Buntingford Cougars

The Gothia cup is an annual event held in Gothenburg Sweden since 1975, attracting girls and boys teams from all over the world. This year there were teams from 75 different countries taking part. In the U14 section alone there were approximately 150 teams. The standard is high. Many international players have started their careers at the Gothia Cup, including Alan Shearer and current Arsenal favourite Emmanuel Adebayor. Taking part for the first time were Buntingford’s own stars from the under 14 squad.

“They went away a group of boys who played football together on a Sunday and came back a team”. These were the reflections of Steve Harler, manager of Buntingford Cougars U14 squad on his return. Although they didn’t bring a trophy home for their football everything about the week proved positive – the standard of football, playing against academy teams from around the world, the Liseburg amusement park, the opening ceremony, the friendships formed, even the spirit and singing on the trams and buses travelling between the games was a highlight.

Opening group game on the Monday morning was against Swedish side Tegs SK2. Cougars took the game to the Swedish boys and did everything but score a goal. Playing on astroturf the ball moved fast and this benefited the Cougars passing style. In the second half with the temperature rising rapidly, the fitness of the Swedish boys was telling and they broke the deadlock with a fortunate rebound that sealed the points. Defeated but not disheartened Cougars went into their second game later that day determined to demonstrate they weren’t just there for the fun. Playing another Swedish team from the city of Nyokopings, Cougars dominated the game from start to finish. Cougars thought they had scored their opening goal of the tournament when Alex West put the finishing touch to a majestic Cougar move only to have the goal disallowed for off-side. However Scott Piggott did put away his first goal of the tournament to give the Cougars a well-deserved victory.

Opening ceremony

Tuesday saw Cougars equal second in the group playing the other joint second team Kvarnby, yet another Swedish side. This was a physical game played on grass, with neither side showing any quarter to their opponents. Kvarnby took the lead after a period of stalemate, but Cougars were soon back in the game when Scott Piggott squeezed the ball past the Kvarnby ‘keeper. In fact just as the other games Cougars dominated the first half and went into half time the leaders after Michael Holland scored a wonder goal from the edge of the area. The Kvarnby ‘keeper kept his team in the game when Cougar pressure could have added one or more goals. In the second half Kvarnby equalised with a goal that looked dubiously offside. With two minutes to go and a draw the likely result, Kvarnby took the lead, which they held to take the points.

Goal celebrations

Wednesday’s game was the group highlight taking on the Venezuela academy team, who headed the group. The footwork and passing skills of the South Americans was something to behold and very different to what Cougars were used to. However Cougars had the opening chance with Michael Holland, with time on his hands, putting the ball wide. With the Venezuela boys having scored fourteen goals from two previous games the Cougars did extremely well to keep the score level at half time, but a “spanish roasting” from their manager saw them step up two gears to put five past Cougars in the final twenty minutes. Defeat in this game saw Cougars playing for third place and a last 64 draw against Danish side Alloorg Chang. Cougars once again dominated this game completely and put six goals past the Danish side. Scott Piggott scored four, Michael Holland and Alex West the others.

Thursday’s challenge, and Cougars sixth game in three days, was against Swedish outfit Noorstrands IF. This team had finished third in their group and had played two games less than Cougars. This difference was telling and although Cougars had chances in the first half, Noostrands eventually came out winners 2:0. Out of the competition but heads held high, they had played some of the best youth footballers in the world and finished in the top thirty-two. Not bad for a team of lads most of whom have played with the Cougars since they were six and come from a small rural town in East Hertfordshire.

Thursday evening saw the boys and family groups enjoy a slap up italian meal in Gothenburg and end of tour presentations. Manager’s player of the tournament went to ‘keeper Tim Rice for some excellent performances, with Mark “Kruncher” Kennedy receiving a special award for comedian-of-the-week and lead vocalist on the buses and trams. The boys also made some presentations of their own to Steve Harler and Darren Sewell for managing the team and Simon Rice for organising the trip. See the album of photos.

They even brought a trophy home for best-behaved team at their accommodation school! The team enjoyed their experience so much that they are planning another tour in 2009.

