CARDIFF, UK – For a team renowned for developing local talent, eyebrows were understandably raised during the summer when it was announced that Cardiff had signed Alan Armour from Oxford City Stars. Signing a 34 year old Englishman to play on a traditionally youthful and almost exclusively Welsh side, was seen as somewhat of a risky move for ENL Devils Coach Mark Cuddihy. Never short of an opinion, Armour is a big personality off the ice as well as on it and even Cuddihy was slightly nervous of how he would fit into the squad.
Armour lost his swanky motor (Photo by Tim Bowers)
There was of course a risk for Armour as well. A successful spell at Oxford last year virtually assured him a leading role in the City Stars line up for the upcoming season. Cardiff was unknown territory for a player who has had more than his fair share of clubs since making his debut for Swindon Wildcats at the tender age of sixteen.
Having worn the colours of Swindon Ice Lords, Phoenix and Chill, Oxford Stars, Bracknell Bees in the old Premier League, and Isle of Wight Raiders in the EPL, Armour didn’t think twice about heading over the Severn Bridge and feels good about his choice:
“I have always rated Cardiff as a top club and they have not disappointed, I feel right at home here and that is as much down to the organisation as it is the fans and players making me feel welcome, I could just do with it being seventy or so miles closer”
The travelling was an issue made easier at the start of the season by Armour’s former Oxford team mate Andrew Shurmer’s decision to join him at the Devils. When Shurmer mysteriously upped sticks back to Oxford after only a couple of months, Armour had to make a tough decision:
“When Cudd (Cuddihy) signed me in the summer this year I had a job which came with a swanky motor and free fuel so the travel to Cardiff was only a case of splitting the bridge fee between myself Shurms (Shurmer) and Timmy Burrows. Then about October time I left that job and lost the car and free fuel so there became a transport issue and fuel expense of twenty pounds per trip three times a week we had not planned for. Shurms and I spoke about it and we managed to eat it up for a while but he had to make the decision based on his family being better off financially without that expense heading towards Christmas,
“We have a lot of mates in Oxford and they play for free, so he would still be able to play and enjoy the hockey, it was not any easy choice for him at all, as I know he loved playing in Cardiff the same as me. So yeah it was a tough time, but I am very much someone who likes to battle through the hard times and see things through to the end where I can, although there was a point before I got my new job where I thought I might have to find somewhere else as well,
Shurms spell in Cardiff was brief
“Fortunately, things have worked out for me and I said I would play in Cardiff this year and that is what I am doing. The ENL Cardiff team we have is fully funded by the players, everyone pays monthly fees and the away coach trips can cost anywhere between £30-£45 per trip so the cost of playing can be in the region of £200 per month everyone, and that’s before you even think about buying stick and leg tape, new sticks and equipment etc,
“I think if I am honest that’s what helped keep me there, we have a team of guys who know what they have to put in and accept it. That cost is also the reason we can sometimes turn up on away games with half a team, which has to be expected when people have other commitments for their money, luckily we have a squad of about 26 players so we manage most of the time. It would be great if everyone could play for free, or even have subsidised coaches or just a few rolls of tape or kit now and then,
“Sadly, we are not that fortunate yet. However, I know that is the long term goal. We are very lucky though to have a really good team of players who I think stick together more because they know how much effort and money everyone is putting in, we all want to be there. It also gives us more motivation when we play against teams we know have players who are not only having that £200ish monthly cost covered but also make a little extra on top too plus help with equipment (oops did I say that out loud?). I do laugh when I hear some of the figures being mentioned around the league, but then it has always amazed me some of the money teams in every league pay. There is of course the added satisfaction when we actually beat those teams. Now that is priceless”
Cardiff were tipped by Prohockeynews.com as dark horses for the title during the summer, and whilst they have had a good campaign this year, they are likely to fall short of the championship this time out. Armour isn’t giving up hope, but admits one eye is on the play offs:
Young%2C Welsh and talented (Photo by Tim Bowers)
“Realistically we are still intent on doing our best to win both the league and the play offs. The league is still a good possibility although the mess up with the Haringey game sheet losing us points and also losing to Bracknell last week have knocked us back a bit. Still, we have to play Invicta twice yet, once home and once away and I still think they will drop more points as teams start getting more serious as we gear up for play off hockey. It is a tight old race at the top though with us, Chelmsford and Bracknell all chasing and battling hard”
With ten goals and eighteen assists in his twenty three appearances in Cardiff colours, Armour has been in good form himself. Statistics do not tell the full story of Armour’s eventful season, when in just a few months he has hit the headlines for his extrovert displays of exuberance after scoring, not to mention a surprise guest appearance for Romford Raiders in their EPL fixture in Swindon:
“My problem is, I don’t think before I do things a lot of the time, and that isn’t restricted only to hockey, it’s a bit of a life statement. It’s purely instant reaction or just feels a natural thing to do at the time. I am well known for being a bit of a clown on and off the ice but I have always played the game because I love it and its fun. I grew up watching great characters who were as much about playing hockey as they were having a laugh and yes entertaining,
