never had my dad around. It’s been a hard time, so for me to give the family these little lifts and giving her these tributes, it’s massive.’ How Newcastle boss Steve Bruce must wish he had a Wilbraham, given the complete loss of form and confidence of £40million striker Joelinton. ‘To play for Newcastle United is a heavy load,’ said Bruce. ‘When you are the No 9, with the price-tag, then that bears on him.’