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Pricey still loves to score goals!
Matthew Price has been scoring goals for 20 years and has played for a number of clubs, both locally and ‘up the line’. He started out his managerial career at Newcastle Emlyn and is currently player/manager with Peter Jones at Merlins Bridge, who have made a cracking start to the season and Matthew, who is known to all as ‘Pricey’ helped them win a vital tussle at Bush Camp with a hat-trick against Pennar Robins in a 7-2 win.
We contacted Matthew to ask him a little more about his exploits and it is so interesting that we print it verbatim, below:
I am 33 years of age, I weigh 11 stone, my nickname has always been Pricey, and I am a Haverfordwest boy, born & bred.
GROWING UP AND YOUTH FOOTBALL
Growing up in our house, it was all about hockey and cricket because my dad Steve was a well-known player of both games – and I would follow Dad everywhere! In the winter, we would travel all over West and South Wales with the hockey and in the summer, we would travel all over Pembrokeshire with the cricket as dad played for Haverfordwest. However, at a young age, I had already decided that I wanted to play football but dad has always been my biggest supporter, and even now, he rarely misses a game!
I played youth football on a Saturday with Johnston, mainly because my friends from Tasker Milward School played there. I was playing left midfield in those days, and I can remember scoring 25 goals in one season, which I was pretty pleased about in those days.
I was football mad, and in the summer of 1991, I attended the Bobby Charlton Soccer School in Manchester for a week. I impressed enough to be invited back several weeks later to perform my skills on the pitch at Old Trafford in front of 40,000 fans. It was before Manchester United played Arsenal in a Barclays League Division One match and I can remember, even today, the thrill of running out onto the pitch and kicking a ball there for the first time – it was amazing!
I also represented Pembrokeshire County several times as a youngster. John Deason was our coach and the team included Mark Delaney, Dean Driscoll and Shaun Mills, and I can remember a game that we played at London Road against Carmarthenshire Youth where I played as a striker, we won 2-0 and I scored both of our goals. I had trials with Swansea City, Bolton Wanderers & Exeter City, all of which amounted to nothing, probably because I was too small, not strong enough and didn’t have the opportunity to show them that I could score goals!
WELSH LEAGUE FOOTBALL WITH BORO & SWIFTS
Pembroke Borough secretary Phil Tallett had watched me play in that county game at London Road, and by the end of the 1992/93 season, at seventeen, I was playing for the Boro in the Welsh League 1st Division. I made my debut in Pontypridd and we lost 2-0. Peter Fearn was the manager and in the Western Telegraph, he described my debut as the most impressive that he had seen from a youngster. However, the following season, I found myself frustrated on the bench, as new player/manager Mike Lewis had a good partnership with Paul “Jonah” Jones up front.
I had to wait until I was nineteen, before Monkton Swifts and Richard “Benno” Jones, gave me a chance to play regularly in the Welsh League. Once I met Benno, it didn’t take me long to decide that I wanted to play for the Swifts because Benno had the respect of everybody connected with the Club. The football was always taken seriously and there was a lot of fun along the way! I settled in very quickly and some of my old Boro team mates were now playing at Monkton Lane. I knew that playing alongside the experienced Pat McQuillan, Jeremy “Horse” Morris, Mark “Powie” Powell and Neil “Jonah” Jones would make me a better player I made my debut on Saturday, 14th October, 1995, against the South Wales Police at Monkton Lane and I scored a hat trick in a 4-0 victory for us. I went on to score 20 goals in my first season and 27 goals in my second season where I had good partnerships up front with Ian Rome and Benno!
PLAYING IN THE LEAGUE OF WALES (WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE)
My goal scoring for the Swifts had attracted the attention of several League of Wales Clubs and I couldn’t resist the chance of playing at a higher level so in the summer of 1997, I signed for Ebbw Vale. I was impressed with the set up at Ebbw Vale, where ex-Cardiff City player John Lewis was the manager and former Swansea City player David Giles was his assistant. I scored two goals on my debut in a Gilbert League Cup match against Aberystwyth Town and I can remember scoring a headed goal at Cwmbran Town in the next round. However, in the League, I was finding myself on the bench since John would always play experience ahead of youth. Unfortunately, I had to move on, and after a short spell with Carmarthen Town, then managed by John Mahoney, I felt that I needed to go back to the Welsh League, if I wanted to play regularly and start enjoying my football again.
