OXFORD, UK – Gareth Endicott is hoping that it will be third time lucky as he rejoins the Oxford City Stars for their English National League campaign.
Endicott has twice iced for Oxford based teams in the past yet neither team made it to the end of the season. The ill fated Oxford Chill and Oxford City Fox Blades failed to complete the 1999/2000 and 1997/1998 seasons respectively, for differing reasons.
The Chill were hamstrung by a failure of the ice plant at Oxpens Road and had to relocate to Swindon, however the Fox Blades pulled the plug just two months after signing Endicott due to money problems. The youngster had made a good impact in his short time with the club which was highlighted when he notched the winner against deadly rivals Swindon just weeks earlier.
No Swedish spoken (Photo by Sarah Harris)
Despite seemingly being the curse of Oxford, Endicott has moved to reassure Stars fans that their club should be safe this year:
“A jinx, me? I would hope not” says the 32 year old. “To be honest, both those occasions were a very long time ago. Both teams had good intentions but I think there may have been a slight over-sight on how much it actually cost to run a team back then (in the case of the Fox Blades). Looking back I have no regrets about either team to be fair”
Endicott has spent the majority of his long career at his home club of Swindon and appeared fifty times last year in the English Premier League with the Wildcats. The team defied the odds to reach the Play-off finals weekend at Coventry, knocking league champions Milton Keynes Lightning out on the way. After such an eventful season, a move to Oxford seems a strange one on the face of it for the 5’ 8” forward:
“I have always said I will play until I stop enjoying it” he says. “Dropping to the ENL certainly fits my lifestyle better. I am a married man nowadays and I have two small children, one of which (Ollie) is starting to play for the Swindon Cubs, so the reduction in fixtures is a welcome one,
“It also makes it easier knowing that the league will be of a good standard this year and very competitive. A number of players have dropped down from the EPL. I have loads of friends playing in Oxford and around the league for other teams so I can’t wait to get started”
Endicott’s friendships may be tested early on as he takes up his role as Assistant Coach to Ken Forshee. The balance of playing and coaching is always a difficult one; however with his experience in the game, Endicott walks into the dual roles with both eyes wide open, and believes that Oxford can do well this year:
“I am really looking forward to working with Ken and the rest of the team” he says.”I am hoping I can bring something to the team from both a playing and coaching side, I have been training in Oxford a few times now and I think the team is shaping up nicely,
“I think we will surprise a few people this season, they did well last year and I think as a team we have strengthened. Defensively we will be very good, we will be looking to certainly make the Play-offs and surprise some of the bigger teams on the way. How far can we go? I guess we will have to wait and see”
Strongman Eden returns (Photo by Tim Bowers)
On paper the City Stars seem to have a good balance. A strong local core of Darren Elliott, Andy Cox and Alan Green are supplemented by the Swindon connection, including the likes of Wayne Fiddes, Nick Eden, Grant Bailey and Yousif Abu Saada. The key some would say is the ability of new Swedish goalie Robin Lindva. The Stockholm stopper flies into the UK shortly faced with big expectations, however any question of a language barrier problem are quickly dismissed by Endicott:
“He (Lindva) was recommended by a guy we used to play with, Mikael Juhlin and he rates him highly so I am really looking forward to seeing him play,
“Do any of us speak Swedish? I don’t think we do, but if needs be Fiddsy (Wayne Fiddes) could teach himself Swedish in a couple of weeks I am sure”
So after 25 years of playing hockey, for various teams and in various leagues, what would Endicott say the highlights have been?
“Winning the league with Swindon a few years back was fantastic” he smiles. “But more recently the whole season in the Isle of Wight, we finished bottom but we had a very memorable season beating Guildford I think 3 times and attaining our goal of 30 points. It meant so much to me as it was a team I built and I was very happy with the way the team played throughout the year,
“Finally the biggest highlight for me would be Ollie’s first academy game a few weeks back in Swindon”
If Ollie manages to follow in Endicott Senior’s footsteps with a long successful career in the game, then the proud father will surely have no complaints.
Contact the author: david.carr@prohockeynews.com
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