Football News . . . from PembrokeshireSport.co.uk

Joe scores three hat-tricks on the trot – and 14 goals from his last five matches!

Joe John has been scoring goals at a phenomenal rate for Johnston in the first division of the Manderwood’s Pembrokeshire Football Association League, leaving local pundits to scratch their heads over the last time a player scored hat-tricks in three successive games.

Because Joe, who joined The Tigers as a striker from Merlins Bridge at the start of the season, has rattled home three goals in each three games against Haverfordwest County in the league, Hook in the Senior Cup and Pennar Robins back in the league.

That’s pretty impressive finishing by any standards but it might have been an even more startling five hat-tricks on the bounce because Joe scored two goals in the game before that at Clarbeston Road  after another hat-trick seven days earlier against Johnston at Glebelands! But it gave him 14 goals in five matches and 17 goals from 11 starts with Johnston, despite the fact that he was injured for a while and might not have scored any if he hadn’t decided to battle through the discomfort of a knee injury.

Hard work in the gym, new boots and a match-day breakfast!

So what has caused Joe to enjoy such a terrific spell with The Tigers? He would attribute part of it to the fact that because his work as a carer with Landsker Child Care, alongside Merlins Bridge’s Peter Thomas, he is unable to train at Johnston and so he puts in three hard sessions at the newly-opened Cross Fit Dynamics Gym in Fishguard Road, Haverfordwest. This has certainly raised his fitness levels and hence his sharpness in the box – and another important factor is the new boots he was recommended by old friend Matthew Davies, the well-known Haverfordwest rugby player, and now has as his own. Since he has started his good run he has also stuck to the same routine on match day, where his pal Luke Morris makes him breakfast so that he has a good start to the day.

‘Perfect’ hat-tricks – and a ‘Shaky Shuffle’

The hat-tricks against both Hook and Pennar are what Joe would describe as ‘Perfect hat-tricks’ because they featured a goal scored with his left foot, another scored with his right foot and one netted with a  header, but he laughingly admits that he doesn’t mind how they go in as long as he finds the net. A feature of these goals came from a chance discussion with Matthew Davies where he said that if he scored after acquiring his new boots he would dance a ‘Shaky Shuffle’ routine for his girl-friend Amy Shakesby – and so he has danced it 14 times so far, to the amusement of his team-mates!

Successful start

It all seems a long way from the time he set out with Merlins Bridge as a striker at under 14 level and scored plenty of goals alongside other talented players like Simon and Peter Thomas, Matthew Watters, Matthew Davies and Matthew Ellis as they achieved the league and cup double as a very strong under 16 team. Then it was on to Prendergast Villa in senior football and Joe played there for seven seasons, six of which saw him as top scorer, but he had to take an enforced rest in 2007 after an accidental clash of heads against Narberth saw him with a broken vertebra. Joe was in hospital for 12 days but he battled back to play in the Second Division Cup Final against Milford United at the Bridge Meadow Stadium, although the Villa eventually lost 2-1.

 Cricket ‘slogger’

During the summer months over the last couple of years, Joe has taken a rest from football, joining his mates as a cricketer at Camrose/Spittal, where he describes himself as a ‘a bit of a slogger’ but his hand/eye co-ordination can’t be too bad because he scored a couple of 50s last season, including one against Hundleton in only 18 balls that included five big sixes!

It seems that it is a similar story with his goal-scoring in football because Joe has always been able to sniff out chances, and in one productive campaign with the Villa he scored 42 goals in 26 games in Division Two. It is also nice to report that in his decade of senior football he has only been sent off once (for two badly-timed tackles) and had only three yellow cards.

“To be honest,” said Joe with a smile, “I hate having to pay £10 for a yellow card so I try to get on with referees because they have a hard enough job to do!”

Wizard help from ‘Pricey’

Last season saw Joe try his luck at Merlins Bridge and he says that he was helped a great deal by the Wizards’ player/manager Matthew Price, and the rest of the players. But he decided to join Johnston this season with his pal Andrew ‘Kanga’ John to join other young players like Richard Davies, Luke Hayward and Adam Hawkins, whom he says does all the hard work up front so that he can score the goals!

Ask Joe about ambitions and like most local footballers he would nominate taking part in the Senior Cup Final.

            “I played in the second division final on the Bridge Meadow,” he said, “and it would be great to go back there for the biggest day in local football. Let’s hope it comes with Johnston.”

And finally . . .

Chat to Joe for a short while and it is easy to see his genuine enthusiasm for football and as long as he can sort out his knee problem there is no doubt that he will continue his goal-scoring exploits. PembrokeshireSport.co.uk can recall another hat-trick that Joe scored, for Prendergast Villa against Johnston in Spittal,  few seasons ago, and we were impressed by his close control and ability to hold the ball up for others – and we are not surprised that Joe John is doing so well because he certainly has a natural flair for scoring goals!

PHOTOS

Joe John.

Joe winning the ball for Johnston. 

Joe  playing for Merlins Bridge.

Joe featuring again for the Wizards.