Interview With Ex Professional Footballer Alan Green

Name: Alan Green

Age: 66

Location: I live in Salisbury where my family settled some five generations ago in a small village called Woodfalls as timber merchants.

Walking Football Club Name: I play Walking Football for and with Salisbury FC at the local sports centre.

Favourite Position: My favourite position is as a striker ( still get a buzz out of scoring goals) but in five a side you tend to play where ever play draws you.

Could you please start by telling us about your club career as a professional football player?

My professional career was rather short lived.

I joined AFC Bournemouth as a young pro at the age of 17 under Freddie Cox as manager in 1968.

John Bond then succeeded Freddie as manager two years later.

I played mainly in the reserve team and although  scoring freely, l couldn’t get  a look into the first team, with Ted McDougal and Phil Boyer playing up front.

How old were you when your professional football career came to an end and why did you decide to retire from the game?

At 21 years old I moved on to Mansfield Town 1972 in the then Fourth Division.

Played in all of the preseason friendlies and earned a first team place for the opening fixture against Northampton on 22 August 1972.

During the first half, I was playing well earning an assist to Frank Wignal for our first and only goal of the game.

Some ten minutes before half time a I felt tremendous pain in my chest, arms and throat.

I continued with difficulty until half time.

I remember staggering up the tunnel to the dressing room.

Where I collapsed with a heart attack.

After almost a month in hospital I was discharged with the prospect of having to find a new way of life and of course a new career.

Mansfield kindly honoured my contract for that year giving me time to recover.

At that time I had a Two year old son and my Daughter on the way.

Although I felt rather traumatized at the time.

With the help of friends (Dennis and Joan new neighbours that prior to that I had only spoken to two or three times before) and still good friends today. I managed to get myself back together.

As this happened during my first game at Mansfield, Bournemouth kindly offered to host a Testimonial match for me.

A great character named Reg Tyrell organised the game against Leicester City bringing names such as Peter Shilton, Frank Worthington, Alan Birchenall and many others to Dean Court.

Ted Mc Dougal who had moved on to West Ham played, bringing Frank Lampard senior with him.(have signed copy of Programme).

Their kindness raised me enough money to put a deposit down on a house and set me well on to the road of rebuilding my life.

Following your heart attack which so sadly caused the end of your footballing career, can you describe what life was like for you on a day to day basis?

Back in the land of reality I got a job as a co-op insurance agent, how I survived the next three years living on my whits in what was to me a totally alien lifestyle, being totally disorganised, I don’t know.

But survive we did.

I understand you were encouraged to take sport back up, can you please let the readers know why & what did you do next?

I was kept under surveillance for the first two years at a hospital in Grobey road Leicester under a Doctor named Dr Goldberg who I am informed practiced alongside Christian Barnard in South Africa before coming to England.

He encouraged me to resume sport as he felt it would be helpful to my full recovery (quite radical in those days 1974).

How did you fare playing for Salisbury City FC as heart attack survivor?

I returned home to then Andover Hampshire determined to get fit and put the illness and trauma behind me.training with local clubs and mates.

Eventually joining Salisbury City FC in the then Southern league on a month to month contract to see how things went.

I played for Salisbury for four seasons scoring 136 goals.

I am also proud to be named in their hardback book the first 60 years as one of the top 30 all time best players.

Am I correct in thinking you also played for Andover FC or did you manage the team and how successful was your time there?

I also had a two season spell with Andover FC as player manager.

Scoring 41 goals in 85 games and taking them for a period to the top spot in the then Southern League.

I understand you were once selected for an England football squad. Could you please tell the readers a little about this?

I was selected to represent the England FA in a match against the combined universities scoring twice in a 3-1 win.

During this period I was feeling so well that I was thinking that someone had made a misdiagnosis, that I couldn’t have had a heart attack.

I began to push myself to the limits.

Playing or training football at least three times a week.

Playing a decent standard of squash becoming ultra fit and enjoying a great life.

The only real sporting disappointment that occurred was when trying to get back into full time football with trial periods with Swindon, Millwall and Torquay.

The latter offered me a contract but the FA would not accept my registration having accepted an insurance payout.

Something that hit me as hard as the original heart attack news.

Until that was I decided to slow down and concentrate on my working life.

At 37 I remarried and started my own business as a fitted kitchen retailer,(a business that continued successfully until I retired at 65).

But unfortunately as I slowed the sporting side down I began to suffer bouts of heart fibrillation causing me to stop even the squash.

Under several different courses of medication and attempts to cure the problem I still carry the problem with me 30 years later.

