Welcome…..Welcome to the third edition of the clubs e-newsletter. We’ve had a

busy few months of activities including our trip to Queen’s Park to help

celebrate their 150th anniversary at Hampden Park where Alex Ferguson was the guest of honour. Closer to home we’ve had our AGM, our annual reunion dinner and an exciting Veterans campaign in their first year in the competition of the Middlesex County FA Vets Cup. On top of this, we have exciting news regarding a potential tour in May 2018.

Invitation to Tour Turks and Caicos Islands May 2018

Hurricane Irma,

Solidarity through sport tour

The Middlesex Wanderers have been invited to play two matches in The Islands, one against the National Team and the other against The League Champions Team. The invitation that we are happy to accept has come upon us very suddenly requiring the Club to quickly get the necessary organisation in place and primarily raising the necessary finance.I am sure that all members will agree that this tour is a true reflection of The Wanderers Mission Statement.I am asking members to support this tour in the following ways;

http://www.middlesexwanderersafc.co.uk/home/

Middlesex Wanderers Association Football

Club FOUNDED 1905Issue no.3: Wanderers Whispers

March 2018

· By ensuring that your Annual £10 Membership fee has been paid and if not this can best be done by completing a Direct Debit to The Middlesex Wanderers AFA Account no; 93258703 and sort code; 090155· Renewing or joining The Tour Support Fund Account no; 87258705 and sort code; 090155· Putting the Club in touch with any potential sponsors and if, you feel it appropriate, making a personal donation to The Middlesex Wanderers AFA Account no; and sort code;I hope that given your previous support for The Club that you can help us to undertake this tour to this extremely devastated part of the Caribbean. It is the Club’s intention through the talents on the committee to deliver coaching sessions to the young male and female footballers on the island and to deliver an introduction to refereeing to boost the number of match officials.The Wanderers look forward to hearing from you in the near future and should you need to contact us please write to Keith

Masters at 12 Woolwich Close, Chatham, Kent, ME5 0HU and email at keith.masters@yahoo.co.uk David Flint, Chairman, email at dav1dflint@hotmail.com or Eddie McCluskey email at eddie.mccluskey@btinternet.comKind regards,Eddie McCluskeyVice ChairmanMoore Moore Moore…..Moore

Having beaten Winchmore Hill in the quarter final 5-1 before Christmas, the Veterans arm of the club played Maccabi London Lions Vets at the impressive Rowley Lane stadium near Barnet in February. Buoyed by a very experienced squad of 16 players all from semi pro clubs throughout their careers the Wanderers went into this game as overwhelming favourites. The Lions, who had been beaten by

Winchmore Hill, were on the back foot from the start as the visitors dominated possession on a beautiful surface. It looked as if it was only a matter of time before the Wanderers would take the lead. Some good defending kept them at bay and then the Lions produced a shock when they broke away down the right with the defence calling for offside. Clearly onside, the Wanderers didn’t react and the ball was crossed and converted for 1-0 Lions lead. The game resumed into its normal pattern but the Lions grew in confidence and again shocked the visitors by scoring again, when a through ball wasn’t dealt with and ex St. Albans forward, Paul Hakim made it 2-0. Wayne Carter departed with a pulled calf just

before the break. Wanderers themselves limped to the break and were given somewhat of a telling off by boss Nicky Ironton.Knowing that the next goal could be pivotal Wanderers started at a

cracking pace and created several opportunities with Chris Moore and James Bunn going close but the ball simply would not go in. From a counter attack, Maccabi broke down the right and a pinpoint cross alluded everyone and was converted at the back post for 3-0 score line after 55 minutes. Maccabi had one large foot in the final. It seemed as if there was no way back as the home team looked comfortable soaking up the pressure and hitting on the counter. Tarkan Mustafa and Marvin Samuels started dominating down the right whilst Spencer Knight was making good inroads down the left. From a corner, Chris Moore nodded in at the near post to give Wanderers a glimmer of hope. A few minutes later with Knight again penetrating deep into the box, he was unceremoniously upended and the referee pointed to the spot. Moore nervously converted for 3-2. Bunn had made a big difference when he had come on holding up the ball well. He got the Wanderers further up the pitch and when a shot could only be parried, it was ex Dagger Moore who was first to the ball and he coolly went around the keeper to make it 3-3. Minutes later the incredible comeback had been completed when Moore received the ball inside the box and with a bit of magic he managed to get some space and hit a shot into

the far corner to give the Wanderers the unlikeliest of leads. There was still a quarter of an hour to go and with themselves now behind Maccabi seemed to relax and again came at their opponents once again. The game ebbed and flowed and chances came for both sides.

