Streatham aiming for the top

STREATHAM, UK – It’s late at night and the Streatham Redskins are scrimmaging. The handful of supporters and volunteers watch from the sidelines and it is apparent that one player is enjoying it more than the rest. With his fair share of facial scar’s and a startling likeness to actor Harrison Ford, Head Coach Barry Spours has been skating at this rink for longer than most.
 
The past summer was one of uncertainty for the South London club and there were rumours that the historic Redskins would fold. Spours’ is quite clear how close the team came to dissolving:
   
“The team was all set to fold. There is little doubt in my mind that it was a done deal due to the loss of coaching staff, difficulties with committee members stepping down due to family pressures, the uncertainty about the rink itself and the subsequent doubt surrounding the clubs future,
 
“With this coming at a late juncture in the preparation for the season, it meant that we lost a lot of key players, it was a huge challenge and extremely stressful time for me personally”
 
It is no wonder that Spours was so determined to keep the Redskins in operation. He started playing hockey at Streatham in 1978 at the age of ten and six years later he made the Redskins roster as a netminder. However his first opportunity in senior hockey came under unusual circumstances:
 
“I was coming back from my first U19’s GB Tournament in Murrayfield, Edinburgh to back up the Redskins against Ayr Bruins. I was late walking into the rink as the traffic was terrible, and I entered the changing room to find everyone was kitted up,
 
“I looked around at guys like Mark Howell, Tony Goldstone, Gary Brine and Gary Stefan embarrassed because I was late and the Coach said to me; ‘how are you feeling?’ I said; ‘good thanks’. He replied: ‘get your kit on, you are starting tonight’. I was terrified. I played my debut game in front of a packed house and we won 7-3. I won man of the match and that was my baptism into the word of Premier League Ice Hockey,
 
“The hockey I learned at Streatham lead to some great experiences for me as a young man and I still have some great experiences with the sport now travelling around the UK and Europe playing tournaments and games”
 
The current Redskins side has been moulded in Spours’ never say die spirit and the Coach insists that the traditions and history of team is still important to the current players. He also recently ordered an all red uniform for the team in line with the teams’ identity:
 
“I think its is a case of players who join the Redskins learn what it means to play for the club, by being alongside players like Josh Allam and Ed Koral in the changing rooms and on the ice. At the end of the day, these guys have been taught by the old guard at Streatham such as Adam and Tony Goldstone, and that spirit prevails and is passed down to the next generation of players,
 
“As for the uniforms, well I guess for me it is a tradition thing, Streatham always wore red from top to bottom and it was the thing that made them unique, and not just a Chicago Blackhawk’s copycat team, it was the Streatham take on the Chicago brand”
 
After the relief of securing the team’s future, a mixed bag of results has irked the Coach, though his ambition for the team is based on long term thinking:
 
“We have all but achieved our original goal of beating the bottom teams to keep us out of the relegation zone, and that is all I had hoped for with all the difficulties we faced at the start of the season,
 
“I remember saying to myself just keep the team in ENL 1 and buy some time for the club to get back on its feet. Obviously once you achieve your aims, you raise the bar and want to achieve more, which is why I get frustrated when we can’t take on the bigger clubs and take the large scalps that I feel we deserve,
 
“In bringing in new players we have gained depth, but somehow we have lost a little of the Dunkerque spirit we had with two lines at the beginning of the season. Realistically you can’t keep going with ten players, and ultimately this is progress and the next step towards developing the team. I have never been an overly tactical or technical coach, and I guess that stems from the way I played my own game. It is a cliché but I am learning all the time, and that is another thing that amazes me about the sport, you just never stop learning from it,
 
“This is my first real season as a coach and I took on the job reluctantly. If I ever felt that my lack of experience was hindering the team I would be the first to step back and appoint a more experienced coach, as I did whilst player coach at the end of last season. Obviously without the money to pay a coach, and peoples work commitments to consider, attracting coaching staff to Streatham is a difficult task indeed”
 