“The greatest clown of all I think was Kel Land he had some truly spectacular goal celebrations. But I got my love of doing tricks during the game from playing with Darcy Cahill, he always played with a smile and did some really clever/funny stuff with the puck. I am sure I do many things on the ice which most people miss, little tricks, like standing on the puck and passing it instead of using my stick, keep-ups mid play, back hand slap shots, no look passes ‘Thierry Henry’ style,
“I have got Ben Davies trying to perfect that one too. Then there is the covert annoyance and general mischievousness of other players and even the officials. I can’t go into any detail about that without stitching myself up though, but the players I play against know all about it. I always do it with a smile, but sometimes they take exception and for that I get a little extra attention in the corners or with slashes and hits. I am trying to bring back fun goal celebrations though, that is what I am campaigning for. The problem I have is I don’t score often enough to really make an impact. So when I do, look out”
On the display in Romford colours, Armour acknowledges it’s something he found an enjoyable but strange experience:
“I played more than a few seasons in the EPL and on the whole enjoyed it. It was good to be back even if only for one game and against my home town in a rink two minutes from my house. As for playing for Romford, well I never thought I would see the day, it was a strange experience and I am not sure there are many players who can say they have been booed by both sets of fans in the same game. Even my wife and kids, who came to watch, said they couldn’t clap for me”
Ben Davies rated by Armour (Photo by Tim Bowers)
A lot has changed in British Hockey since Armour first burst onto the scene. Fans endlessly debate the standard of British players and whether the skill level is rising or falling. Armour has seen first hand the changes and believes the game itself has changed so much, it is difficult to make comparisons:
“There is no doubt we still produce some outstanding hockey talent in this country, but not in big enough numbers. It’s a different type of player who succeeds now, when I first started playing senior hockey at aged 16, I was 5 feet 8 inches tall and 11 stone soaking wet. That meant I took a lot of punishment from much bigger players as that was the way the game was played back then. The likes of Ian Pound, Mike Rowe, Scott Young and Mark Pallister, to name just a few monsters, were not bothered how old or how big you were, you were the opposition and therefore fair game,
“Now though it seems hard hits or physical play can sometimes be penalised merely because someone is smaller or younger. That offers the smaller/younger players better opportunity to skate at a million miles an hour and use their speed. We now see players like Adam Brittle, Matty Davies & Ben Davies making names for themselves and playing great hockey,
“I would have loved to have the time to skate at speed (I did used to have it in abundance, honest!) without being hauled down, slashed, hooked or battered. That said, the three players I just mentioned are three which I have no doubt would probably have shone back then anyway as they are tough enough to battle as well being awesome players. Ben Davies being a prime example as we see him terrorising big guys in the Elite league regularly with his skills, speed and tenacity”
Back to Cardiff and their future, Armour likes what he has seen and though Ben Davies often grabs the headlines as the ENL Devils brightest star, he isn’t the only prospect tipped for big things by their old uncle Al:
Celebrating against Dynamos (Photo by Tim Bowers)
“Cardiff have such a fantastic junior set up they are constantly producing great players. Right now the guy who has made the biggest impact for me is my line mate Chris Jones aka Bruno, he is only 18 or 19 but is a pleasure to play with, mainly because he is good on the draws, skates his socks off all over the ice and can score goals to finish off my passes while I just stand back and watch. To top it off he is not an arrogant lad, as good players can sometimes be at that age, and is always ready to listen and learn,
“Then you have the likes of Tim Burrows who is a few years older but is still a hot prospect and someone who can score some very pretty goals but grinds along the boards and in the corners too. Then a little older again is Steven Fisher who is sitting on 60 odd points already this year. The question is really though what the definition of ‘making it’ is? Could they play at EPL level? Yes no problem, in fact Fisher and Chris Jones have both played EPL this season, along with a few other ENL Devils, with Basingstoke and Romford respectively, both scored goals and got assists and both picked up MOM along with very good reviews,
“There are probably 5 or 6 in my team I think could do a job at EPL level but I am not sure they would want to, or that they would benefit much either, the additional training and games would mean moving out of their city/country and leaving jobs or study. I would much rather see them all have the opportunity to skate with the Elite Devils and be coached into making that team, which to be fair is already happening, as G (Gerard Adams – Elite Devils coach) is well aware of our team and speaks regularly with Cudd”
Would you trust this man%3F Armour at Oxford
So what do we know about Alan Armour? Opinionated, talented, enthusiastic and mischievous would all be accurate descriptions, added to sly and annoying if you play for, or follow the opposition when he plays. What of his future? Will he hang out with the kids until he gets told to leave, or will he go out on a high if the Devils were to achieve glory this season:
“I am still playing because people like Cudd keep asking me to play. I don’t think I will stop until either I don’t get asked or I find myself being more of a hindrance than a help and even then I won’t actually stop, I will just find someone in ENL2 or Rec to play for. I do want to go into coaching at some point but not while I still feel like I have something to offer on the ice. I do chip in with running practice now and then but for now I am content with just worrying about trying to help win games on the ice”
Whatever happens to Alan Armour you can bet it will be eventful. Cardiff fans and players and fans alike will be hoping that at the end of the season, he has some silverware to pose with. His wife Stephanie and his kids will certainly have no problems clapping that achievement.
Thanks for reading.
Carrsy
Contact the author david.carr@prohockeynews.com
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