I did have a bit of a problem last December when my medication decided to stop doing its job!

Resulting in me being rushed off to hospital with heart racing off the scale.

The Dr soon sorted me out with an MRI scan which checked that no further damage had been done, and a change of medication I was back to normal within a couple of weeks.

However for me it’s become no more than having to manage the condition and has rarely stopped me from doing anything that I wish.

How long have you played Walking Football for Salisbury City FC?

I started to enjoy Walking Football in October 2016 with great enthusiasm.

Enjoying the exercise and comradery of my fellow team mates on and off the pitch playing golf (a few great days away in Portugal) and many fun events together.

We play the sport at, at times a good pace (no running) but giving great respect for those who have more obvious problems of which their are a few among us recovering from strokes etc.

I find it uncanny that without having been told, how almost to a man we back off slightly to give those not so mobile a bit of space to play.

However generally the pace of play, passing and scoring is on the limit of the rules imposed, of which we have introduced a few extra to make things more safe(no shooting outside a marked distance) making it more of a passing game.

Can you describe any injuries you have suffered when playing Walking Football and can you let the readers know how they were caused?

As far as injuries go we are aware that we are of an age where serious injury would cause great problems.

We always have a thorough warm up and warm down at each end of our session and as I’ve said are mindful of the different abilities and fitness of our colleagues.

For myself I prefer to play more of a one or two touch passing game with often a very satisfying combination of passing involving players of all standards and if one of the less mobile players end up scoring as a result that couldn’t be better.

Yes even in this environment we do get some niggling pulls and strains but everyone is encouraged to stop immediately to make sure we don’t make it worse.

Which has resulted in recovery being much quicker “we are old men after all”.

What one or two things do you currently do in your training sessions that you think are important to avoid injury, especially when taking into consideration you have an arrhythmia problem with your heart?

For me I like to warm up slowly to let my heart rhythm come into line with the exercise, I know my limits but rarely am I challenged by the games and am fully involved.

How many times a week do you take part in Walking Football sessions now?

Our club runs three sessions a week (I attend only one regularly) as I play golf as well.

On a Monday we usually have around 25 players using two basketball courts as pitches.

In all we have around 80 members.

Does your club hold any social or charity events connected with Walking Football and if so what were they?

Our organiser Chris Christian does a great job bringing us all together and we regularly raise money for local charities etc.

How important is it to have personnel present at Walking Football sessions who have had first aid training, and in addition, that there is a defibrillator present at the venue?

Concerning first aid and help should we need it we use a modern Salisbury Sports centre where there is a defibrillator and trained staff to use it ,this in my situation gives me great confidence should I have a problem.

Going back to my feelings when the heart attack happened, one of my great disappointments was that I felt that playing sports with my children would be severely affected.

Also again when the fibrillation came on later in life.

But here I am 66 years old my two youngest from my second marriage are in their twenties and it’s never been a problem.

What do you like least about Walking Football?

My only complaint concerning Walking Football is with the organisers of some of the tournaments that we have been to.

The level of competitiveness and bad behaviour in tackling etc that I saw was unacceptable for me personally I could protect myself well enough not to get hurt but some of the things I saw made me want to pack up and go home.

I know I am one of the lucky ones maybe because I was so young when it happened, but I have met many people that have had a great life after a heart attack.

If someone reading this has suffered from a heart condition, what words of inspiration could you offer them to take the plunge and attend a Walking Football session?

My unqualified opinion is to carefully discover what you can do and enjoy it.

You would be surprised how chronic a condition particularly with one of our group is ,but with respect for his condition and some gentle encouragement he enjoys the company as much as the rest of us.

What do your friends and family think about you still playing a sport at your age?

Many of my friends take the Micky out of Walking Football, but I challenge them to come and give it a go, many have young and old, and have been surprised at the level we can perform at and the enjoyment that comes with the whole package.

What are the costs involved in order for you to play Walking Football for footwear, kit and weekly session fees?

The great thing is also that it costs very little to play, we pay £3 per session and you only need a decent pair of trainers a pair of shorts and your favourite football team shirt bibs (training bibs that is) he he ,are normally provided to make teams.

So all that’s needed now is the will to try it.

Do you still have connections with any of your old football teams, and if so what are they?

Working part time for Salisbury FC who play in the Southern league, as commercial manager and match day organiser of hospitality.

Looking after six corporate boxes and any VIPs that need entertaining during the day, often serving up meals and generally looking after sponsors and backers, making sure they have a pleasant day.