Chris Moore 25 goals in 10 Vets games

The Lions flashed a pass across the 6-yard box, which just missed out everybody, and a last shot cleared Paul Daley’s bar. The final whistle brought some welcome relief for a game the Wanderers seemed far too complacent in however it was a good lesson learned that whatever level you play at work rate and application is key. However, the result sees the Wanderers survive and have a chance of winning some silverware to match their Ryman League Vets Cup successes in previous years

The final will be at AFC Hayes on Sunday 8th April with an 11am ko against Tansley Sunday Veterans.Team: Paul Daley, Steve Ward, Lee Protheroe. Jon Stevenson, Jeff Minton, Mark Bentley, Wayne Carter, Marvin Samuels, Tarkan Mustafa, Chris Moore, Bryan Hammett, Dan Grey, James Bunn, Dave Bastion, Dave Flint, Jason Shaw.New Zealand in Gothard’s safe hands

I managed, with the help of social media, to track down Wanderer Paul Gothard. Paul was a teammate of mine at Grays Athletic in the early to mid 90’s before he went onto play for Dagenham & Redbridge, Hayes, Billericay and Thurrock. I asked Paul to comment on some of his memories from his tours and to tell us what he is up to these days.

“I was lucky enough to be selected to tour with the Middlesex Wanderers back in 1998 to Brunei and Burma. We played both the National sides beating Brunei 2-1 and drawing with Burma 1-1. I was also selected the following year in1999 to India where we played in extremely hot conditions, over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but we managed to win both games. Both trips were very special to me and it was a great honour to travel with the side. The first tour I was with the legend Laurence Batty of Woking, who did teach me a lot....say no more and the second tour I was rooming with Chris Taylor he did spend most of the India trip on the loo though as he did like to eat everything.....

I moved to New Zealand in 2005 with the family for a new way of life and to spend more time with my kids who were 1 & 5 years old at the time. After a few years of being in NZ, which is not a big place, I was signed for Auckland City FC and played in the Club World Cup in the UAE in 2009, the year after I became the goalkeeper coach. I then became the Assistant coach and was lucky enough to go to the Club World Cups in 2011 and 2012 in Japan.

After that, I then stepped down from club football to take a role with New Zealand Football as their U17 goalkeeper coach. This took me to the U17 World Cup in 2013 in the UAE and then the

role moved onto the U20 team and I coached in the 2015 World Cup held in NZ, which was a great experience on home soil. . I was then was offered the role of National Men’s Team gk coach which I took and it has allowed me to travel to many great places to coach football over the last few years. A highlight was coaching in the FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia last June and then we ended up playing in a World Cup playoff against South America’s Peru which we lost unfortunately missing out on the forthcoming World cup in Russia.

I would love for one day to host the Middlesex Wanderers out here in New Zealand for a tour and hope one day to get together with everyone to sing Mary has a little lamb one more time....”

Middlesex Wanderers and

Japan

The Annual Club Dinner in 2017 celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Middlesex Wanderers first tour to Japan. In all the Wanderers have toured the country eight times. In this article, Colm Hickey looks not only at the history of the tours, but helps to explain why the club is held in such high regard by the Japan FA.In 1917, Japan played its first international football match against China and suffered a 5-0 defeat. This was to be the start of a series of humiliating results for Japan in this fixture. Between 1917 and 1965 Japan played China on seven occasions, losing six and drawing one In 1966, it played its first ever fixture against the People’s Republic of China and again lost 2-1.Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Middlesex Wanderers had

grown from a small club founded by an elementary schoolteacher into a touring club with an international reputation. Indeed by 1967, the club President was none other than the Fifa Secretary, Sir Stanley Rous, who at the Asian Football Confederation Congress in Bankok in 1967, arranged with Ewi Teik, the secretary of the Confederation for the club to tour south east Asia visiting South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore Iran and, most significantly, Japan.Thus began a very strong bond between Middlesex Wanderers and the Japan FA with the club undertaking seven tours and playing the Japan national team on twelve occasions. These tours were instrumental in raising the profile of football in the country and improving the quality of the Japan national team. In the twenty-seven fixtures that Japan played against China until December 2017, it won fourteen, drew eight and lost just five. In fact, in fourteen matches since 1995 China have won just once.

In 1967 the Wanderers embarked upon the most ambitious tour in the club’s history visiting Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Iran. The first

match was against the full Japan team and the Wanderers won 3-1 in front of a crowd of over 45,000. Incredibly, the two sides played each other twice more in less than a week; a second match resulted in Japan winning 2-1 whilst the third five days after the first match saw the Wanderers triumph by two goals to one.

Buoyed by the success of the tour the Japanese FA invited the club back and in 1969 the Wanderers played four matches in Japan: two against the national team ending up with each side winning a match 2-1 in front of crowds of 17.000 and 36,000.

