COUNTY GALLERY

ANDREW DELVE   by Ray Taylor

At the end of last season goalkeeper ANDREW DELVE was a disappointed young footballer.  Though he had played four first times for the first team, he was somewhat disillusioned about his prospects and left the club.

Consequently he did not expect events to turn out  as they have this year, particularly when former Welsh

international  Roger Freestone  joined us last summer.

“ I didn’t like the way it was going for me at the time.  Duncan Roberts had more experience than me but I thought I could be as good as him and I was disappointed I didn’t get more chances to prove myself.

“I always wanted to be regarded as the number one keeper at the club and when I joined the Academy at the age of sixteen I hoped one day to be where I am now.”

Like many other keepers 19 year-old Andrew actually started as an outfield player but one day when his side were short of someone to play in goal, he volunteered for the job, and has stayed there ever since!  He enjoyed his time at the Academy at Hartridge School, improving his performance as a keeper, especially his kicking and handling, in what he felt was a professional set-up.

“We had a good group of boys and we all got on well together.  Goalkeeping is all about confidence and I suppose  I   am   quite  a  confident  person, but  you

have nobody to turn to when things go wrong because no one else understands what it is like. 

“If you make a mistake you just want to be swallowed up.  But you have to get on with it and I’ve got broader shoulders now I have had a run in the side.”

Andrew was not happy about the way he felt the previous manager here treated him so he contacted Caldicot Town in the summer and went straight into their first team in the Welsh League.  He played 11 first team games for them and enjoyed some success in consecutive weeks in penalty shoot-outs in Caldicot’s cup games.

“After I made the save to help us win one shoot-out, we had another a week later and I again made a save and then took the penalty that won us the tie.”

But Andrew’s time at Caldicot was about to end because of a call he had from John Fitzgerald in October who explained that he was needed again at County because Roger Freestone had suffered an injury.

“I was happy to come back.  It was just what I wanted in fact – a fresh start with a new manager.”

Andrew made six consecutive appearances before being injured himself, but after playing once more Roger realised that he was not going to be able to sustain the level of fitness necessary.  His retirement in November has cleared the way for the Newport-born teenager to stake a claim for the number one spot and he has proved well up to the task since.

Having left the Academy, Andrew is now pursuing a new career in carpentry.  However, keepers tend to mature later than most outfield players, and he has impressed with his handling ability on crosses as well as his shot stopping.  If he continues to work hard as he has this season, he should have a bright future as a keeper.

My family.  My dad died when I was eight, but my mother Cath and my elder brothers Peter and Simon have always encouraged me.

Peter Schmeichel.

Stereophonics.

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