The BADGER 2023/24 Issue 10 vs Eynesbury Rovers

SEASON

THE BADGER

23 24

ISSUE 10

OFFICIAL MATCH DAY PROGRAMME

vs EYNESBURY ROVERS UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION SOUTH SATURDAY 4th NOVEMBER 2023 I 3pm KICK OFF

Bugbrooke St Michaels FC The Badgers, founded 1929

CLUB COMMITTEE PRESIDENT - WILLY MARRIOTT CHAIRMAN - KEVIN GARDNER VICE-CHAIRMAN - NIGEL THOMAS CLUB SECRETARY - GRAHAM CONNEW YOUTH SECRETARY & TREASURER - NICK INWOOD FIXTURES SECRETARY - DAVE MELLOR GROUNDSMAN - DANNY POWELL WELFARE OFFICER – HELEN GILLIGAN COMMITTEE – RICHARD GIBBON, STUART WYKES, RICHARD FAULKNER

MANAGEMENT / COACHING TEAM FIRST TEAM – DALE WALTON RESERVE TEAM - ROB JONES ‘B’ TEAM - ANDY DEMIDOW LADIES TEAM - STUART WHITE UNDER 18s BLACK (NSYL) - LOUIE GALBRAITH UNDER 18s WHITE (NSYL) - DARREN SMITH UNDER 18s (NDYAL) - DEANO GOMES UNDER 16s - MARK LINNELL UNDER 15s - SIMON WHEELER UNDER 14s - RYAN NASH UNDER 13s - CHRIS ASHTON UNDER 12s BLACK - DANIEL BLAND / BEN SMITH UNDER 12s WHITE - TONY HILL UNDER 11s BLUE - IAN MARRIOTT UNDER 11s WHITE - MIKE BRINKLEY UNDER 11s GIRLS - STEPH NASH UNDER 10s GIRLS - KERRY HOUGHTON UNDER 9s - ANDREW JACKMAN UNDER 8s - NEIL BYRNE / DARREN WILLIX

WELCOME TO THE SETT From the Chairman …

As Chairman of Bugbrooke St Michael’s Football Club I would like to offer you a warm welcome to The Sett and hope that you have an enjoyable visit.

Here at Bugbrooke St Michaels we are working hard to develop a club with a strong inclusive ethos, offering opportunities for players of all ages and abilities.

We are extremely proud of our youth development programme, supporting players from seven all the way up to eighteen. Many of our young players go on to have success with one of adult teams, with some players going on to even bigger and better things!

There is a great wealth of local support for the club, everyone that helps does so on a voluntary basis and through everyone’s hard work and dedication we have been able to achieve and maintain FA Accredited status.

Whilst some clubs choose to reinvest their revenue into players wages, here at Bugbrooke we hold a different set of values. All of our profits go into upgrading our equipment and facilities, building a solid future-proof foundation that will be here for future generations to enjoy.

Whilst this can sometimes hold us back from gaining huge success on the pitch, we feel our excellent facilities, youth development programme and ethos on community set us apart from other clubs.

Success and progression starts from the beginnings.

Thank you for your support today, we hope that you enjoy the game, and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

Kev Kevin Gardner, Chairman

Bugbrooke St Michaels Football Club would like to place on record our thanks to our team of volunteers, our advertisers and sponsors.

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MANAGERS NOTES We’d like to extend a warm welcome to the players, officials and supporters of Eynesbury Rovers who are the visitors to the Sett for todays United Counties Premier Division South fixture.

As you read these notes, we hope that there is still a game to look forward to, with more heavy rain forecast to fall on already saturated ground, we must keep our fingers crossed!

Having walked the pitch last night, it was perfect for football which is testament to the hard work of our ground staff, in particular big Dan and the on-going commitment from the club to invest in the playing surface.

Unlike some clubs our main pitch is used by several of our sides with both Under 18s teams along with our Reserve and Ladies teams using the pitch on a regular basis – this is in addition to the First Team.

