Reporter for the title-winning ladies at Newcastle United Women’s FC, Stuart Dick describes himself as a defensive midfielder / goalkeeper, which probably means you should expect him to turn up wearing gloves and not do any running.
Name: Stuart Dick
Position: Central Midfielder (the Northumberland Fumaca)
Job: Trainee Sports Journalist/Club Reporter at Newcastle United Women’s FC
Website/show/newspaper: Have appeared on NUFCFans.co.uk, The Mag, Morpeth Herald, Evening Chronicle and many other websites.
What are you looking forward to most from this year’s game? Just getting the boots on and playing a game of football for the first time in a while for a good cause with fellow bloggers and some superb journalists.
When he’s not taking photos, Gareth Johnson dreams of outshining Richard Mason, who shimmied past Gareth’s challenge in last year’s game before shanking the ball hopelessly wide of goal. In Richard’s defence, he was suffering from the career threatening Marcelino Finger at the time and he’s also a goalkeeper.
Name: Gareth Johnson
Position: Hugging the right hand touchline
Job: Star photographer
Website/show/newspaper: Michael Marriner Photography
What are you looking forward to most from this year’s game? Another victory! Also, hopefully facing up to Rich Mason. Rich has claimed on Twitter he skinned me last year, which is clearly rubbish! I will be showing him a clean pair of heals this time round. If I happen to be on this team, he ain’t getting a pass from me!
What’s your memory of last year’s game? Iain MacIntosh’s arse! The wonderful atmosphere. All throughout the day it was a carnival atmosphere that swept you along, especially towards the end of the game when we all realised we weren’t fit enough to play 11-a-side football for 90 minutes! It was also great to raise money for a fantastic cause and I will forward to doing something similar this year. I am also aiming to keep out of the way of Simon Bird, who just kicks you whenever you go past him!
The third of our players is Ian Cusack. Second-choice goalkeeper for Heaton Winstons Over-40s, Ian kept a clean sheet against non-semi professionals in last year’s game and has previously written articles for When Saturday Comes and every Newcastle United fanzine ever published.
Name: Ian Cusack
Position: Goalkeeper
Job: Lecturer in English Literature
Websites/Magazines: Payaso del Mierda, Toon Talk and the Percy Main website.
What are you looking forward to most from this year’s game? Not having to play against forwards whose previous game was at Wembley.
What’s your memory of last year’s game? The sheer joy on Paul Chow’s face when he’d eclipsed his FA Vase heroics by scoring past me.
It’s not just the players who are donating their time on May 20th. Lindsey Robinson, newly-promoted Level Four referee, will be officiating the game while Hebburn Town and former West Bromwich Albion player Dean Nicholson has agreed to manage the Journalists. In the bloggers’ dugout is Jon Shaw, scorer of 35 goals and Gateshead’s Player of the Year this season. Last but definitely not least, Blyth Spartans goalkeeping coach Carl King has kindly donated three pairs of gloves to our keepers for the day. Thanks to everyone!
