A real Guest of Honour!

MARTYN GUEST 1987-2022

By Jon Couch

NON-LEAGUE football paid tribute to one of the game’s true characters this week – with friend and former boss Rob Small describing him as “one of the best”.

Martyn Guest, perhaps best known for his time at Witham Town and two spells with Bowers & Pitsea, lost his battle with leukaemia last week at the age of 35.

And Small, who led Bowers from Step 5 to Step 3 with Guest between the sticks, says his passing has left a huge void in his life both on and off the pitch.

“Guesty was a real man’s man,” said Small, now in charge of National League South side Concord Rangers.

“A man of honour, a man of principle and my biggest ally.

“Guesty was a physically strong man who had a real presence wherever he went. He had an unbelievable character, always in the thick of the jokes and driving the atmosphere.

“In many ways, he was a manager’s dream but a manager’s nightmare too. He never had any clothes on, his timekeeping wasn’t the best and he pushed the boundaries, but I loved him. He put his heart and soul into everything he did.”

Small also revealed that it was only after a training ground kickaround that Guest adopted the number one jersey.

“He was my teammate at Bowers first and he was a centre-back,” Small explained. “When I went into management he would always ask me if he could have a go in goal. One day, I handed him the gloves and he was better than me!

“I then took over a club called Southminster in the Essex Intermediate League and signed Guesty as a goalkeeper. We won at Step 8 and then Step 7 and he got snapped up by Witham Town and led them to the play-offs.

“There was only one man I wanted to sign when I returned to Bowers and when he became available he came back over. There was never any conversation about money, that wasn’t what he did it for.

“He turned out to be the catalyst to the club’s surge up the leagues. They were really special times for us all.”

OLD PALS ACT: Rob Small with Martyn Guest

PICTURE: Gareth Nash

Indeed, Guest’s contributions both on and off the field will never be forgotten by the club itself.

Support

Announcing the news of his passing, the Essex club tweeted: “Sometimes, there are tweets that we never think we will have to write, and are truly devastated to have to write this one.

“Bowers legend Martyn Guest has passed away following his battle with Leukaemia. We send our sincerest condolences to Charlie and all of Martyn’s family.

“Guesty made 94 appearances for Bowers across two spells, mostly during the [Rob Small] era, and was part of the squad when we won the Essex Senior League, Isthmian North Division, and on our historic run to the FA Cup First Round. Thank You for all the memories Guesty.”

Guest’s close friends and family have set up a GoFund-Me page to help raise money for his wife Charlie and young children Jayden (8) and Sienna (3).

So far, over £46,000 has been raised from a £10,000 target – proof if ever it was needed of the love people had for Martyn, on and off the field.

“He touched so many lives,” Small added. “Even during his illness, he took everything in his stride. We were all so very proud of him.

“As a result, his self-employed business deteriorated over the last 12 months and that’s why we wanted to set up the fund, to help support his wife and children who have lost a husband and father at such a young age.”

To contribute to the fund, please visit https:// www.gofundme.com/f/ the-guesty-fund