Where are they now? – 2012/13 programme special (part two)

As many of you are aware, last season it was my job to write up the player biographies on the opposing teams visiting Underhill, for the matchday programme.

Although I received copy from other contributors, which in a lot of cases meant just sub-editing, there was also a lot of researching involved, particularly when information was out-of-date or incorrect.

I came across a number of former Bees while producing the copy, which brought back a lot of memories and was interesting to see how (in some cases, forgotten) players were getting on. I thought I’d include all of these in a ‘where are they now?’ two-part special.

I previously posted part one: My XI former Bees, so here is part two – or everyone else who didn’t make the cut, including a goalkeeper five-a-side.

Goalkeepers

JAKE COLE (Plymouth Argyle)

27-year-old keeper Jake joined the Pilgrims in August 2011 as a free agent and went on to play a huge part in helping the team retain their Football League status. On the books at QPR, he acted as understudy to other goalkeepers including Lee Camp, spending time on loan at various clubs including Hayes, AFC Wimbledon and Barnet. He eventually signed for the Bees on a permanent basis and in his first season was named ‘Player of the Year’; he went on to make over 100 appearances in two years. Following his release he joined Plymouth.

Where are they now? Out of contract, rumours suggest he’s off to join Walsall.

STEVE COLLIS (Rochdale)

Goalkeeper Steve arrived at Spotland towards the end of the January transfer window on non-contract terms. Now at 31, he started his career at Barnet and also had a spell with Nottingham Forest, but first played League football for promoted Yeovil in the 2003/04 campaign. After three seasons at Huish Park, Steve moved on to Southend and has since appeared for several other clubs, including Crewe, Torquay and Northampton.

Where are they now? Signed a one-year deal with Rochdale in May, to act as goalkeeping coach.

ROSS FLITNEY (Gillingham)
Ross began his career at Arsenal before joining Fulham as an apprentice. Released in 2005, he signed for Barnet where he made 58 appearances and will be remembered for that red card after 90 seconds at Old Trafford in League Cup. After two seasons, he dropped down to Non-League football playing for Grays and Croydon, before joining Dover Athletic. The 28-year old shot stopper then moved to Gillingham in 2011 on a two-year deal but knee injuries have kept him out of being first choice.

Where are they now? Released by Gillingham in January, he plays for Eastleigh in the Conference South.

MIKHAEL JAIMEZ-RUIZ (AFC Wimbledon)

The 28-year-old goalkeeper has a wealth of experience, both at club and international level. Venezuelan-born Mikhael played against the likes of Colombia, Brazil and Argentina. Mikhael began his career with Romanian side CFR Cluj. After an unsuccessful trial at Tottenham Hotspur, Mikhael spent time at Barnet, before earning his breakthrough in English football at Aldershot, where he helped the club into the Football League. A move back to his native Venezuela followed and he put in consistent performances for Premier League team Yaracuyanos. He then returned to England re-signing for Aldershot. Mikhael spent last season at Dover Athletic and joined the Dons in August

Where are they now? AFC Wimbledon but will discuss his future on return from holiday.

SAM WALKER (Bristol Rovers)

Young goalkeeper Sam joins Rovers on-loan from Chelsea. At 20 years old, Sam has already had a season and half of experience in League Two with loan spells at Barnet and Northampton. Last year he spent half of the campaign at League One Yeovil.

Where are they now? Returned to parent club Chelsea, after a spell with Colchester.

Defenders

Damian Batt (Oxford)

Where are they now? Free agent, following his release from Oxford.

Strikers

ADAM BIRCHALL (Gillingham)

Striker Adam joined a three-year deal on arrival at Priestfield in 2011, but a cruciate knee injury pre-season kept him out of last campaign. Joining from Dover, Adam was a great success, scoring 63 goals in 93 appearances in all competitions. Starting out at Arsenal, but never making the first team, the 27-year old also had spells with Mansfield and Barnet.

Where are they now? Gillingham.

Where are they now? – 2012/13 programme special (part one)

As many of you are aware, last season it was my job to write up the player biographies on the opposing teams visiting Underhill, for the matchday programme.

