First game you watched live?
I was just two years old and my dad Tommy took me to see Everton – I remember him saying he carried me. Obviously I don’t remember that but one game that does stick in my mind is the 1995 FA Cup semi-final at Elland Road.
I was ten and Everton beat Tottenham 4-1 – I remember that perfectly.
First football hero?
Early on it was Kevin Sheedy because of his free-kicks – he had a great left foot. I remember watching videos of a game against Ipswich when he scored a free-kick in the top left corner. The referee told him to re-take it and he put it in the other corner! When I got a bit older it was Duncan Ferguson, I remember his header when we beat Liverpool 2-0 and his goal against Man United when he took his shirt off.
First pair of boots?
I was always an Adidas World Cups man. I played for my first football team when I was six so it must have been around then. It was the Shevington Park Under-9s – I was a little six-year-old but I was fearless.
First kit?
One that sticks out was that white Everton away kit with the navy blue pinstripes. I would have had kits before that but this one had my name and the number eight on the back. I have always played in midfield, but I probably should have tried to be a striker – that’s where the money is!
First professional game?
My debut was for Carlisle against Lincoln City – I was 19. We had someone sent off after 20 minutes and they scored the resulting penalty. It was downhill from there and we lost 2-0, so I wasn’t too happy with that.
First professional goal?
That was the very next game, against Huddersfield in the cup. I scored a header and we won 2-0, so that was pretty good. I remember it well, Craig Farrell put in the cross. It’s funny how you remember these moments from more than ten years ago.
First red card?
My first sending off was for Bradford City, against Blackpool. I got booked for a foul that should actually have gone the other way and the second yellow was for crunching one of my mates, Danny Coid. I didn’t plan it but I saw him on the ball and I couldn’t resist!