Today’s game represents the second of three home fixtures and comes hot on the heels of Tuesdays game against Coventry United, who despite a change of Manager being announced prior to kick off gave us a tough test as expected.

The game itself was a tale of two halves. In difficult conditions we dominated the first period to deservedly go in at the break a goal to the good courtesy of another for Tom Binder.

The second half was a different story. We were made to work extremely hard; it was therefore very pleasing to see us manage the game, something that we wouldn’t have done last season where 3 points would have been 1 point or even a loss.

Its worth noting that we lost both fixtures against Coventry United last season a sign that progress is being made!

Onto today’s game where we face another difficult task against an improving Eynesbury Rovers who after a difficult start to the season come into the game on the back of a 3-match unbeaten run, their last two results being comprehensive wins.

That said we are at home and are in decent form ourselves so it’s a game where we know if we play as we can then we will be good enough to take something.

Another 3 points is the target and if achieved it will ensure that we remain in a comfortable mid-table position which if maintained would represent a fantastic achievement given the resources available to many of our opponents.

Before signing off we want to pass on our congratulations to young Harry Painter from our Under 13s who has formally signed terms with Leicester City, well done young man and best wishes for the future.

Thank you for your support, enjoy the game and we look forward to seeing you again next Saturday when we play host to Yaxley.

Dale & Daniel

“Another 3 points is the target and if achieved it will ensure that we remain in a comfortable mid-table position which if maintained would represent a fantastic achievement given the resources available to many of our opponents.”

OUR HISTORY

Formed in 1929, Bugbrooke St. Michael’s Football Club took over from Bugbrooke United who folded in 1928 after being in existence since 1910.

The club, which is named after the local St. Michael’s and All Angels Church, initially took its place in the Northants Central Village League and had immediate success, winning the league title from 1931 to 1937.

The club closed for the Second World War before reforming in 1947 and were once again successful winning the CVL title from 1947 to 1950 and were Northants Lower Junior Cup runners-up in 1949, a feat repeated in 1954.

We finally won the N.F.A. Lower Junior Cup in 1956 and followed this in 1957 by winning the prestigious Daventry Charity Cup. The club had its most successful years from 1966 to 1972 when we won the Northants Central Combination Premier title and again from 1976 to 1979 with 1977 also seeing us win the N.F.A. Lower Junior Cup again.

The club continued to succeed in the Northants Combination until 1987 when the we took the decision to join the United Counties League.

At this time, we decided to run two teams in the U.C.L. and two teams in the C.N.C. We also began our youth section and have continued this ever since. Today we run 4 adult sides, including a recently formed Ladies team as well as 15 youth teams.

The club has had continued to enjoy success across all age groups over those 30 years, the most notable being N.F.A. Junior Cup winners in 1992, N.F.A Lower Junior Cup in 1993 and U.C.L. Division One winners in 2001.

The reputation for producing successful youth teams has increased over those years and 4 of our youth players (under 16) have been signed by professional league clubs.

The achievements of the club on the field have always been supported by a hardworking committee whose chief officers are recorded on a roll in the clubhouse foyer.

They along with supporters of the club have built up the excellent changing rooms and clubhouse since 1980.

We hope that you enjoy the facilities that they have provided over those years, and we look forward to seeing you again in the future

‘LOVE FOOTBALL. PROTECT THE GAME.’ A message from Bugbrooke St Michaels Football Club about antisocial and criminal behaviour As we commence the new season we want to make you aware of new measures being taken across all of football, and the NLS, to ensure everyone can have a safe and enjoyable experience.

We are supporting strong action from the FA, and across the NLS to tackle antisocial and criminal behaviours that put all of us at risk.

Please remember the following activities are illegal, dangerous, have serious consequences and have no place in our game: • Carrying or using smoke bombs or pyros • Invading the pitch or entering the pitch without permission

For everyone’s safety, we will report anyone carrying out these offences to the police, which can result in a criminal record.

Anyone who enters the pitch without permission and those carrying or using smoke bombs or pyros will now receive an automatic club ban. These measures could also now apply to the parents or guardians of children involved in these activities.