Figure 2 Jim Goundry in action v Japan 27 May 1967

Figure 1 Tour Party to Japan & South Korea 1969

In 1971 the Japanese FA celebrated its 50th anniversary, and as part of

its celebrations, again invited the Wanderers to Japan. On a seven game tour the Wanderers travelled throughout the country and played one match against the national team losing 2-1.

Such was the high regard that the club was held by the Japanese FA, it was invited to tour again in 1973 beating Japan 4-1 and drawing a second match 1-1 and again in 1974 playing three games resulting in two wins

1-0 and 3-0 and one draw 1-1.

In 1980 the club returned to Japan and although it did not play against the national team, a strong side with a number of professionals including future England international, Luther Blissett,

finished a five game tour winning four games and losing one. The club was honoured by the Japan FA to tour the country for the 7th time in 1990 in recognition of the outstanding work undertaken by Leslie Taylor in developing the game there. The club played four games including one against the national side which finished 1-1.

To celebrate the club’s centenary in 2005 the club undertook its 8th

Japanese tour. The Japanese Ambassador in London hosted a reception for the club before its departure. He said

In the late 60s and throughout the '70s, the Wanderers had a tremendous impact on Japanese football, in particular for their sportsmanlike approach to the game, and also for their singing of the Club song on the pitch after each game.

Figure 4 Tour Programme

Figure 3 Wanderers celebrate beating Japan 2-1 15 May 1969

Japanese football, in particular for their sportsmanlike approach to the game, and also for their singing of the Club song on the pitch after each game, win or lose. This left a lasting impression on thousands of young Japanese players at that time...We must make football accessible and attractive to our younger generation in every corner of the land...I strongly hope that Middlesex Wanderers, a club that epitomises the spirit of fair play and sportsmanship as well as the sheer love of football, will continue to be the guiding light for the sport in Japan.

r

Such was the Middlesex Wanderers influence that, in 2003, it was awarded a commendation by the Japanese Ambassador for its role in developing the game in Japan. The Ambassador felt he had taken on a new responsibility for the development of the sport both at home and on the international

scene [and] we must keep our national team competitive on the international scene.

Gone but not forgotten……Terry Casey

It is with great sadness that we have been informed of the passing of Wanderer Terry Casey. Terry played and captained Barnet FC in the 1960’s era and went on to be a distinguished football coach with the English and Welsh FA’s and was also a technical advisor to with FIFA.Terry was very proud of his association with the Middlesex Wanderers and spoke on many occasions of the great but demanding tour to Tanzania, Rhodesia, Zambia and Uganda in 1965 in which he was involved as a player. One of these games was against Salisbury Callies FC to raise

Figure 6 Jamie Day in action against Japanese Universities

Figure 5 Steve Ward leads the singing of 'The

funds for a charity that helps blind and handicapped African children.

Included with the nine games in three weeks were cricket matches in Ndola and Kampala. Alongside this were visits by British High Command Commissioners in Salisbury, Dar-es- Salaam and Kampala and trips to Murchison Falls and Game Park in Northern Uganda as well as a trip down the Nile. It seems a very eventful and wonderful tour, which Terry contributed to.On that 22 day tour the team played a mammoth 9 games with a record of W4 D1 L4.

Terry (far right) is featured here playing for Barnet playing against top-flight Preston North End in1965 in the 3rd round of the FA Cup.

Club Membership

This is a vital part of allowing the club to tour and so if you have not kept up to date with your annual club membership of £10 we would appreciate if you could pay this as soon as possible. Thanks in advance for this we do appreciate your support of the club.Tour Support ClubA vital part of the football club is the Tour Support Club that has enabled us to fund recent tours. We are always in. need of new members to support this.

The annual cost is £8.50 per month standing order or a cheque for £100. This enters you into a monthly draw with prizes of £150/£75/£50 paid.

The tour support club bank account no for 100 club is 87258705 sort code: 090155In November at our Annual Reunion Dinner, the main prize draw is £500!

You will no doubt have fond memories of touring with the Wanderers, and as mentioned earlier this fund is vital to the clubs’ desire to keep touring. Your support is very much appreciated, so please contact Steve Ward about joining.Recent draw winners:

December1st Ivan Spikin £1502nd Vic Britton £753rd Ray Green £50

January1st Nick Ironton £1502nd John Keeling £753rd Del Steward £50

February1st Steve Oliver £150

2nd Peter Buchanan £753rd John Keeling £50

March

1st John Smiles £1502nd David Flint £753rd Barry Bright £50

Memorabilia For our new website we are looking to showcase as much of our club’s history from tours and dinners gone by, so if you have anything you think would be of interest please send an email and a scanned picture, so we can add it the other items of interest for viewing. We are looking for programmes, pictures, memorabilia collected on tours to display in a pictorial library!

. Contact Steve or Colm on this item