The frustration stems from the heavy defeats the Redskins have suffered at the hands of the likes of Chelmsford, Invicta and Wightlink. The Coach is in no doubt that the standard of hockey has risen dramatically this season in the English National League:
 
“It is now a semi pro league, but unfortunately for us we do not have the finances to compete on a pro level. The top six teams are, in my mind semi pro and it is a testament to the spirit of the players and the fans that we are still in there fighting against all the odds,
 
“We need to become a semi professional club if we are to compete at this level into the next decade. We need more backing from sponsors and better merchandising and publicity, but ultimately that is just not going to happen in the current rink. The new rink is vital for the future success of the club,
 
“When you look at the number of junior players that clubs like Bracknell can produce it is always going to be tough to compete with the bigger clubs. When you consider the difficulties in the area of Lambeth, it is no wonder that parents choose to take their kids to clubs like Guildford, the facilities here really spoil our chances of competing at so many levels”
 
Back in his playing days, Spours starred as a goalie for Oxford and Streatham before turning professional with Nottingham Panthers and then Humberside Seahawks in the Heineken Premier League. He then became disillusioned with the game and decided to go to University in Brighton. It was there that he played as a forward for the first time, and in his new position he then added Isle of Wight Raiders, Lee Valley Lions, Haringey Greyhounds and (17 years after originally leaving) Streatham to his long hockey CV. With all of these clubs under his belt, Spours’ has plenty of great memories:
 
“I remember sitting on the Redskins bench against Nottingham Panthers and in the second period everything kicked off. There was a mass brawl and Gary Brine went centre ice with Brian Cox who was playing in goal for Nottingham at the time. Gary tried to bite Cox’s ear as the two of them hated each other with a passion. They had come from the same club and it was the best goalie fight I ever saw. Unfortunately Gary got a game misconduct and I had my first taste of a Panthers V’s Redskins game in the old Nottingham stadium in front of a full house, that was one scary experience,
 
“The most memorable player for me to play alongside was Craig Melancon. He was half the size of most players in the league but he made up for it with real fire and passion. He was one of the most entertaining players I have seen at Streatham. Coaching wise I will never forget Danny Wong. Danny was half Chinese, half Canadian and always used great metaphors in his speeches. He really inspired me as a young player, because sometimes a coach sees something in you that you don’t know is there yourself, and it’s a life changing experience when they put their faith in your abilities above a much more seasoned player,
 
“I have been privileged to play against some great players but most memorable would be facing Vincent Lukac or Fred Perlini when they first played for Fife Flyers, and recently against Igor Liba in Slovakia with the Night-Wolves and Vladimir Lutchenko at an exhibition game recently in Streatham”
 
Despite occasionally taking part in training scrimmages, Spours’ currently has torn ligaments in his knee after picking up the injury in training three months ago:
 
“In some ways the injury helped me focus on the coaching side of things and I have to be careful now how I balance things. I wouldn’t want my own hockey to get in the way of all the work that the team has done,
 
“But things change all the time and circumstances change, life can be very unpredictable and I have learnt to roll with the punches. I am just grateful to still be able to do what I love, even if it is in a lesser capacity. I have had some interesting jobs and travelled to some amazing places in my time but nothing for me compares to playing ice hockey. It’s a unique way of life”
 
Call him a dreamer but the current Redskins saviour has aspirations that may surprise the UK hockey community:
 
“For me personally I would love to see Streatham back in top flight hockey and if there is a new rink built in Streatham it is important that the sport is kept alive in the area.
 
“I have always liked to back the underdog and if someone says to me you can’t do something I take it as a challenge. Be it changing from goalie to forward, coming back at 37 to play competitive hockey or returning from an injury when the doctors tell you that you will never play again. It is that spirit that I have learned from ice hockey, and it has been with me through difficult times in my personal life too”
 
Training is over and the players head to the locker room to shower. It is gone midnight and Spours’ is still stood with his skates on, chatting to his assistant Terry England about upcoming games. In no rush to leave the freezing cold High Road rink, you get the impression that if Spours’ could live there he would.
 
Thanks for reading and stay safe,
Carrsy
Contact the author David.carr@prohockeynews.com