This reflects the seriousness of the risks to fans and staff – pyros can burn at 2000 degrees Celsius and cause life changing injuries, while entering the pitch endangers players, managers and match officials. It also impacts the hard working volunteers, who ensure that our special part of the game continues to run.

• Drug use within the football ground

We know those who commit these illegal acts do not represent the majority of supporters. Please work with us to call out the risks.

• Discriminatory behaviour

#LoveFootball #ProtectTheGame

• Throwing objects onto the pitch

TODAYS VISITORS

EYNESBURY ROVERS Full name:

Eynesbury Rovers FC

Nickname(s):

Rovers

Founded:

1897

Ground:

Alfred Hall Memorial Ground

Capacity:

Unknown

Manager:

Craig Smith & Mark Garwood

League:

United Counties Premier Division South

2022–23:

United Counties Premier Division South, 15th of 18

Current Position

17th - P15, W4, D1, L10 Pts 13

Last Time Out:

Won 6-2 vs Huntingdon Town (Hunts Senior Cup)

Form:

LLDWW

The club were formed in 1897 and played friendly matches before joining the Biggleswade & District League and then the St Neots Junior League, which they won in 1910/11. They lifted the Huntingdonshire Senior Cup for the first time in 1914 and won the County Junior Cup in 1921, 1927 and 1932.

Rovers competed in the Bedford & District League and in 1934 they joined the South Midlands League. Promotion was achieved at the first attempt while the Scott-Gatty Cup was won, while Senior Cup finals in 1937 and 1939 ended in defeat.

The post war era began with Rovers joining the United Counties League and they enjoyed spectacular cup success winning the Hunts Senior Cup and Hinchingbrooke Cup four times each in a five-year period.

In the 1950-51 campaign a Premier Cup success made it a cup hat trick.

In 1952 Eynesbury joined the Eastern Counties League finishing fourth in their second season. In 1955 a crowd of 4,000 packed into Hall Road to watch a friendly against Fulham with the legendary Stanley Matthews guesting for Rovers.

The club continued to enjoy cup success lifting the Senior Cup in 1955 and 1957, the Hinchingbrooke Cup in 1959 and Cambs Invitation Cup in 1962, but they were finding life difficult in the league. In 1963 they rejoined the UCL. Successes in the Hinchingbrooke Cup in 1967 and Hunts Senior Cup in 1970 masked a continued decline and relegation was suffered in 1972. A topflight place was regained in 1977 and floodlights were installed in 1981 with Luton Town providing the opposition for the official opening in front of a four-figure crowd.

The Hunts Senior Cup was won in 1985 before the club enjoyed a successful spell finishing a best ever third place in the league, two Hunts Senior Cup wins, a Premier Cup success and two East Anglian Cup finals, and a 1993 Senior Cup success.

Barry Cavilla was next in the hot seat, and he led Eynesbury to fifth in the league and wins in both the Senior and Premier Cups. Peter Schofield took over and done well to keep the team in the Premier Division on a small budget.

Neil King returned and enjoyed success in the Hunts Senior Cup in 2000 but was followed by relegation a year later. Steve Galbraith took over and in 2002 Rovers again won the Senior Cup beating St Neots 3-0 in the final, while the 2003-04 campaign saw them reach the Premier Cup final only to lose 4-2 to Wootton.

In the summer of 2005 Dean Shipp took charge and the following season Rovers reached the final of the South Midlands Floodlit Cup losing 2-1 to Saffron Walden.

In December 2007 Rovers appointed the management duo of Al Lenihan and former player Pat O'Keeffe.

Season 2008/09 saw Rovers near the top of the table for most of the season but had to settle for 9th place after being deducted six points. Al & Pat resigned at the end of that season and Eynesbury appointed Matt Plumb to take charge for the start of the 2009/10 campaign and with Martin Field he guided Rovers back to the Premier Division in 2013/14.

In a record-breaking season, they finished with a record number of points (98) and goals (118) and recorded a club record 11 consecutive wins. Lee Bassett became the first Eynesbury player to score 50 goals in a season.