Although I received copy from other contributors, which in a lot of cases meant just sub-editing, there was also a lot of researching involved, particularly when information was out-of-date or incorrect.

I came across a number of former Bees while producing the copy, which brought back a lot of memories and was interesting to see how (in some cases, forgotten) players were getting on. I thought I’d include all of these in a ‘where are they now?’ two-part special.

A little bit difficult to compile, particularly considering the numbers (i.e. six goal keepers and three midfielders), part one includes my XI Former Bees. Part two will be in the next couple of days and will include everyone else.

Goalkeeper

LEE HARRISON (Wycombe Wanderers)

Lee joined Wanderers in August as goalkeeping coach, but also registered as a player. The 41-year-old has over 400 appearances during his professional career which began in 1990. A fans’ favourite at Underhill, Lee reached the landmark figure of 300 appearances during his two spells with the Bees; the first (1996-2003) saw him win Player of the Season on three successive occasions). While at Newport, Lee was assistant manager before being put in caretaker charge, albeit for a single game.

Where are they now? Wycombe

Defence

ABU OGOGO (Dagenham & Redbridge)

Right-back Abu is another former Arsenal trainee, who joined The Daggers in July 2009 following his release by the North London club. Having signed his first professional contract in September 2007, Abu was unable to make any first team appearances for the Gunners, instead joining Nottingham Forest and then Barnet on loan. Abu played in the League Two play-off final in 2009/10 and continued to impress playing in League One. The 23-year-old has since proved his versatility, also playing as a central midfielder. He’s now the club captain and signed a new contract last summer.

Where are they now? Dagenham & Redbridge

MICHAEL HECTOR (Cheltenham Town)

Tall centre back Michael joins the Robins on loan from Reading. He’ll be familiar to the Underhill crowd, having made his Football League debut in November 2011 whilst on loan at Barnet. During his time with the Bees, Michael was named ‘Young Player of the Year’. At the beginning of this season the 22-year-old, who can also play in the centre of midfield, joined Shrewsbury on loan, and after being recalled by the Royals, joined Aldershot in November. He arrived to Whaddon Road for an initial month, before having the loan extended until the end of the season.

Where are they now? Returned to Reading after Cheltenham lost in play-off semis

ANTHONY CHARLES (Northampton Town)

31-year-old defender Anthony began his professional career with Crewe Alexandra, never playing a game and joining Hyde on loan for experience. After being released and signing for Non-League Hayes, he moved to Aldershot where the club won the Ryman League Premier Division title. Anthony also enjoyed promotion success with Barnet in 2004/05 and enjoyed a second spell with Aldershot two years later having previously been on loan, while with the Bees. Having made over 150 appearances for Aldershot, Anthony was awarded with the captain’s armband, but injury kept him out toward the end of the 2010/11 season and consequently he was not offered a new contract. He signed for the Cobblers in March.

Where are they now? Without a club, following release from Plymouth (the club he joined in January) in May

GRANT BASEY (Wycombe Wanderers)

Where are they now? Without a club, following release from Wycombe in May

Midfield

BEN STREVENS (Dagenham & Redbridge)

Ben is in his second spell with The Daggers, having previously been at the club in 2006. He’s familiar with the Underhill slope and the Barnet faithful as it was with the Bees that Ben began his career. Scoring 45 goals in his time with the Black and Amber, he was also a member of the squad that won promotion to the Football League in 2005. The 32-year-old joined Crawley in 2006, before suffering a fractured cheekbone. In his first spell at Victoria Road, forward Ben helped the side win promotion from the Conference before moving on to Brentford. He has also enjoyed success with Wycombe, who achieved promotion to League One in 2010/11, before being relegated the following campaign. Ben rejoined The Daggers in January from League leaders Gillingham.

Where are they now? Without a club, following release from the Daggers in May

RYAN BURGE (Port Vale)

Midfielder Ryan signed a two-year deal with Vale in the summer of 2011, joining from Hyde. Prior to that he played for Jerez Industrial, the team partnered with Glenn Hoddle’s academy. Beginning his career with Birmingham, 24-year-old Ryan made a solitary appearance for Barnet, before being struck down with appendicitis. He has also played in Japan.

