Dave and Colin

Dave is a local lad who has lived in the area all his life. His football education was delivered in the mean fields of Retford and he quickly learnt that defending was more satisfying than scoring the goals (honest!) Maybe that's why he's always got a smile on his face when the kids are working on their tackling! 

His low centre of gravity means he is hard to shake off the ball and he has a fearsome shot like Roberto Carlos.

Nottingham Forest runs through his veins and even though the glory days are long gone, you will find him and his son shivering in the stand hoping to see the start of the next revolution. 

He has been coaching for a few years now and is in charge of the outfield drills, keeping them varied and fun so the kids continue to learn and improve. 

The best bits of the 'job' for Dave is watching the kids grow in confidence and ability whilst keeping massive smiles on their faces, win lose or draw.

 

 

 

Colin comes from a far off land (Bristol!) and brings with him not only a strange west country accent but also a pair of goalkeeping gloves. He didn't start playing until he was 8 and was then made to play in goal because he was the tallest kid in his class. He quickly found that rolling around in the mud was quite fun. The fact that he could pick up the ball and kick it as hard as possible ( to nobody in particular) was also a big plus.

A really bad knee injury kept him off the pitch for a few years and he has only recently come out of retirement to play (and coach) the game that he loves. 

An avid Bristol Rovers supporter, his footballing heroes are Nigel Martyn and Ian Holloway. Effort and determination always preferred to inconsistent brilliance and showboating!

The things that keep him going when the rain is falling is the infectious enthusiasm of the team and the chance to improve his own passing (because like most goalkeepers, it's not the best!)