Eric Addicott
(President)
taken from the Buntingford Journal Sept 1996

It was with considerable trepidation that I agreed, in September 1971, to organise a football match for my son Christian and a few school friends. I knew little about the game and nothing of the rules. I was relieved when I got to Norfolk Road Recreation Ground to find that Ron Martin, Bob Digby, Reg Rowe and the late Eddy Geoghegan had also been roped in.

It was obvious from the boys enthusiasm that something more organised was required; consequently a team was formed under the name “Chipmunks”. We played non-league games against teams from Royston, Bishop’s Stortford, Stevenage and local villages – all very informal.

We had neither kit nor funds to buy one so it was decided to run a sponsored walk from which was raised the princely sum of £156. With this money we purchased the original orange and blue strip – this kit was to be in constant use within the club for the next ten years – it stretched as the boys grew from 10 years to 16 years old, and one of it’s last outings was in an adults fun match!

In December 1971 we were invited to attend a meeting in Royston to form a youth football league among local teams comprising Royston Eagles, Hormead Hares, Braughing Melbourn Tigers, Meldreth and Bassingbourn. Of the original founder member teams only the Royston Eagles and the Chipmunks (Cougars) survive today.

Some of the boys in the original Chipmunk team were: Martin Cantwell, Mark and Darren Cranwell, Christian Addicott, Steve and Pat Geoghegan, Peter wood, David Ray, Terry Watling – these are some of the names that come to mind. There were others, but my memory fails me. We had no Committee at this time and the Treasurer kept the accounts on the back of a cigarette packet.

In 1973 we decided to run another team and the club entered a new era. Doug Kitchiner and Alec Evans moved in with a new spirit and the club elected it’s first Committee. It was decided that the Club name was a little tame; Chipmunks didn’t really reflect the enthusiasm of fourteen and sixteen year olds so, after some deliberation, the name was changed to Cougars. It was at this time that Terry Renouf and Gilbert Monti also entered the scene, taking over the older boys team. It was also during this period that the club enjoyed it’s first real league success, the Under 14 Cup Final. What a day; everyone dressed up in club colours – Wembley wasn’t in it!

In 1974 the league sent a team to Royston’s twin town of Grossalmerode for their annual youth football competition – some of the Cougars and their parents went along. During the visit, we were approached by representatives of the Laudenbach/Epterode youth football club. It was the start of a wonderful experience for both boys and parents and continued until the mid 80s, when the Laudenbach youth team was disbanded. We would visit each other on alternate years and many Anglo-Greman bonds were made between the two towns through the youth football. Today the relationship still continues through individual families, although there is no inter-club connection.

In 1981 the Club celebrated it’s tenth anniversary with a dinner at the then Epicurean Delicatessen – about eighty past and present Managers, Trainers and Committee members, and their wives, attended and it was at that time I realised fully what a large organisation the Club had become. It had gone from a dozen boys to approx. 170 membership in a decade.

In the late 70s the Club acquired a tenancy to a parcel of land on London Road opposite Sainsbury’s. With a lot of hard work from management and parents, a rough field was turned into a football pitch, which has been the Cougars main ground ever since. It has always been the Club’s ambition to own it’s own football ground some time in the future, with permanent changing facilities, showers, and a clubhouse to keep the lads occupied off the pitch. With all the effort put into the Club over the last 25 years maybe one day we’ll realise that dream – the boys of Buntingford Youth Football Club – the Cougars – deserve it.

Throughout the 80′s the Club continued from strength to strength. Our 5 a side competition became so popular it was (and still is) considered one of the best in the county. The Club even shouldered the responsibility to re-establish the Buntingford Carnival for a couple of years. However this became too much of a burden for the over-worked committee.

Last year the club started an Under 18 team which could now give a boy a ten year membership with the club and even longer where some of the older boys turn their hand to team management.

The Cougars are now very much a Buntingford Institution. There are few families who have not been touched by the Club. It is not possible to mention all the people who have worked behind the scenes to keep the Club operating – the Managers and parents who stand cold and wet on a winter’s day to shout encouragement to their team – the little boys standing awe-struck at their first game wondering what to do next, up to the sixteen year old, confident with his team mates of eight seasons.

The Club relationship can best be observed where fathers who spent several seasons with the Club now watch their sons starting out on the same route.

It makes one wonder what the next 25 years will bring.