I’d played a few years at Playford when Jonesy announced his brother was going to play a few games for us; a Saturday superstar who played at a good level….

Rich (aka ‘Bones’ - still not sure why that is) rocked up, this giraffe-type creature, and I wasn’t sure if he was going to be coordinated enough to be any good at football. But, I needn’t have worried. He was actually quite good. Normally deployed in midfield initially, he won headers and pinged the ball around with some sort of control, and even bagged a few goals. I’m not sure when he took on penalties but, as standard, he was the self proclaimed best at that as well. But, again, he was actually quite good.

When Rich did venture back into defence, we enjoyed a fairly successful partnership. He was a strong defender who communicated non stop (as normal) but it was good fun playing alongside him. The partnership was at its best against Stowmarket Lions - they didn’t get very far!

Rich carried on playing for Playford way past my infamous last outing at Laxfield (even though we were losing, I think he may have laughed and shouted expletives at me as I left the field - I was that bad) and has definitely earned his place in the Playford Hall of Fame. Captain, manager, penalty taker, leader and, if you asked him, probably the best player that ever donned a Playford shirt! But, actually, he probably is one of the best and it was great to play alongside him.

Enjoy having Sunday mornings back, Rich; I think you’ve earned it, just!