Straight From The Off

Straight From The Off welcomes Tony Gray to the Podcast. Tony is a striker that has a real eye for goal and has always delivered, with a ratio of 1 in 2 throughout his career. Tony has played for teams that include South Sefton, Newton, Bangor City, Burscough, Southport, Droylsden, Chester & Warrington amongst others. He scored goals for fun with Ormskirk & District league side the NAC which was w...

Straight From The Off welcomes Kevin Townson to the Podcast. Kevin has played professional football for Rochdale and Macclesfield as well as playing for teams like Northwich Victoria and Droylsden. Scoring two goals against Premier League League side Fulham in a League Cup tie as a teenager for Rochdale being one of his career highlights. Kevin represented England under 19s with famous players suc...

Straight From The Off welcomes Paul Mooney to the Podcast. Paul is renowned as having one of the best left pegs in the semi pro and amateur scene, once scoring a hat-trick of free kicks in a Premier Cup semi final. He was integral in the rise of Lower Breck FC who have worked their way from a youth team to winning the Liverpool County Premier league and every cup in sight, completing a memorable q...

Straight From The Off welcomes John Miles to the Podcast. John was one of the stand out players i had the pleasure to play against as a youngster in the Walton & Kirkdale JFL. Even though John was playing an age group up from his own age he still stood out, which lead him to be signed by Everton, and then Liverpool were he would turn Pro. John tells us what it was like to train every day with the...

Straight From The Off welcomes Darren Hilditch to the Podcast. Darren was one of the stand out players i had watched play as a teenager during a fantastic match between Fantail & Britannia. It was the game that set the standard in my head for the top level of amateur football in the city. Darren was a very skillful player with an eye for the spectacular. He played for teams such as Manfast, Fantai...

Straight From The Off welcomes Paul Moran to the podcast. As a youngster Paul played for teams such as Buckley Villa, Koters, Formby Dons & Waterloo GSOB amongst others. He also appeared a number of times for Liverpool FC ‘B’ team in the late 70’s whilst training at Melwood twice a week. Paul is the son of Liverpool FC legend Ronnie Moran, so was in and around the club for the majority of his youn...

Straight From The Off welcomes Jamie Fahey to the podcast. Jamie is the production editor for The Guardian newspaper and also a published author who has recently released ‘Futsal: The Story Of An Indoor Football Revolution’ but before all that he was an amateur and semi pro footballer in the city playing for teams that include Bourne FC, East Villa, Maghull, Prescot Cables, St Helens, Horwich RMI...

Straight From The Off welcomes Gary Martindale to the podcast. Gary went from playing footy on Finch Lane to playing at Wembley. After scoring goals for fun at Dovecote Labour and St Dominic's he made the move to Burscough and his knack of scoring goals got him a big move to Bolton Wanderers as a professional. He was the golden boot winner at Notts County and built up a great relationship with a y...

Straight From The Off welcomes Wayne Wardle to the Podcast. Wayne has done nearly every role possible within amateur football, he has even worked at the County FA trying develope grassroots football within the City. Wayne played for teams that include Town Green, Nalgo Old Boys, Bootle, Penlake, Newton & Waterloo Dock and his main Sunday side Canada who he has served for a number of years. He tell...

Straight From The Off welcomes Thomas Lamb to the Podcast. Lamby was a silky striker in the mold of Dimitar Berbatov (so i always thought!) and played the game with a smile on his face for teams that include Turpins, Southport, Warrington, Runcorn, Waterloo Dock and his main Sunday side Britannia. He tells us about his winner Kop end before the LFC vs Norwich game, the Kops last stand. He tells us...

Straight From The Off welcomes Tony Grant to the podcast. Tony went from supporting Everton to playing for the club. Tony lived in the same street as me when growing up, and all the lads in the area looked up to him as an example of what you can achieve. He played for local club Bulford FC and then Diamonds FC. He represented Liverpool Schoolboys where he met his long term pal Robbie Fowler. Tony...

Straight From The Off welcomes Phil Thompson to the Podcast. Phil needs no introduction to football fans of the city, but he tells us how it all came about. From street football in Kensington and Kirkby where he lived, to lifting the European Cup as Captain for his beloved Liverpool FC. Phil played for Kirkby Boys, playing against the rival districts including Liverpool Boys which he says are some...