Matt Plumb took on the role of chairman in the summer of 2015 before Martin Field resigned in October 2015. Mark Ducket was appointed as manager and in four campaigns he led Rovers to three Hunts Senior Cup Finals, winning 1-0 against St Neots Town in 2017. Whilst in the same season recording 119 league goals whilst equaling their second best ever league placing finishing fifth.

In 2019/20 Rovers joined the Spartan South Midlands League and enjoyed their best ever run in the FA Vase reaching the 4th Round. In January 2020 Mark Ducket left to manage Bedford Town and Rovers appointed Steve Kuhne as his replacement. After two aborted seasons in the Spartan South Midlands League Rob Sinclair led Rovers to a ninth placed finish back in the UCL. After last seasons’ poor finish the club have appointed Mark Garwood and Craig Smith as the management team for 2023/24.

BUGBROOKE ST MICHAELS DATE

OPPOSITION

VENUE RESULT SCORE STARTING LINE-UP

29.07.22 St Neots Town

Away

Lost

0-3

REEVE

CALVER

SHEHI

SMYTH

POWELL

WALTON

01.08.22 Racing Club Warwick

Home

Lost

0-3

REEVE

SPENCER

BAZELEY

SMYTH

POWELL

WALTON

05.08.22 Hinckley LRFC - FA Cup

Home

Lost

2-3

REEVE

MALKIN

BAZELEY

SMYTH

POWELL

12.08.23 Aylestone Park

Home

Lost

2-5

REEVE

MALKIN

BAZELEY

SMYTH

POWELL

15.08.23 Cogenhoe United

Away

Won

4-0

REEVE

MALKIN

SHEHI

1

SMYTH

POWELL

WALTON

19.08.23 Lutterworth Town

Home

Won

4-1

REEVE

MALKIN

SHEHI

1

SMYTH

POWELL

WALTON

29.08.23 Wellingborough Town

Away

Lost

2-5

REEVE

MALKIN

02.09.23 Desborough Town

Home

Lost

1-5

REEVE

MALKIN

09.09.23 Leicester Nirvana

Away

Won

4-0

REEVE

MALKIN

16.09.23 Yaxley

Away

Lost

3-4

REEVE

MALKIN

19.09.23 Desborough Town - NFA Cup

Away

Lost

2-2

W.PANTER

23.09.23 Raunds Town – FA Vase

Away

Won

2-0

26.09.23 Newport Pagnell Town

Home

Won

30.09.23 G.N.G Oadby Town

Home

Draw

03.10.23 Wellingborough Town - KO Cup

Away

Lost

1

WALTON 1

WALTON

SHEHI

SMYTH

P RICKETT-REED

WALTON

SURACE

SMYTH

POWELL

WALTON

1

SHEHI

SMYTH

POWELL

WALTON

1

SIMMONS

SMYTH

POWELL

WALTON

P RICKETT-REED

SIMMONS

BINDER

PRICE

WALTON

REEVE

MALKIN

SIMMONS

SMYTH

PRICE

WALTON

4-0

REEVE

MALKIN

SIMMONS

POWELL

PRICE

WALTON

4-4

REEVE

MALKIN

SIMMONS

POWELL

PRICE

WALTON

2-2

W.PANTER

MALKIN

SIMMONS

SMYTH

PRICE

SHEHI

CAREY

PRICE

WALTON

( 5- 6 PENS)