Where are they now? Without a club, left Port Vale in April

STUART LEWIS (Wycombe Wanderers)

Stuart initially arrived to Adams Park, on loan from Dagenham & Redbridge, but he made the move permanent in January 2011 after an impressive couple of months. The 25-year-old midfielder began his career with Spurs, but moved to Barnet in search of first team football. Limited opportunities encouraged a switch to Stevenage, before joining Gillingham. Stewart was an integral member of the squad which won promotion in the 2010/11 campaign.

Where are they now? Wycombe

SAM DEERING (Cheltenham Town)

Starting his career as a youth at both Chelsea and Charlton Athletic, Sam then linked up with the Oxford United youth set-up. He made his debut against Weymouth, having been promoted to the first team in 2008. Although Sam was sent on loan to Newport for a month, he soon became an integral part of the Us squad that won promotion to the Football League in 2009/10. He’s no stranger to the Underhill slope, having joined Barnet on loan before signing on permanent terms, spending all of last season with the Bees. The 22-year-old midfielder signed for Cheltenham last summer on a two-year contract.

Where are they now? Cheltenham

Strikers

JACK MIDSON (AFC Wimbledon)

Striker Jack embarked on his football career with Stevenage Borough and spent a season with Dagenham & Redbridge before establishing himself at Bishop’s Stortford – he appeared 84 times in three seasons. Following a successful spell at Histon, Jack signed for Oxford United in May 2009 and featured regularly as Oxford gained promotion to the Football League. After spending time on loan at Southend and Barnet, the 29-year-old signed for the Dons in June 2011. He was last season’s joint top scorer in League Two with 18 goals.

Where are they now? AFC Wimbledon

JOHN O'FLYNN (Exeter City)

28-year-old striker John started out as a youngster at Peterborough before joining hometown club Cork City. In six years he racked up 68 goals in 138 appearances, winning the League of Ireland and FAI Cup; as well as becoming a fans’ favourite. From Cork he then signed for Barnet where he spent two seasons and again was amongst the goals. Injuries prevented John from playing as much as he’d have liked last season but fit again he hopes to pick up from where he left off.

Where are they now? Exeter

Photo Gallery: Farewell Underhill

Long overdue, I’ve been meaning to upload a few of my photos (I took over 50!) of the final game at Underhill, against Wycombe.

One last time CM13 to EN5.

A final drink in the pav, before going in.

Been in Block C since I was 13.



Block C, Row H, Seats 3 & 4.

Before the game.

The teams are out.

Just before kick off.

The Wycombe fans who were behind the goal.

 

I have this man to thank for my love of the Bees.



Where I always stood at half time when I was little.

Pitch invasion at the end of the game.

Two minutes with... 2012/13 results

Firstly, I’d like to thank everyone for their contribution to this season’s ‘Two minutes with...’ posts, as I couldn’t have written them without you all. Thank you to everyone who continues to read them as well, they remain the most popular feature on my blog and I’m hoping to continue to write them next season, dependent on input. I’ve got to find myself some Conference fans first *SadFace*...

I’ve put these results together based on the scores each fan gave on the following aspects: cost of matchday ticket, purchases made at the ground, view, quality of football and overall experience (out of 50). Although you can click on the tab above to see each post from this season, and last, I’ve compiled the results in a table to see which team’s fans had the best experience at Underhill.

1	Gillingham	44
2	Plymouth	41
3	Rotherham	40
4	Chesterfield	39
5	AFC Wimbledon	38
6	Exeter	37
7	Torquay	36
8	Cheltenham	34
–––	Port Vale	34
–––	Wycombe	34
11	Bradford	33
–––	Dagenham & Redbridge	33
–––	Northampton	33
–––	Southend	33
15	Oxford	32
16	Aldershot	22
17	Accrington	N/A
–––	Bristol Rovers	N/A
–––	Burton	N/A
–––	Fleetwood	N/A
–––	Morecambe	N/A
–––	Rochdale	N/A
–––	York	N/A

Thanks again to the following people: Rhys, Kate, Mark, Ryan, Nick, Keiran, James, Damien, Myles, Sam, Dan, Danny, Jamie, John, Rob and Tracy.

