From the FA http://www.thefa.com/GrassrootsNew/News/Postings/2007/02/TommyBury.htm Burying the drought By Tommy Mooney. Tuesday, 20 February 2007. An emphatic win over Bury, a Tommy Mooney goal, a long coach journey and Sam Stockley's interesting fashion accessory - there have been plenty of smiles in the Wycombe changing room this week. Hi everyone. It's been a really good week. Not only did we beat Bury 4-0, I ended my ten game drought without a goal. We travelled up to Bury on the Friday. I got picked up from Birmingham, we then trained at Stoke before going up to Manchester. It should normally take an hour and a half to get there, but Kevin our bus driver took four hours! I don't think he realises you have to push the accelerator if you want to stop people overtaking you! He's a decent lad. He's got a shaven head and likes to think he's a 40 year old version of me! When he's in the team hotel he walks around in a club tracksuit telling people he's me! He's much uglier though! The win against Bury was a great result for us. Over the 90 minutes, that's as well as we have played all season. It was a very good football performance. The way we kept the ball was very good and apart from my tap-in, we scored three excellent goals. When you play against sides who are struggling it can be more difficult than against one of the teams at the top. We started very well. I don't think they got in our half for the first 30 minutes. When you have a period of pressure like that, you have to score and luckily we scored twice in quick succession. I was involved in our first goal - I just headed a free-kick back across goal and hoped for the best. Tommy Docherty ended up volleying it in from the edge of the box - that's not something we work on in training! He has not scored in four years so I think he was as surprised as anyone. I felt such relief when I scored to put us three-up. I had a chance in the first half. I tried to stay on my feet when perhaps I could have gone down for a penalty. I still should have scored so I went into half-time feeling disappointed even though we were playing well. Luckily the next chance came 20 minutes later and I put it away. I didn't celebrate much though, we were all so relaxed as we knew it would be our day. I'm not really one to celebrate. I've just been putting my right arm up in the air for 18 years! I don't think I'll change now. Anyway, I'd put my back out if I tried a backflip! I can understand why people celebrate goals. It's a great feeling when you score. For a striker, it's relief because you are under pressure to score. You are doing your job. You are judged on goals. I got a standing ovation from the home fans when I was substituted off. It was quite strange. It's not often that the opposition centre-forward, who has just scored, gets a reception like that. But it was a great gesture. It was a good day for Scott McGleish too. He scored his first goal since joining from Northampton in January. He scored 13 goals before he signed for us, but it's always a relief when you score your first goal for your new club. That meant a lot to Scotty. Scotty playing meant Jermaine Easter was on the bench. When a side's top scorer does not start, people will always be surprised. Before the game I spoke to Bury's assistant manager Martin Scott, who knew Jermaine at Hartlepool, and he said he was surprised. But players need a rest. In the end Jermaine came on and scored. It was the perfect scenario really. He was rested for 70 minutes and all three strikers scored. Sam Stockley, one of our defenders, came on for the last five minutes of the game. He was wearing a lovely pair of sunglasses - a bit like the ones Edgar Davids wears. A football dressing room is not the most sensitive of places, so he's taken loads of stick for his new mosquito look. He looks like he's ready for the beach! In all seriousness, he's got a problem with his eyes and anything which gets him out on the field is good for us. The results were favourable for us. With Notts County and Walsall losing and MK Dons and Swindon drawing, it proves that all the teams above us will drop points. We have to keep winning though. What is your favourite chant that the fans have sung about you? Paul Speak The songs the Wycombe fans sign tend to be negative about some of my former clubs - Oxford and Swindon. They are local rivals. I'm not sure they are fit for print though. Other than that, there are normally references to my angry look and that I'm going to get people - 'Tommy's gonna get ya!' I've been really lucky with the fans at all the clubs I have been at. I have always had a great relationship with them. They know I don't like losing and that I will do everything I can to win. I know that technically I am not the best footballer, but if I want something I'll get it - that's how I feel every game. Hi Tommy. Do you think the lack of goals from Wycombe`s midfield has contributed to the demise of our hopes for automatic promotion? Shaun Twitchen If you look at the majority of sides who win promotion, you normally have a striker who will get 20 goals, and a midfielder who will get a dozen. We haven't scored too many from midfield, but perhaps we won't need them. Jermaine might get near 30 goals while I should get around 20. Then Scott will score a few too. Our attacking midfielders do have a responsibility to chip in with goals though. Who is your best friend in football? Stuart Turner Nicky Eaden, who is on loan at Lincoln from Nottingham Forest. We know each other from our time together at Birmingham. I also know Bristol City assistant manager Keith Millen well. And then there's Rob Lee, who played at Wycombe last year. He was still playing at 40 years old - that shows his desire for the game. He's retired now but he could still play in the Football League. I'm not sure I could play at 40. It certainly seems a long way off. I'm going to play next season, after that I'll just take it one season at a time. When you get to your 30s, you look after yourself a lot more. At 25 you think it's going to last forever, but it doesn't work like that. Do you want to ask Tommy a question? You could ask about his favourite goal? What is his career highlight? Email your questions to editor@TheFA.com.
Just saw that myself. Interesting column. Worries me a bit though if the FA consider League 2 (the forth tier of our professional structure) to be grassroots!