14.10.23 Godmanchester Rovers

Away

Won

3-1

REEVE

NASH

SIMMONS

21.10.23 Lincoln United - FA Vase

Away

Lost

1-4

REEVE

MALKIN

SIMMONS

CAREY

POWELL

WALTON

24.10.23 Daventry Town

Home

Lost

1-2

REEVE

MALKIN

MEMOLI

MAKEKERA

POWELL

WALTON

28.10.23 March Town United

Away

Lost

1-2

REEVE

MEMOLI

SIMMONS

GIBBON

PRICE

SHEHI

31.10.23 Coventry United

Home

Won

1-0

REEVE

MEMOLI

SIMMONS

SHEHI

PRICE

WALTON

04.11.23 Eynesbury Rovers

Home

11.11.23 Yaxley

Home

15.11.23 Rugby Borough

Away

18.11.23 Aylestone Park

Away

25.11.23 Histon

Home

02.12.23 Newport Pagnell Town

Away

09.12.23 RC Warwick

Away

16.12.23 Cogenhoe United

Home

23.12.23 Eynesbury Rovers

Away

26.12.23 Easington Sports

Home

30.12.23 Coventry United

Away

06.01.24 Lutterworth Town

Away

13.01.24 Leicester Nirvana

Home

20.01.24 Daventry Town

Away

27.01.24 Rugby Borough

Home

10.02.24 March Town United

Home

17.02.24 G.N.G Oadby Town

Away

02.03.24 Histon

Away

16.03.24 Desborough Town

Away

23.03.24 St Neots Town

Home

01.04.24 Easington Sports

Away

06.04.24 Godmanchester Rovers

Home

13.04.24 Wellingborough Town

Home

1

2023/24 RESULTS & APPEARANCES SUBS A.WEBSTER

ALHASSAN

PANTER

PORTER

MALKIN

SPENCER

REZA

BINDER

HALLMARK

J.WEBSTER

A.WEBSTER

ALHASSAN

PANTER

PORTER

REZA

SHEHI

CALVER

BINDER

MALKIN

J.WEBSTER

A.WEBSTER

ALHASSAN

PANTER

PORTER

REZA

GREEN

SURACE

BINDER

1

1

GREEN

ALHASSAN

1

PANTER

PORTER

REZA

SHEHI

SURACE

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

1

PANTER

PORTER

BINDER

ALHASSAN

SURACE

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

3

SURACE

PORTER

BINDER

ALHASSAN

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

1

REZA

PORTER

BINDER

ALHASSAN

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

ALHASSAN

PORTER

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

1

PRICE

PORTER

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

2

ALHASSAN

PORTER

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

1

PANTER

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

1

PANTER

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

1

PANTER

2

PORTER

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

PANTER

1

PORTER

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

PANTER

2

PORTER

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

PANTER

1

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

PANTER

1

1

1

1

A.WEBSTER

J.WEBSTER

CAREY

MAY

REZA

SPENCER

CAREY

MAY

SURACE

SPENCER

CAREY

GIBBON

CAREY

BINDER

SHEHI

SIMMONS

UNDERWOOD

BINDER

ALHASSAN

SIMMONS

UNDERWOOD

CAREY

CAREY

SHEHI

SPENCER

BINDER

PANTER

PORTER

CAREY

ALHASSAN

STEWART

PORTER

BINDER

SHEHI

STEWART

BINDER

ALHASSAN

SHEHI

SMYTH

BINDER

ALHASSAN

SHEHI

SMYTH

BINDER

ALHASSAN

CAREY

BINDER

POWELL

MAKEKERA

PORTER

BINDER

SHEHI

MAKEKERA

PANTER

PORTER

BINDER

PANTER

ANKRAH

BINDER

PANTER

STEWART

BINDER

OBENG

1

1

1

1

BINDER BAZELEY

1

1 1

1

1

PANTER

UNDERWOOD

SHEHI

SMYTH

POWELL

ALHASSAN

SURACE

CAREY 1

2

PORTER

CAREY

STEWART

SURACE

GIBBON

J.WEBSTER

MEMOLI

GIBBON

STEWART

ANKRAH

SPENCER

J.WEBSTER J.WEBSTER

SHEHI

CAREY

STEWART

SPENCER

ALHASSAN

MAKEKERA

STEWART

OAKES

POWELL

MAKEKERA

PORTER

MALKIN

GIBBON

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LEAGUE TABLE - FIRST TEAM

PREMIER DIVISION SOUTH as at 04/11/23

POS

P

W

D

L

GD

PTS

1

Wellingborough Town

