‘It Started with a Kick’ Episode 100

It Started With a Kick Episode 100 : special edition

Welcome to this special episode of ‘It Started With a Kick’, which features a collection of some of the best clips from a vast array of guests over the last two years. It’s basically this podcast’s version of Match of the Day and sheds light on some of the best stories from the previous 99 episodes.

We start with Darren Fletcher’s memories of going to the City Ground with his grandfather and in his first match Trevor Francis bagged a hattrick in a 4-0 win over Manchester City. Next up, Palace fanKevin Day talks of his reverence for Damien Delaney and how Damien scared the living daylights out of both Richard Osman and Diego Costa. We then move to the BBC’s Ali Bruce-Ball’s whose first match report was on Boxing Day at Yeovil and was characterised by him signing off with the immortal line of “Yo Ho Ho Yeovil”. Ali’s colleague and former player Chris Sutton focuses on his time at Celtic and how Martin O’Neill’s intelligence intimidated the players but not the late, great John Robertson.

ITV’s Mark Pougatch recalls how, despite growing up in Tunbridge Wells and going to Brighton for his first few games, his mum bought him an Arsenal bag for his football boots and that led him to becoming a Gooner. Although living close to Bootham Crescent, Jon Champion still had to wait for his first trip to watch York City, but as soon as he did, he was hooked by the matching experience. In talking about the deeply emotional impact football has on our lives, Seb Hutchinson remembers how he confided in Gareth Southgate that he had made him cry after his penalty miss at Euro 96. 

Part 2 begins with David Squireswho was taken to his first match at Swindon’s County Ground by his reluctant dad and he ended up watching a man urinating into a sink! Talking of loos, Match of the Day’s Guy Mowbray, (like previous guest Jon Champion, is a York City fan whose first game was also at Bootham Crescent) reveals one of the things that was missed about the ground were the dilapidated toilets. Stewart Robson played nearly 300 games for Arsenal, West Ham and Coventry and for his debut as a 17-year-old he was thrown in at the deep end at Upton Park. For Alan Smith when he was at Palace initially in the 1980s he had to combine his duties at the club with a full-time job as well as being the coach driver for the youth team. 

Writer Daniel Gray highlights some extraordinary programme notes from Middlesbrough manager Bruce Rioch in which he mentions LSD, cocaine and marijuana. When Jim Beglin first arrived at Anfield the Boot Room was in full swing and soon afterwards he was the subject of an intriguing headline from the Liverpool Echo referencing a song by Julio Iglesias. Finally, the legendary Martin Tyler eulogises about his team Woking’s FA Amateur Cup victory at Wembley where later on he shared a pitch and a joke with Bobby Moore.  

If you enjoy these highlights of ‘It Started With a Kick’ even half as much as I and my guests did recording them, then you’re in for a treat.

Part 1 – https://bit.ly/4bfdLEN

Part 2 – https://bit.ly/3P5YazV