FOR A man who never quite made the cut as a professional footballer, Adam Wilde will be able to retire to concentrate on his hairdressing salon a happy man after this campaign brought his career full circle.
His Gosport Borough side's league form might have tapered off in recent weeks, with relegation from Skrill South becoming a real possibility with each winless game that passes since the Hampshire club reached the FA Trophy final.
But the chance to walk out at Wembley and face the club where he started out in their Football League days, Cambridge United, will apply a lick of gel to the 34-year-old's career.
“I was 17 when Tommy Taylor gave me my debut at home to Cardiff in Division Three,” said Wilde. “Tommy said at the time ‘That's it, you're in with us every week now,' and I was. I made a few sub appearances over the next couple of years and started one game, away at Scunthorpe at the start of 1998-99, but I got injured and then Roy MacFarland took over.
Stick
“Football's about opinions and Roy was a more defensive minded manager. At the time I was a quick winger who liked to run at people. He let me go in 1999 and I went to Cambridge City.”
Wilde continued to live in digs with United die-hard Paul Roberts, landlord of U's fans' pub The Brook, during his three years at Milton Road and when he joined their Southern Premier rivals Worcester City in 2002.
While at St George's Lane he won an England National Game XI cap against Belgium, in February 2003, ironically alongside current Gosport team-mate Tim Sills.
After moving back to his native Southampton in 2004, he played for Weymouth, Salisbury, St Albans, Eastbourne Borough, Sutton United, Farnborough and AFC Totton before switching to their Southern League Division One South & West rivals Gosport in 2009.
“I've had a few of those occasions when I've stood thinking, ‘What am I doing here on a Tuesday night? I could be at home on the sofa watching telly with the missus',” he admits.
“Our assistant, Mick Catlin, has stopped me retiring for the last three seasons. We weren't doing well at Step 4 and I'd had enough, but Mick convinced me. We went up that season to the Premier, and I thought ‘It's not going to get much better than this', but he persuaded me to stay again.
“We won promotion to Conference South and now we've got Wembley, so I've a lot to thank him for.”
After going back to college around a decade ago to train to be a hairdresser – “all the boys gave me stick until I qualified, then they wanted free haircuts,” he laughs – he started work in Duo, in Southampton, and bought the salon from his boss in 2010.
He hasn't been able to escape from his day job on Borough's road trips to Wembley, and doesn't expect to when Alex Pike's boys travel to north London for a threenight stay ahead of the final on March 23.
Soppy
“We've got a good closeknit team because we've kept pretty much the same core of the squad from when we started two leagues down,” says Wilde. “When we had the overnight stay before we played North Ferriby in the quarter-final, I did three or four haircuts in the room.
“The lads have already told me to bring the clippers for when we go up to Wembley on the Thursday, so no doubt I'll be doing a few Trophy final trims too. I'm too soppy to charge, but the lads are buzzing so if it helps with th spirit, that's my contribution.”
After setting up Sills for his first goal in the semi-final second leg against Havant & Waterlooville, Wilde has already had valuable input to the Privett Park club's cup run.
“When we started getting to the serious stages of this competition I was keeping an eye on United, because I've only played against them once since I left, for St Albans,” adds Wilde.
“Playing them in the final is perfect. You can't think of a better place to play against the first team you played for.
“I never thought I'd get a chance to play at Wembley, especially not at 34. I've been lucky enough to play professionally and play for England. Now – touch wood – I hopefully get to play at Wembley.
“I've ticked every box for what you want to do growing up with aspirations of being a footballer. I'm content now.”
At peace, but not without purpose; the Borough Barber is still aiming for a Number One on Trophy final day!
*This article first appeared in The NLP on Sunday, March 9
