Today in our 22 Days in May series, we talk to the man whose goals fired Deal Town not only the Wembley Final but the Kent League title as well… but on the day, his role was to be a little different – KSN’s chief football writer Mike Green has been talking to Deal striker Steve Marshall…
“It seems like yesterday that we were all in the thick of it,” Steve told us, “and we all had our moment in the sun. The most interesting thing is that when you talk to other people about the game is that they all say what a poor game it was. But to actually play in it, it went so fast – you had no time whatsoever to take it in, and looking back on it, yes it was a poor game decided by one moment at the end which brought us the victory. It just went so fast but at least ended up being just a blur but with the right result.”
“When I watched it back you could see that they were a good footballing side. We had our moments during the game but weren’t playing well; we were disrupted by Monty (Dave Monteith) going off in the first few minutes and it threw us a curve ball that we didn’t really recover from as the formation we had (three-five-two) lead to our two wing backs being a lynchpin of our success. With Monty and Ribbo (Paul Ribbens) running down the wings (forward as well as back), we seemed to be able to dominate good footballing sides who played four-four-two, which they did. But when Monty went off, it really did throw us – but it really threw our rhythm!
“I remember it as clear as day as though it was yesterday. Jamie Kempster won the ball in our half and passed me the ball with my back to goal in my own half, and this was the 87th minute and I hadn’t had a sniff all game – and bearing in mind I’d scored some goals leading up to it, I’m pretty sure that I fancied my chances to score on the day! But I hadn’t had a sniff – they shackled me well; they’d done their homework and I didn’t get a sniff.”
“But when Jamie played that ball to me, I had some room and there was no-one marking me, and I turned on it and away I went. All I could see was the huge centre half right I front of me and I thought to myself “I’m going to have a go at this”, and I pushed it past him and ran onto it. I was a little but gutted that I couldn’t have a goal for goal as I’d pushed it a bit wide but in a lot of space down the wing. Looking up, I saw Phil Turner at the near post pointing where he wanted it and so I thought I’m going to have to cross this. And I did trying to pick Phil out. But it went over his head, over the defender’s head too and Roly (Graham) smashed it in from twenty-five yards. I didn’t see Roly – I saw Phil clearly pointing where he wants it! But when I overcooked and realised that Roly was coming in like a steam train… WHAT A FINISH!”
But what was so special about that side? Steve admitted, “Whenever I’m asked that question, I can’t put my finger on it. We were an assembled side from all over Kent – we weren’t a group of friends, we were just assembled together and somehow, Tom managed to get the boys to really come together. There were no clicks in the dressing room, no bigshots, no big time Charlie’s, even though everyone were good players. Everyone who came in seemed to fit in and the dynamic in the dressing room was just right! Steve (Lovell) was the most high-profile player that we had but he had the “least” profile – if you can understand that! There was no “I’ve done this” and “I’ve done that” even though we all knew what he’d achieved in his career, but he was the perfect example of someone who should have been a little bit being above everyone else – but he never was! He was just a fantastic guy and if anyone was the glue that fitted the team together, it was Steve.”
Steve finished by paying tribute to the man who put it all together. “Tommy was a colourful character in the world of Kent football at the time,” he told us, “and was notorious in the way he would bring successful teams together; he was notorious in the way he used to berate referees; don’t forget I’d spent a few years playing for other clubs and I’d come across Tom quite a few times – he was always very high profile, you could always hear him but then, when Tom wanted you to come and play for him, he made you feel that you were maybe a bit better than you previously thought you were. If he did that for me, he must have done that for everyone else he tried to sign – and then he gave you a chance. Tom gave everyone a chance once you signed for him and then it was up to you, and if you took your chance then you carried on playing and there was no limit!”
“He dropped me during the season, and I was well out of favour, but then I worked my way back in with same hard graft and he rewarded me. Sometimes some managers can just out you; the manager loses you and as a player you might as well just leave! But Tom was never like that – there always seemed to be an opportunity which is why towards the end, we had so many good players who were all vying for places and each of those vying players were all fantastic players and were great to play with.”
Next time, our spotlight will fall on the Gillingham stopper in the Play Off Final as we talk with Vince Bartram.