In the 2000s, I was playing for my local club Old Finchleians, before a spell in non-league football at Edgware reserves, latterly Wembley reserves and one appearance for Hillingdon Borough in the old Minerva Spartan League.
One player I thrived alongside was Uche Egbe - a forward that will be familiar to Hendon Town supporters.
Egbe arrived for OF's at the tailend of his career, but through the 80s and 90s was a real fans' favourite at Claremont Road and is described on the Hendon official site as having represented the club with distinction.
I played up front with Egbe, who never lost a header and I was the perfect foil up alongside in a 4-4-2, often running off him utilising my pace. He was unselfish, and could trap anything pinged into him, and when you play with those forwards of quality, you can tell five minutes into a game that they had done it at a higher level.
Googling Dudman and Egbe brings up from the search the time we played together and a story on News Shopper that was published a long time ago but remains in the archives, a time I remember fondly. He would be one of the best I partnered. Apparently he had the opportunity of a move to France at his Hendon peak, but I never actually asked him about it.
Egbe scored 46 times in 186 appearances at Hendon, and partnered a young Iain Dowie before he moved to QPR and West Ham and scored goals at Premier League and International level with Northern Ireland.
He'd also crossed paths against my uncle Bobby Dennington in non-league, and Dowie's brother Bob was gifted too according to Bobby.
I received the first team player of the year and young player of the year at the club back then, largely thanks to Egbe. I'd love to know what he is up to now, and find out more about that move to France.
And to ask if I was better looking than Dowie.
*Picture from Hendon FC Official Site
Joe Strong was another fine forward, and he was about 46 when I featured in the team up front with him. His glory days came at Southport, and was the fittest near-50 year-old I had ever seen.
Steve Hansen and Stuart Cockerill also briefly appeared for Old FInchleians, another pair of ex Southport players from the Conference, and Cockerill was the best header of a ball as a centre-back I had played alongside. He was short and squat, but his leap outdid everyone. I never had that strength.
Comments