Dan Metcalf – a sports lover and a budding entrepreneur!

 

Dan Metcalf is living proof for other youngsters that there is a sport available to suit you if you just get out there and look for it - and in his case it was initially football because he had never played any organised stuff but then his cousin, Tom Jago, suggested he might like to join him at Johnston AFC and enjoy the social side of the game as well as developing some skills.
 
Tom, who has since moved on to Goodwick United,  had been like a brother all Dan’s life and they used to kick a ball around sometimes so he decided to give it a go, although he was not confident at all that it would work.
 
So, in 2021 he went along to Glebelands and was made welcome, although he readily admits he wasn’t very good, but  after about three games just making up the numbers, he was approached by Glenn Murray, the second team manager, who told him he was off on holiday and asked him if he wanted to take on the job until he came back.
 

Took over the reins from Glen

 
Dan told us, “We were struggling for players at the time but I asked a few of my social friends if they fancied a game and they signed up - and when Glenn returned we had two draws and a win. So, he asked me if I wanted to run the team with him and by the end of the season we had moved from rock bottom into a creditable sixth place!
 
“Glenn stepped back after a while and for the next season I was joined by Brian Kelly and with Liam Watts, Josh Knapp and James Rees scoring the goals we came third as we won 12 games in a row at the end of the campaign, including a 2-1 win over the top side, Saundersfoot United.
 
“Of course, we were disappointed we had just missed out on promotion but second place the following season saw us promoted to the fourth division - but it wasn’t easy, with the first team needing some of our players and others not quite committed to travelling away for our tough clashes.
 
“Last season had been hard after a good start but having 8-10 players for a number of games saw us get relegated - it was hard work and unfortunately sucked some of the enjoyment out of it for me”
 

New footballing challenge taken on

 
“This season I’ve decided to take on a new challenge and focus on playing in goal, which I enjoyed last season despite the challenges. I’ve actually joined St Clears where I knew no one but have been welcomed by a great bunch and have loved my time already. They have a great young keeper there in Morgan, who is good to train with as part of a really talented young squad.
 
“I’ve played a few games for the seconds already and came on for Morgan (who has been playing through a knock recently) for the Firsts in their second game of the season against Angle too, where I kept a clean sheet as we got a valuable point. That was a great feeling contributing to the team early on.”





 

Pool is now a major sporting interest

 
Dan has also taken up pool in a similar fashion and with the determination he has already shown in football he has moved from a raw novice to winning trophies and representing Pembrokeshire, which involves, of course, a great deal of travel.
 
“I had never really played the game until around 2020, when I went down to ‘The Mariners’ in Nolton Haven with my pals  Samuel Rees-Davies and Anthony Bevans, who asked me first if I fancied a game of snooker there and  after I broke off,  he immediately knocked in a break of 84!
 
“We had a few games of pool and I lost them easily but I enjoyed this new game and I joined another old friend in Aaron Williamson and we played in the summer league at ‘The Bull’ in Pendergast - and I was well and truly hooked!
 
“Then I played in the main pool league at the Milford Arms, where we were dubbed the ‘Milf B’, where  we won the third division (known as division two because there was a premier league), coming second to gain promotion again to division one.                                   
 
“But in the premier division we came up against the very best in Pembrokeshire and some of our team started to lose interest and the team folded.”




 

County pool followed with the ‘Black Widows’

 
“By then, though I was playing county pool for the ‘Pembrokeshire Black Widows’ and really enjoyed myself with a great bunch of lads but then work commitments and a  growing family meant I couldn’t consistently practice as much as I would like.
 
“The following season I played in the Haverfordwest League for The Legends Bar in Johnston (now back to its former name of The Vine) and we won the Summer League, division two, so it was nice to be back in action - and this season I joined  the RAOB D team in the Narberth League after I learned they were short of players - and we got promoted from the second division so we will be in the top division next season.
 
“I was delighted to be the top player in the league stats, with 50 wins from 65 frames, and in a game against our neighbours at ‘The Eagle’ I won my three frames in four visits, with two reverse dishes without any of my opponents potting a single ball - that was the highlight of the season for me!
 
“I was also in the divisional singles final against Dave Usher (Begelly Arms) but I just missed out there win there but still had a great season a great season!”
 
Dan has also started playing county pool again, this time for ‘The Hook Bandits’, where he has a positive record so far this season and picked up a MOTM award away against Cwmbran and it is clearly something he is enjoying with a new bunch of good team mates!





 

Now very busy with his own business

 
But Dan is kept most busy with his own web site, appropriately called ‘Connect Pembrokeshire’ because it takes the form of a business directory allied to local news and sport, offering a range of businesses offering their services, top tradesman, and anyone else who wishes to promote what they have to offer.
 
As someone who clearly enjoys so much sport he has reports, photographs and videos of local games and with his other role as an excellent web designer he is kept very busy as what he has to offer is going from strength to strength.
 
Not content with that, Dan also helps out at ‘Pure West Radio’, editing clips for Fraser Watson and doing his own football leagues round-up!
 
Editor’s Note: Dan told PembrokeshireSport.co.uk that we inspired his decision to cover sport and was truly honoured when we offered to write an article about him, and as real old fogies, we were totally taken in by his flattery and charm!




 
 

Producing a fascinating film about his football-playing grandfather

 
And interestingly. his work on sport, and these activities are coming together nicely with a fascinating story about his grandfather, Mike Metcalf,  who once played football against the legendary Feranc Puskas, the Hungarian superstar who helped Real Madrid win the first seven seasons of the European Cup
 
“My grandad Mike was a professional footballer in the 60s for Chester; where he’s in their hall of fame and has a stand named after him – and I’m not exaggerating to say he is one of their best-ever players!
 
“Even though he mainly played in the Fourth Division of the Football League he had some amazing stories. He played against Ferenc Puskas in a 1967 charity match alongside Welsh legend John Charles and ace Liverpool’s Billy Liddell, amongst many other famous names.
 
“He also played against Bobby Charlton, George Best and Co in a 65 FA Cup game at Old Trafford, home of Manchester United, who would go on to win the championship that season for the first time since the Munich Air Disaster.”
 

Loads of information already researched

 
Dan is making a documentary chronicling Mike’s life and experiences, speaking to fellow players, spectators and experts from the era. The film will look at how football his changed and be a reflection on storytelling, memory and so on.
 
“I’ve been extremely fortunate to work with my friend, Sam Thomas from Pembrokeshire, who helped us gain access to stunning equipment to capture footage with, DJI Ronin cameras, Cooke lenses, the same equipment used for the Netflix show ‘Adolescence’. We also gained access to Old Trafford with the Manchester United Stadium Director giving us his insights into the game in 1965 and so on. I was also helped by young Ethan Ellis, who takes photos for my site and joined us for part of the filming.
 
“I’ve had hundreds of photos scanned recently to use in the film and have a 35 min audio clip of my grandad talking about his career. I’m in the stage of starting to edit things together but it will be a long process. Initially I want to submit the film-to-film festivals, show in cinemas in Pembs and Chester and then release online.
 
“I want it to be right though, not rushing it, so I’m looking into grants to help with editing and other post-production stuff.”
 

And finally . . .

 
And this latest project is typical of Dan’s approach to his sport and business because he has an inert pride in doing things right.
 
We have seen some of Dan Metcalf’s work on his ‘Connect Pembrokeshire’ site, which is why local companies use it.
 
We will watch with interest his progress and wish him every success because it is refreshing to say this young man work so hard on all he does!