Two minutes with... Wycombe Wanderers

Last weekend was the final home game of the season and the last at Underhill. Wycombe were the visitors and a bumper crowd of 6,001 turned out for a special, but emotional day. Wanderers fan Tracy gives her thoughts in the final Two minutes with... of 2012/13.

Pre-match

Had you been to Underhill before?

Yes, I’ve been several times. First went in the 1987/88 season and been in various parts of the ground over the years.

How did you get to the game?

On the official supporters’ coach.

The match

Whereabouts in the ground did you sit/stand?

I sat in the away Family Stand.

What did you make of the game?

We were terrible! Your boys were up for the game and our keeper kept us in it when you should've been out of sight. It was just as well the penalty was saved because we didn't deserve it. It was only right that you should've won your last game at Underhill.

Who (from either side) do you think deserved to be man of the match?

Our keeper Matty Ingram for obvious reasons. David Stephens at the back for Barnet caught the eye.

Post-match

Was the score line a fair reflection on the game?

No you should've won by more.

Who do you play next, and how do you think you’ll get on?

Our final game of the season is at home to Port Vale. They are bringing 4000 as they will officially be promoted. It'll be an emotional day as our manager Gareth Ainsworth will be hanging up his boots on his 600th game.

Ratings

Cost of match day ticket ––– 10/10

(£30 for a family of four – bargain!)

Purchases made at ground ––– 6/10

(£5 for souvenir programme was fair enough but the choice and quality of food was poor. My pasty was rank!)

View ––– 6/10

(I was on the end of a row and had to peer through bars or crane my neck at times)

Quality of football ––– 5/10

(Rubbish game from our point of view)

Overall experience ––– 7/10

(was good to be the last opponents at Underhill even if we were crap)

Total ––– 34/50

And you can follow Tracy on Twitter @bluebellewwfc

League Two round-up: 16.04.13

With the 2012/13 campaign rapidly drawing to a close, there were a handful of games on Tuesday night, including Saturday’s postponed clash between two relegation-threatened clubs, Torquay and Barnet.

A tense battle at Plainmoor saw the Gulls emerge on top and consign their opponents to a place in the bottom two ahead of the weekend’s penultimate fixtures. Elliot Benyon’s header separated the sides going in at the break before substitute Jake Hyde equalised with his first touch. Torquay restored their lead just minutes later – Billy Bodin lashing an effort home on the hour mark – before making it three, Brian Saah increasing the hosts’ advantage. Hyde bagged a second for the Bees to set up a nervy closing 10 minutes, but it remained Torquay 3 Barnet 2. Now sitting a point behind Torquay, York and AFC Wimbledon, the Bees have two games to mastermind a ‘great escape’ for a fourth successive season.

Aldershot remain rooted to the foot of League Two and four points from safety following their home defeat to Southend, who could still make the play-offs. Two second half goals handed victory to the Shrimpers – their first win under new boss Phil Brown. With 20 minutes remaining, Barry Corr was on hand to convert following a goal mouth scramble and the points were sealed with Britt Assombalonga converting a spot kick after he was fouled by Troy Brown. Four points now separate Southend and the play-off places, but a berth in the top seven looks increasingly unlikely at this late stage.

Also at the foot of the table, a much-needed win for Plymouth sees them edge closer to survival, after Argyle picked up maximum points against John Sheridan’s former club Chesterfield. A spectacular curling effort from Joe Bryan gave the Pilgrims the lead after 20 minutes and before the half hour mark their advantage was doubled – Curtis Nelson netting from close range. Guy Branston’s own goal halved the deficit in the second half, but it wasn’t enough. The Spireites remain 9^th, level on points with Southend.