16

12

3

1

24

39

2

March Town United

16

12

1

3

21

37

3

Racing Club Warwick

16

11

2

3

21

35

4

St Neots Town

15

11

1

3

20

34

5

Daventry Town

17

11

0

6

19

33

6

Newport Pagnell Town

15

11

0

4

19

33

7

Yaxley FC

14

8

2

4

12

26

8

Aylestone Park

14

8

1

5

10

25

9

G.N.G Oadby Town

17

7

2

8

-19

23

10

Easington Sports

15

6

2

7

3

20

11

Bugbrooke St.Michaels

15

6

1

8

0

19

12

Lutterworth Town

15

6

0

9

-5

18

13

Rugby Borough

15

5

2

8

-4

17

14

Cogenhoe United

15

5

2

8

-10

17

15

Godmanchester Rovers

15

5

0

10

-14

15

16

Coventry United

14

4

1

9

-8

13

17

Eynesbury Rovers

15

4

1

10

-15

13

18

Histon FC

15

3

3

9

-18

12

19

Desborough Town

16

2

3

11

-25

9

20

Leicester Nirvana

16

1

3

12

-31

6

FORM GUIDE

WLLLW 11/11 vs Yaxley (Home)

NEXT UP

18/11 vs Aylestone Park (Away) 25/11 vs Histon (Home)

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LEAGUE TABLE - RESERVES

RESERVE DIVISION as at 04/11/23

POS

P

W

D

L

GD

PTS

1

Kempston Rovers Reserves

8

7

1

0

28

22

2

Buckingham Development

9

6

1

2

23

19

3

Bourne Town Reserves

10

6

1

3

11

19

4

Northampton ON Chenecks Reserves

9

6

1

2

7

19

5

Bugbrooke St.Michaels Reserves

8

5

0

3

12

15

6

Wellingborough Whitworth Reserves

9

5

0

4

9

15

7

Desborough Town Reserves

7

4

1

2

10

13

8

Harborough Town Reserves

9

4

1

4

5

13

9

Godmanchester Rovers Reserves

9

3

1

5

-15

10

10

Irchester United Reserves

6

2

1

3

-3

7

11

Wellingborough Town Reserves

8

2

1

5

-11

7

12

Rothwell Corinthians Reserves

8

2

1

5

-17

7

13

Huntingdon Town U23s

7

1

0

6

-30

1*

14

Raunds Town Reserves

9

0

0

9

-29

0

FORM GUIDE

LWLLL 04/11 vs Wellingborough Whitworths (Away)

NEXT UP

11/11 vs Desborough Town (Away) 18/11 vs Bourne Town (Home)

TODAYS FIXTURES PREMIER DIVISION SOUTH Lutterworth Town

Vs

Histon FC

Bugbrooke St.Michaels

Vs

Eynesbury Rovers

Cogenhoe United

Vs

St Neots Town

Leicester Nirvana

Vs

Godmanchester Rovers

March Town United

Vs

G.N.G Oadby Town

Newport Pagnell Town

Vs

Racing Club Warwick

Rugby Borough

Vs

Wellingborough Town

Yaxley FC

Vs

Daventry Town

PREMIER DIVISION KO CUP Ashby Ivanhoe

Vs

Easington Sports

Lincoln United

Vs

Coventry United

Skegness Town

Vs

Aylestone Park

RESERVE DIVISION Northampton ON Chenecks Reserves

Vs

Irchester United Reserves

Kempston Rovers Reserves

Vs

Raunds Town Reserves

Wellingborough Town Reserves

Vs

Rothwell Corinthians Reserves

Wellingborough Whitworth Reserves

Vs

Bugbrooke St.Michaels Reserves

Tel: 07568 087449 Email: RichFaulknerElectrical@outlook.com

” The Arrow & the Artist” Alfredo di Stefano - the blonde arrow - was one of the greatest players ever to kick a ball. A master in the midfield, he was involved in each of Real Madrid’s five consecutive European Cup triumphs from 1956 to 1960, an achievement that will likely never be repeated, and became probably the first legend at the newly built Santiago Bernabeu stadium. But his dalliances with the difficult politics of the day that made him a controversial figure in Spain, where he was on the verge of signing for anti-Franco Barcelona before the Generalissimo intervened to have the pre-eminent star of his generation turn out for his side instead, in the capital. Unbeknownst to di Stefano, this wouldn’t be the only time he would be caught up in political turmoil.