BACK TO THE WELSH LEAGUE WITH MILFORD UNITED
I signed for Milford United in 1998 and they were playing in the Welsh League Division Two. The Robins were managed by Mike Lewis, who for the record was still banging the goals in. They also had many good players such as Dai Patterson, Darren Shaw, Dean Driscoll and Richard Adams, and I found myself playing on the right or left of midfield, which I didn’t mind, because I would still have plenty of opportunities to get forward. We finished sixth in my first season, and in my second season we were promoted to Welsh League Division One, as runners-up to Fields Park Pontllanfraith. I finished both seasons as our top goal scorer with 16 goals in my first season and 17 goals in my second season. I also played in two Welsh League Cup Semi Finals with Milford, but unfortunately we lost on each occasion.
HAVERFORDWEST COUNTY
In the summer of 2000, I had the opportunity to play for Haverfordwest County and have another crack at the League of Wales but the Club was going through a transitional period during most of my time there and I played under four different managers. The aim at the time was to maintain our League of Wales status and I did score some important goals that helped us to achieve this. Richard Adams, Marcus Taylor and I were constantly competing for a place up front but away from the League of Wales, I did score seven goals in one game for Haverfordwest County in a Welsh League Reserve Division match in Porth Tywyn. We won 11-0 and I will probably never do that again! When Deryn Brace took over as Manager in 2002, it was looking positive for me, until I was to pick up an injury that would sideline me for a year. I was playing in a Welsh League game for Milford at Marble Hall Road against Garden Village (It was possible to be registered with two clubs in those days) where, in a shoulder to shoulder challenge with an opponent, I had completely split the cartilage in my right knee and I needed surgery!
PEMBROKESHIRE LEAGUE WINNERS WITH MONKTON
At the start of the 2003/04 Season, I signed back for the Swifts. I didn’t know how fit I was or if my knee would hold up but Benno Jones was more than happy to accept me under these circumstances. We had a good experienced team with James “Carpet” Archer as captain, along with Dai Patterson, Darren Shaw, Chris Manning, as well as youngsters Dean Busby, Paul Lowe & Paul Jarvis. I formed a great partnership with Dean Driscoll up front and I scored 49 League & Cup goals that season, including eight hat tricks! I will do well to ever repeat that and we won the Pembrokeshire League First Division and lost the Senior Cup to Merlins Bridge!
MANAGEMENT WITH NEWCASTLE EMLYN
In September 2004, at 28, I became player/manager of Newcastle Emlyn in the Welsh League Division Three after I had made no secret of the fact that I wanted to get into management, and I was up for the challenge. At the time, Emlyn were bottom of Division Three and had lost every game so I had nothing to lose! Emlyn needed help quickly and Deryn Brace & Haverfordwest County helped me out, by giving us players on loan, such as Niko Algieri and promising youngsters like Jonathan Clarke, in order to benefit us, along with themselves. I was also able to bring in several good players from Pembrokeshire over the years, including Jamie & Simon Gilderdale, Anthony Roberts, Sean Jones, Peter Blain, Haydn Ralph, Mike Preddy, Nigel Delaney & Adam Raymond. Together, we helped Emlyn retain their Welsh League status in my first season and in 2008, we gained promotion to Welsh League Division 2. I was the club’s top goal scorer for the five seasons that I was there, scoring 124 Welsh League goals, including 36 last season. We also won the Welsh League team of the month award on three separate occasions.
I believe that we could have made it to the Welsh League Division One, but I was sacked in June 2009! However, I know that I gave absolutely everything, on and off the field, and I feel that I can hold my head up high. On a more cheerful note, the best goal that I have ever scored, was for Newcastle Emlyn in a game at Parc Emlyn last season, where we trailed Ely Rangers 4-3 with barely a minute to go. A long Peter Blain goal kick was flicked on by Adam Raymond and I controlled it first time, just inside the Ely half of the field, and spotting the goalkeeper off his line, I struck a sweet shot, that found the top corner for my was my fourth goal of the game!
FOOTBALL COACHING
I am a U.E.F.A ‘C’ Licence Coach and I hope to start my ‘B’ Licence in 2010. I am a part of the Haverfordwest County/Chevron Pembrokeshire Football Academy and I am currently coaching the Under 14s. I believe that the football development of young players in Pembrokeshire is very important!
A NEW CHALLENGE WITH MERLINS BRIDGE
In July 2009, I jumped at the chance to be player/manager of Merlins Bridge, along with Peter “Turkey” Jones. We have strengthened last season’s squad with the signings of Lee Hudgell, Marcus Taylor & Haydn Ralph and our main aim is to win the Pembrokeshire League First Division! The competition is tough, and even though we have already beaten Hakin this season, I feel that they are still the favourites!
But we will give it our best shot, something that I have always tried to do since I set out in the game. I have played for a number of clubs and at every one I have tried my best, as a player or manager. There have been ups and downs but I wouldn’t have missed any of it for the world – and I have made a heap of friends from the opponents I have battled against, as well as those I have played with in what I feel I can safely say has been a colourful career!
