CHAT WITH CHARLIE HORLOCK

I recently spoke to Canaries legend Charlie Horlock to see how our popular former goalkeeper got on in his first season at Slough. He told me he was quite apprehensive and nervous at the beginning of the season as he was stepping up in standard but quickly settled. He always felt he could do well at the higher level but he had to prove it. He was very proud to have played in every league game in the National League South for Slough.

I asked Charlie to compare the Southern League Premier to the National League South. He said the National League players were generally more athletic and very fit. Even teams at the bottom of the table had no obvious weak links and the general standard of players was of a higher quality. There were many players who were capable of playing at a higher level. Charlie was very surprised that St Albans were relegated as he thought they had a very good squad and this showed the quality of the division.

At Slough there were training sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays as there were at Hitchin and Charlie has been fortunate to have good goalkeeping coaches at both Hitchin and Slough. Quite a few teams in the National League South were full time and Charlie said this was a big advantage for fitness and working on tactics. The difference did not necessarily show in every individual match but over the course of the season the full time teams did benefit and had greater depth.

As a goalkeeper Charlie said the main difference between the leagues was how much less physical corners were. In the Southern League he was fouled on a regular basis but in the National League South it was less physical at corners. The bigger crowds in the higher league were enjoyed by Charlie. Playing in front of 4,000 fans at Torquay inspired Charlie and most attendances were in excess of 1,000.

Slough finished 16th having won 15 out of 46 games. He felt this was a realistic position as Slough did not have one of the bigger budgets. They made a great start to the season but then hit a sticky patch and fell down the table. Charlie said the supporters were excellent and always stood by the team while like at Hitchin there were good people behind the scenes. 

Charlie remains a dedicated Hitchin supporter. We were the first result he looked for last season and he always checked our website, reading the bulletin each week. He was gutted by our relegation but is sure we can come back stronger.

It is always good to catch up with Charlie who really is one of the good guys and a credit to himself.

Roy Izzard