Guilford Europe

AFC Sudbury  5  Histon  0

Isthmian Football League – Division One North

The first proper job I had was working for a company called Guilford Europe.

I lasted four years with them and from a learning curve perspective it taught me many things, notably, what not to do if you wish to stay in a job and progress up the career ladder.

My spell was somewhat chequered, but you have to remember I was a young lad in his early twenties, and I was being thrust into the cut and thrust of a large manufacturing plant that served the automotive component industry (we made fabric for car seats), a brutal industry I would not wish on my worst enemy!

Notable moments included travelling up to Clitheroe to play football for the company against one of our suppliers, taking advantage of the free bar and then a fight breaking out amongst ourselves in a car park in Accrington. It was an Alfreton Sunday League overspill situation, and it was over soon after it began, but not before the Manufacturing Director drove past and witnessed it all. That lead to us all being called up to his office on Monday morning for a kicking!

Various lunchtime alcohol related scrapes took place, while I also had to tread the disciplinary tightrope on a couple of occasions, largely due to sheer negligence of duties. I even went abroad with them a few times, Prague in particular was special, we nearly missed the flight, alcohol related again!

However, my crowning glory came when I had to take a customer away for a couple of days, to visit our Sister factory in Sudbury, Suffolk. We drove down, checked into a guest house that the company used regularly, went out for a curry and had a few pints while playing pool at a local pub. It was then that we met two local girls, we ended up back at the guest house, all good fun, except I didn’t realise that the owners of the guest house had such good relations with our bosses, and it seems EVERYTHING was reported back.

So, of course, I got the call, usual stuff, the expenses account had gone over the agreed limit, and, it seems taking guests back was against the premises policy….a small dressing down later, and a cheeky wink from the gaffer at the end of it, another scrape to add to the list.

That was the only time I ever went to Sudbury, I left the company soon after, in fact, when I resigned, they even tried to stop me from going! Anyway, Sudbury, our factory on Radiator Road, and of course, the shenanigans, that was in 1997, was long time ago now.

I have seen AFC Sudbury play a couple of times. Most memorably in October 2000 when they travelled to play at Belper Town in the Fourth Qualifying Round of the FA Cup. They were well on the way to the first of five successive Eastern Counties League titles, whereas Belper were effectively a league above in the Northern Premier League First Division.

It finished 3-2 to Sudbury but it wasn’t that close, at times it was like men against boys. Sudbury were to draw Football League outfit Darlington away in the First Round Proper, they lost 6-1.

AFC Sudbury came about in 1999 following a merger between Sudbury Town and Sudbury Wanderers. Town were the senior club, playing at the Priory Stadium, and there best spell came in the early Nineties when they reached the Premier Division of the Southern League, and lost an FA Vase Final to Tamworth. They fell on hard times, merged with Wanderers and elected to move in at their Kings Marsh ground, while the Priory went up for sale.

Many questioned why AFC (Amalgamated Football Club), who went on the fantastic run of championships, chose not to take promotion during this spell. Cynics would argue it was because they liked being the big fish, and they wanted desperately to win the Vase. They got to the Final three years running and lost every time, but in reality they were waiting for the sale of the Priory to go through to release funds to develop the new ground and cover the costs of taking promotion.

Promotion did come in 2006, to the Isthmian League, and in that period since, they’ve had just one season outside of Step 4, that being in 2016-17 when they finished next to bottom of the Premier Division.

I quite like a drive out on New Years Day, and I’d had the AFC Sudbury v Histon game on the radar for some time. Partly because it wouldn’t be too busy for what was likely to be a three hour journey, and also, the ground has a plastic pitch, so no worries on the weather front.

The journey took me down the M11 and across the bottom of Cambridge, before bypassing Haverhill and coming in on some back roads. The ground is on Brundon Lane and is somewhat out of town on the West side of Sudbury, along what is effectively a track that leads to a dead end.

Once through the turnstiles I was very impressed with what the club have built. The focal point is the tall two-story building that houses the club house, offices and dressing rooms, while a modern looking seated stand sits in front of it. It did remind me a bit of the new Parkside at Aveley.

Opposite is a similar style stand, but it comprises of terracing at the back and seating at the front. Behind both goals is hard standing with low cover, identical, running from one corner flag to the other.

An electronic scoreboard sits above the turnstiles, while a further modern building sits on the main stand side and appears to be some sort of educational facility. All in all, with a large car park to boot, this is a tremendous ground and all credit to AFC Sudbury as without prudence and one eye firmly on the future, this probably wouldn’t have happened.

On the day, in front of a crowd of just over 300 they were comfortably on top against Cambridge based visitors Histon, winning 5-0.

Reece Harris slotted home in the fifth minute before the impressive Freddie King volleyed home a second. Skipper Baris Altintop nodded home a third after 33 minutes and effectively the game was over,

King completed his hat-trick in the second period, one from the penalty spot, and it was no more than the hosts deserved, they simply outclassed Histon the on the day.

I spent a large part of the game behind the home dugout. Now, I have to be honest, sometimes when I do this I find myself walking away as the vitriol, anger, abuse and complete lack of man management skills, and not least football knowledge, despairs me.

However, not today, Mark Morsley and his staff were absolute class, and especially assistant manager Danny Laws who was the kind of man who if I were a young footballer, I would want coaching me. He encouraged, he clearly understood the game, but more importantly he understood his players. He wasn’t soft by any means, but he was fair, very fair. I note he is UEFA A Licence qualified and has a track record of running academies, football is all the better for men like him.

I noticed on the map that the old Guilford Europe factory has gone now, but a road has been named in it’s memory. A lot of water has gone under the bridge since those days, especially in Sudbury, the football landscape is very different for a start. However, back in Somercotes where I worked, they are still going strong, and I’m sure lots of young employees are learning the ropes the hard way, just like I did…..