In Tuesday night’s Yorkshire derby, bragging rights finished with Rotherham, who also move up to third and the final automatic promotion spot, having defeated neighbours Bradford. The Bantams had two goals disallowed in the first half, which ended goalless, before Rotherham broke the deadlock 10 minutes from the final whistle. After Michael Nelson handled in the area, Lee Frecklington put away the resultant spot-kick and the win was sealed in the fifth minute of time added on, when Kieran Agard netted. Bradford continue to occupy the final play-off place.

In the only other game of the evening, Northampton’s hopes of automatic promotion were dealt a blow after they were held 0-0 by Wycombe at Adams Park.

Looking ahead, Saturday sees the penultimate fixtures for this season. Port Vale can secure automatic promotion with a win over Northampton while Plymouth and Rotherham meet at Home Park with both teams needing points at opposite ends of the table. Meanwhile down in the basement, Barnet host Wycombe (their final game at Underhill), Aldershot face Dagenham & Redbridge, Wimbledon travel to Gillingham and York entertain Southend, with five of the teams listed seeking to avoid the dreaded relegation trap door.

Down to the wire...

Following last night’s defeat to Torquay, the Bees find themselves back in the drop-zone with two games remaining. I used the league predictor on the BBC website to see where I think we’d finish and this is what my guesses reveal:

*I’d like to point out I was correct last season, with us finishing 22^nd and Hereford joining Macclesfield in the Conference.

Our rivals in the relegation dog fight:

24^th Aldershot

Played 44, Won 10, Drawn 15, Lost 19

Goal difference -17 ~ Current points 45

Last 5 games: L L D W D

Final fixtures: Dagenham & Redbridge (h) and Rotherham (a)

* Win for Dagenham & Redbridge would guarantee safety, Rotherham will want an automatic promotion finish (if available).

23^rd Barnet

Played 44, Won 12, Drawn 12, Lost 20

Goal difference -11, Current points 48

Last 5 games: L L W D D

Final fixtures: Wycombe (h) and Northampton (a)

* Wycombe have nothing to play for, Northampton will want an automatic promotion finish (if available).

22^nd AFC Wimbledon

Played 44, Won 13, Drawn 10, Lost 21

Goal difference -23, Current points 49

Last 5 games: D L L L W

Final fixtures: Gillingham (a) and Fleetwood (h)

* Gillingham already promoted but can be crowned Champions, Fleetwood could mathematically still make the play-offs.

21^st York

Played 44, Won 10, Drawn 19, Lost 15

Goal difference -12, Current points 49

Last 5 games: W D W D L

Final fixtures: Southend (h) and Dagenham & Redbridge (a)

* Southend could mathematically make the play-offs, Dagenham & Redbridge could be safe by then.

20^th Torquay

Played 44, Won 12, Drawn 13, Lost 19

Goal difference -9, Current points 49

Last 5 games: W L L L W

Final fixtures: Morecambe (a) and Bristol Rovers (h)

* Morecambe have nothing to play for, Bristol Rovers have nothing to play for.

19^th Accrington

Played 44, Won 13, Drawn 12, Lost 19

Goal difference -15, Current points 51

Last 5 games: W D D W L

Final fixtures: Bristol Rovers (a) and Oxford (h)

* Bristol Rovers have nothing to play for, Oxford have nothing to play for.

18^th Dagenham & Redbridge

Played 44, Won 13, Drawn 12, Lost 19

Goal difference -5, Current points 51

Last 5 games: L W L D L

Final fixtures: Aldershot (a) and York (h)

* Aldershot need maximum points to avoid relegation, York could possibly still be relegated.

Of those teams, I’d suggest that Aldershot have the worst final two fixtures with both opponents needing points for differing reasons. A win for Dagenham in their penultimate game would most likely see them safe and while Rotherham are guaranteed at least a play-off place, they will want the final automatic promotion spot if possible.

The easiest fixtures belong to Torquay and Accrington who face teams with nothing to play for. While their opponents won’t want to finish the campaign with defeats, there are more important games both weekends.

My final two predictions:

Barnet 1-1 Wycombe

Northampton 2-1 Barnet