Herts Vipers first team had a fantastic 2019/20 season competing in the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Women's Football League Division Three. We spoke to Jon Wood who was co-founder and currently vice Chairman of the club as well as being part of the coaching team for their under 18's and Women's first team.
WHAT'S YOUR FOOTBALLING HISTORY?
Once I’d progressed beyond a kick-about at the park or in the playground, I started playing for my school when I was about 8 I think. I enjoyed playing up front or in goal, but my mates (who were always on hand with a cruel or confidence crushing remark, bless ‘em) never held back in telling me how crap I was up front, but they did begrudgingly say I was “alright” in goal.
Later I also joined my local club, Mile Oak Dragons, on the Sussex coast where we lived when I was growing up. When I was about 12 I got scouted to play in goal for Brighton & Hove Albion’s youth set up. At the time Brighton’s first team played in the old First Division, when they played at the Goldstone Ground, long before they moved to the Amex stadium where they play in the Premier League today. Summer training was good and sometimes the first team keepers Graham Moseley and Perry Digweed would come down. The youth squad winter training was far from glamorous, held in a cold, dusty old hall just behind the old stadium. We occasionally got invited to watch matches for free at the Goldstone and sometimes we were allowed in the players lounge before kick off, which had a pool table etc.
I have a slightly surreal memory of sitting in there with Gary Stevens and Neil Smillie, who played for Brighton back then, watching Football Focus on TV before a game. A bad leg break in a match ended my playing ambitions when I was 16, although I don’t think I would have made it as a pro keeper as I’m under 6 foot. It was all fantastic experience though, especially for someone who’s mates only said was “alright” in goal. I have three children, a son and two daughters and I coached my son’s team at John Warner Youth for a while, which I really enjoyed for a couple of years. One of my daughters plays football and she was playing for Bury Rangers Girls when an opportunity came up to get back into coaching for 2017/18, so I stepped in, together with my good friend John Corfield who’s daughter also played in the team. We didn’t have a big squad and a year later we were struggling to recruit players, so JC and I moved the core of that old Bury Rangers team to Pro:Direct Herts for season 2018/19, to merge with and manage an U18 squad they were assembling.
Anyone that’s ever tried merging two teams together will probably agree this is rarely easy and, for a few weeks over pre-season, the two groups would train and play together but at team talks etc. they would still always sit in two groups and not mix. This divide was still there when the season started but, nonetheless, we managed to get off to a winning start. The wins kept coming and, over the next few weeks, things just started to click between them as a group. That U18 team had something special and ended up going on to win every league game and also won the League Cup to clinch the double.
Amazingly, come the end of that season, they had all become very close as one group. That’s something I love about football. Due to the talent and team spirit that developed, we decided to make the transition into senior football, which was a factor in how Herts Vipers came to be formed.
Early in 2019, mid-way through our first season at Pro:Direct, they announced they had decided to discontinue their grassroots football programme at the end of that season. By this time I’d become good friends with Gary Bailey, who managed the Herts based Pro:Direct club, so we sat down to consider the options and decided to form our own club and rebrand the existing teams. Starting a new club from scratch was exciting, but also far more work than we ever imagined.
Thankfully we had help from a lot of good people and we got there. Choosing the name wasn’t easy. We came up with a few ideas but, as we narrowed it down, we decided we wanted something that was memorable and easy to chant from the sidelines, that gave us a geographical identity, but equally didn’t restrict us too much on where we played. So after a lot of debate we finally settled on Herts Vipers.
ARE ALL THE PLAYERS FROM THE LOCAL AREA? WHO TRAVELS FROM THE FURTHEST AWAY?
Most of our players today live in or around the Welwyn, Hatfield and St Albans areas, but some travel from further away, like Barnet, Edgware, Baldock and Letchworth. Generally speaking everyone is roughly within a 5 mile radius of Hatfield, where we train.
BEST RESULT OF THE SEASON FOR THE FIRST TEAM?
We’ve won all our league games and had a few double digit victories, plus beaten teams from higher divisions in the cups, so we’ve had lots of good results. However, I think our best result of the season was in the Quarter Final of the County Cup, when we took on Stevenage Women’s 1st Team. Stevenage play in National League Division 1 South East, 5 divisions above us. We came from being 1-2 down at halftime, to lead 3-2 in the second half.
Frustratingly, Stevenage equalised in the 84th minute to take it to extra time and we conceded an own goal late in extra time. However, to push experienced National League opposition all the way like that, considering a few of our team are still aged between 16-18, shows the level of talent we’re developing.
(Their biggest result of the season was a 0-14 away league victory at Whetstone Wanderers. Kelsey Milen and Nicole Jansey scored hat-tricks)
WORST RESULT OF THE SEASON FOR THE FIRST TEAM?
Our worst result was going down 1-3 at home in the Semi Final of the League Cup vs St Albans. We didn’t give a good account of ourselves that day as knew we needed to start well, put St Albans on the back foot and disrupt their game plan, but we just didn’t play anywhere near the level we’re capable of. We found ourselves 0-2 down at halftime and, while we improved a bit in the second half, we were still not at our best and, by then, we were always chasing the game.
We pulled a goal back early in the second half but St Albans are an experienced team who kept their composure when some teams would have started to panic. They knew we’d have to gamble and commit players forward as the clock ticked down and St Albans hit us on the counter to get the 3rd goal late in the game.
Given that was only our second competitive defeat, the Stevenage result also has to count as one of our worst results (as well as the best!). While the overall team performance was outstanding, I think our players would all tell you they’re gutted they were unable to see it out when we were 3-2 up with just 6 minutes to go.
BEST THING ABOUT FOOTBALL AT GRASS ROOTS LEVEL?
For me, one of the best things about grassroots football is how it creates bonds and friendships between people that can last a lifetime.
WORST THING ABOUT FOOTBALL AT GRASS ROOTS LEVEL?
In normal times I’d say the lack of support and investment from above, given the millions paid to a small minority at the top of the pyramid. Right now though, telling clubs in the lower tiers their season is “expunged” but in parallel looking to do something different for the top tier clubs really doesn’t sit well with me. To make a decision like that suggests perhaps the FA don’t genuinely appreciate or value the countless hours invested at the grassroots level by players, coaches and many other volunteers, to support our national game.
BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU'VE EVER BEEN GIVEN IN FOOTBALL?
Never be afraid of trying something new, just do your best to always try and learn from the mistakes you make along the way.
HOW HAVE YOU AND ALL THE PLAYERS BEEN GETTING ON WITH THE CURRENT LOCK DOWN SITUATION?
Everyone has found it tough but we’re all in awe of the work being done by the NHS and those in the front line services that are keeping things going. We set up a well-Being section on our website and all check in with each other from time to time on WhatsApp groups etc. plus our league run a quiz each week, which a few of us have joined in with.
I think all the players are just itching to get back out and play again as soon as possible. From a club perspective, we’re just trying to use the time as best we can to get as much done now in preparation for next season, whenever that comes.
Thanks to Jon for speaking to TheColdEnd - We wish him and all at the Herts Vipers the very best of luck for next season. If you or a family member are looking for a new club they are on the hunt for new players for the 2020/21 campaign - details are above. You can follow them on twitter @HertsV.
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