Straight From The Off welcomes Ray Putterill to the Podcast. Ray played for Liverpool Football Club from 6 years of age and was highly thought of by all at the club. He represented England at youth level playing alongside the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Jack Cork. After a number of serious injuries Ray left Liverpool and turned to the amateur game. He then had spells back in the pro ranks with A...

Straight From The Off welcomes Billy O’callaghan to the Podcast. ‘Sir’ Billy as he is affectionately known in Kirkby is one of the best natural goalscorers i have ever seen, so i was delighted to get him on the show. Billy tells us how watching his Dad play from a young age fuelled his love for football, and as a youngster he represented Kirkby Boys scoring in a cup final at Goodison Park. He tell...

Straight From The Off welcomes Dixie Elliot Podcast. Dix was always a player i looked up to as a child, both growing up in the same area. And i always wondered why he didn’t seem to test himself at a higher level. So what better way to find out!! Starting out as a youth playing for Spooner and Crosby Stuart he eventually got the call to go to Liverpool FC’s School of Excellence where he played wit...

Straight From The Off welcomes Rickie Lambert to the podcast. Rickie went from playing at Kirkby Stadium to Wembley Stadium! He tells us where it all started, at Shevington Park in Kirkby and progressing to Liverpool youth team and Kirkby Schoolboys. Deemed mot good enough for Blackpool FC he eventually ended up playing for his boyhood club Liverpool FC as well as England. He tells us tales from a...

Straight From The Off welcomes Lee McEvilly to the Podcast. He tells us about the battles between Merton Villa and The Brunny and growing up from a skinny kid to “A Unit” in mans football. Lee went from scoring at Buckley Hill to scoring at Wembley! Lee has played for some great clubs that include Burscough, Rochdale, Accrington, Wrexham, Barrow and even as a fully capped international footballer...

Straight From The Off welcomes Billy Roberts to the Podcast. Billy has had a long and distinguished career in amateur and non league football gathering lots of trophies along the way, he has played for Bootle, Prescot Cables, & St Dominic's amongst others and went on to manage at Plessey's and Yorkshire Copper Tube and more recently at Nalgo FC in the Liverpool County FA. On a Sunday he was a play...

Straight From The Off welcomes John Coleman to the Podcast. John is one of the most prolific non-league strikers of all time with over 500 goals to his name at clubs like Burscough, Marine, Ashton United and most notably Morecombe. John started playing in Kirkby as a youngster and soon represented Kirkby boys and later on Kirkby Town and The Woodpecker. He tells us about being a player manager and...

Straight From The Off welcomes John Roche to the podcast. John went from playing knockout pairs on Hawksmoor Park in Fazakerley to playing in the 3rd round of the FA Cup. He played for Holy Name, Skelmersdale, Kirkby Town amongst others but most notably Marine where he had his longest and most successful stint. John won many trophies along the way but modestly refers to himself as ‘Johnny on the s...

Straight From The Off welcomes Bradley Orr to the podcast. Bradley went from watching his father play for Knowsley Utd and Croxteth Legion, to his father watching him in the Premier League! He tells us where it all started, at The Railway in Kirkby and progressing to Everton youth team and Liverpool Schoolboys. He tells us why he chose Newcastle Utd as a teenager and how the move shaped him as a p...

Straight From The Off welcomes Joe Gibiliru Snr to the Podcast. Joe has had a long and distinguished career in amateur and non league football gathering lots of trophies along the way, he has played for Waterloo Dock, Precscot Cables, Marine, St Helens and Knowsley United amongst others and went on to manage at Prescot, Lucas Sports and St Helens Town. On a Sunday he was a player and manager of th...

Straight From The Off welcomes John Doran to the Podcast. The former Bootle FC manager tells us his story, from being a youngster following his Dads team Langton Dock through to the re-incarnation of the famous Bootle FC. John has been a player, manager, spongeman, secretary and ultra at the club who were once mains rivals to Everton. John tells us the history of Bootle and how his family became i...

Straight From The Off welcomes Thomas Rooney to the Podcast. One of the most decorated amateur footballers of his generation, Tom tells us how playing locally as a kid got him the chance to sign for Tranmere Rovers who had great runs in the FA Youth Cup. He then moved on to Macclesfield Town in the pro ranks playing against the likes of Manchester United featuring Tim Howard and Jonny Evans. Out o...