Gary and Tim

As with many of our current players, Gary’s love of football was cultivated by his father. Although, how anyone who claims to love football can support Everton is beyond the rest of us!! This probably explains why he doesn’t have a favourite player as the good ones always leave…

His own footballing career began at 11 when his dad started a village team in Blyth, the precursor to the current set up. He moved between defence and midfield playing men's football at the age of 17. He reckons that his shooting accuracy was the only thing that stopped him being a striker… 

A persistent injury led to a forced footballing retirement at 26 but he had already found a new spark in his life as an electrician (and a volunteer footie coach). He started here at Blyth when his kids joined the club a couple of years ago. He took the plunge and completed his FA badges and now classes coaching the team as his part-time job! 

His motivation comes from watching the kids improve and spending time with people of his own height!

 

 

Another relatively new coach, Tim is already working on his level 2 FA badge and has recently qualified as a referee. With a passing resemblance to Pierluigi Collina, he often refs other age groups, long after his own team have gone home. Thankfully, Tim is one of the fittest volunteers at the club so literally takes it all in his stride.

He played as a ‘Right back’ for both school and Sunday league teams and, unlike Gary ‘Glory Hunter’ Grocock, supports a local team – Sheffield Wednesday. His uncle took him to games as a kid so he remembers the team of Carlton Palmer, David Hirst and Chris Waddle. Bad haircuts and very short shorts did not dim his enthusiasm for the Owls or their brand of attacking football

Outside of the club, he is a facility manager for a medical appliance supplier and recently completed a sponsored cycle with Gary to raise funds for a defibrillator unit for the local community.