AndySams10
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It's NOT just a game...
a Streaky25 story.
a Streaky25 story.
This is my first story playing FM'13 and I hope you will enjoy and take an interest in it and find the time to leave positive and negative comments(hopefully not too many negative ones though!!).
The leagues I've loaded are England(Blue Square Bet North/South upwards), Spain(Second Division B upwards), Germany(Third Division upwards) and Italy(Serie C2 upwards).
The story will start with an insight into my life and what I've done and achieved in the past and lead up to the present day, giving you a detailed background about myself and this will then allow the game to continue my career path.
My reputation will be set as Semi-Professional as that is the level I have played at and currently coach in real life and I'll be starting the game unemployed.
*****
From when I was able to walk and talk, all that interested me was football. As soon as I got home from school I'd be out in the back garden with my brother taking shots in to the homemade goals we used to build, until we could afford the samba goals you see nowadays.
Every Saturday morning from when I was 6 years old, I would attend a football training morning, which was ran by two qualified FA coaches. The sessions were about a twenty minute drive from our family home in Plympton and held at the Prince Rock playing fields, ten minutes from the hospital in Plymouth where I was born.
There usually was about 20 to 25 players with ages ranging from 6 to 12 years, that turned up every Saturday and we were put through various skill and technique practises before taking part in a 3v3 tournament towards the end of the hour and a half long sessions.
At the end of every month there was a skills challenge where we would be tested on the different skills that we had learned over the past few weeks. We were awarded a variety of points depending on how successful we did through the challenges and the winner was awarded a trial at Plymouth Argyle.
Like every young boy it was my dream to become a professional footballer, so knowing there was the chance to get a trial at a pro club, I was more determined to grab the opportunity.
Six years had passed and I still hadn't done enough to win the trial at Argyle, and as I was 12 years old, I knew I had one last chance left, so every Saturday I listened and trained even harder than I had done the previous week, in the build up to my final skills challenge.
" Ok lads, come in and sit down " shouted Ray, one of the coaches. I sat down with butterflies going around my stomach, and waited to hear the results of the skills challenge.
After the usual well done speeches from both coaches, Chris and Roy, it was time for the announcement. " the winner of the skills challenge and the trial at Plymouth Argyle is.......Andy S. Well done Andy. " I couldn't believe it I had won, I went up to collect my certificate and stood proud with a big grin as I posed for my photo to go in the local paper.
It was the beginning of the new season and the start of my 3 day trial at the Plymouth Argyle academy. As my Nan lived close to Home Park, I didn't need to stay in digs with other trialists that had been invited from all over the South.
The 3 days flew by and at the end of the final day I got called into the Academy managers office. " Right Andy, I've been impressed with what I've seen, so I'm keen on offering you a YTS contract. " he explained to me, as I sat upright in the comfy leather seat opposite.
The YTS(Youth Training Scheme) contract that I signed meant that I would train and have school lessons all done through the club, allowing me to continue my education, just incase an injury halted my extremely short career.
Over the next couple of years I continued my development on the pitch regularly starting upfront and playing in some big stadiums like Villa Park, during a FA Youth Cup game.
Just before my sixteenth birthday, I was called into Kevin Summerfield's office, the youth team manager, who wanted a chat. " Andy, I've been asked to let you know that you will be involved in the Devon Bowl game versus Exeter on Thursday night, well done and see you then. "
The Devon Bowl was played most years as part of a pre-season tournament and included Plymouth, Torquay United, Exeter City and Tiverton Town, who were a feeder club for Plymouth.
The Plymouth squad that night included a handful of first team players, a few fringe players and a couple of trialists, with myself on the bench. The game was nearing the 85th minute when I got the call to go out and stretch off, so after some short sprints and stretches, I entered the field of play a couple minutes later, with us two one in the lead.
Finally I received the ball on the half way line with only the Exeter centre back to beat, I moved forward at pace, stepped over the ball with my left foot and was about to take it past the defender with my right, when all of a sudden CRASH, I was in a heap on the floor writhing around in agony, luckily it was the last attack and the final whistle went seconds later.
I managed to hobble back to the dressing room, after receiving a sympathetic hand shake from the Exeter defender who tackled me in the closing stages, as I looked up to shake the big hand that was put in front of me, it was Noel Blake(current England under 19 manager), " hope your not too badly injured son, well played. " he said, as I gingerly entered the home team dressing room.