Like many Spanish republicans, Jesus del Rio and Dora Canales fled the country to escape the excesses of the Franco regime. In 1943, they settled in Venezuela along with thousands of their compatriots, Dora having given birth to a son en route. For Paul del Rio, then, political principles and acts that could have you disappeared, even killed, were in his blood. As the teenager grew up, it became clear that Venezuela wasn’t exactly the democratic paradise the family had envisaged when fleeing Spain. The elder del Rio joined the underground Democratic Action movement against military dictator Marcos Perez Jimenez. When Paul came of age it was his turn, taking up the fight against new strongman Romulo Betancourt. He joined the Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN) and looked for a way to garner some national media attention.

It so happened, in 1963, that the most famous team in the world was coming to the country for a tour. A small tournament was due to take place between Real Madrid, Porto, and Sao Paulo, and a plan began to form in the leadership of the FALN.

Alfredo di Stefano, the blonde arrow, was past his best, but still among the most noteworthy footballers of his generation and would likely be the most famous person in the country at the time.

But the Argentine had struggled with the heat during his brief spell in Colombia and had similar problems in Venezuela. While his teammates went and enjoyed the hospitality of Caracas, he stayed in the hotel, alone, and vulnerable.

Enjoying an evening snooze, he was interrupted by a group of men claiming to be anti-drugs police.

They politely requested he joined them at the station, and he dutifully got changed and followed them down, into the back of a van. Only then did the gravity of the situation become apparent to him, as one of the group explained. He had been kidnapped by the FALN. The group needed the incident to make national press, where mention of them had been suppressed. Despite assurances that he would not be harmed, he was bound and blindfolded, and driven away to an unknown fate.

A day went by, as di Stefano recalled in his autobiography, and he became convinced that they were going to kill him. As he waited for the bullet, he met with the leader of the operation, Maximo Canales. He was, in fact, the twenty-year old Paul del Rio. The pair spent 70 hours together, playing chess, talking. Del Rio explained again that the star wouldn’t be harmed, and that they just needed the publicity. Di Stefano, unsurprisingly, not believing him, refusing to eat, and even more convinced of his death with each justification from the revolutionary.

In fact, del Rio was being honest. The group had originally considered kidnapping Stravinsky when he made a musical tour of the country but given his age they worried about killing him accidentally.

They didn’t want to murder. Their target was Betancourt, and del Rio was a rising star of the movement, having committed a daring maritime seizure of a cargo ship just months before. The story was suppressed, but this time it wouldn’t be.

Over the following days, the FALN received the international attention they craved. After three days, he was released to the Spanish embassy.

Remarkably, the day he was released, di Stefano played for Real Madrid to a standing ovation. The ordeal behind him, he returned to Spain, and soon left Madrid for Espanyol where he would see out his playing days. Del Rio had a harder time. Imprisoned

by Betancourt, he eventually had his citizenship taken away and fled to Cuba. 12 years after the kidnapping, and with Maximo Canales long behind him, del Rio was permitted to return, and made his political points with a paintbrush for the rest of his life.

In 2005, Real Madrid celebrated their centenary.

Florentino Perez invited club legends of the past to a ceremony, including di Stefano, Perez being ever the controversial showman, del Rio. The Real Madrid President was thwarted though, but di Stefano’s refusal to play along. While the two men spoke, the Argentine refused to shake his hand, admonished him, and refused a picture for the baffled press. Which was a surprise to precisely nobody, except Florentino Perez.

Enjoy the game!

Martyn Green The Untold Game Find us at TheUntoldGame.co.uk or on social media @TheUntoldGame

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