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Join Finn Macdiarmid with a roundup of Kent's sporting action.
On today's episode we meet Gary Lockyer, Ashford United's top scorer and last year's FA Cup Golden Ball winner.
On today's episode we meet Gary Lockyer, Ashford United's top scorer and last year's FA Cup Golden Ball winner.
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TVTranscript
00:00Hello and welcome to Invicta Sport, the only show on your TV dedicated to Kent's sporting
00:22action.
00:23We're switching things up and making some temporary changes to the format of the show
00:27you know and love.
00:29Today we're bringing you an interview with Gary Lockyer, a football player for Ashford
00:32United who play in the Ithsmian South East League.
00:35You may also know him for being the FA Cup Golden Ball winner for last year.
00:40Well we hope you enjoy this interview.
00:43So Gary I suppose could you talk to us first about your first real start in football?
00:49So really, realistically I started football quite late.
00:54I started football sort of halfway through under nines.
00:59Yeah, so I was a bit of a late bloomer in that sense.
01:03I used to go and watch my brother play football quite a lot with my dad and I just sort of
01:09was more interested in climbing trees and messing around.
01:13But I had a really good friend growing up, sort of went to nursery and around primary school
01:20and then funny enough sort of moved away within the town and so we didn't see each other a
01:27lot and then all of a sudden I moved house and I was walking down the road and there he was.
01:32So he sort of lived in that area as well.
01:34So he played football for a club called Kennet and FC and then he just one day said did you
01:43want to come and watch and I was like yeah go on then I don't mind doing that.
01:47And when I got there they were they were short on players so they asked if I wanted to play.
01:53So I said yeah funny enough I was always a bit of a bigger kid than most so when I put
02:01the kit on the kit didn't quite fit me and then yeah just sort of really grew in it from
02:08there and I didn't really know what position that I really wanted to play in until one day
02:13I scored my first goal and I turned around to my dad and said you know I want to be a striker.
02:19So it really sort of blossomed from there in a sense when I first started out and then
02:26the following year so under 11s I managed to get into the county squad so that's when I
02:31really started to take things a bit more seriously.
02:36And talk to us a bit about the county squad and what that experience was like.
02:40Yeah so yeah we tried out at under 11s and I was the only player at the time
02:48not playing at an academy football team so it was quite a quite a proud moment for for
02:55me and my dad you know from going from not playing football at all to then being selected
03:00in a county squad with with really good players that are at academy level so you know we had
03:06the likes of Crystal Players players, Gillingham, Millwall, Charlton and then I just played for
03:12a grassroots club at Kennerton FC so yeah it was really good so I played every single year
03:19up to under 16s. Under 16s I was captain of the county squad it was really good. Under 14s we
03:29actually won the championships where we went to Rickeridge Road Watford's ground we won 1-0 so that
03:36was another proud moment within the career so yeah really enjoyed my youth really. It's a bit of a
03:43shame that I didn't start a bit younger but you know it does take time sometimes to adjust to
03:49certain things and I didn't really know what I wanted to do but from there it's been a bit of a
03:54bit of a whirlwind really and then obviously stepping into non-league at 16.
04:00Now would you say you kind of developed a playing style then or was it before you joined Ashford?
04:08Yeah so like I said I was always a taller kid growing up through the through the youth systems of
04:16grassroots football. I certainly got a style of play. I've always been a sort of out and out number
04:25nine. My dad always said a nine and a half really because I can actually play a little bit of football
04:32whereas the number nine is a bit of a hustle and bustle kind of kind of role. It's a bit of a dying
04:37art now in in today's football but yeah sort of yeah you know head it head it and kick it kind of thing
04:46as a nine bit of a bit of a bully as they say but you know I've always sort of stayed within that role
04:52but scoring goals is is where I've I've really took off in in terms of my career you know I've
04:58always got an eye for goal. Every level that I have played out I've always done really well in
05:04in scoring goals. So you mentioned there your first goal do you still feel that you have that hunger and
05:10that's kind of where it started? Yeah I think as a as a centre forward anywhere across the the front
05:18line you you base yourself on goals and for me I've always put pressure on myself of scoring goals and
05:25the feeling of scoring a goal is is probably a feeling of a goalkeeper keeping a clean sheet you
05:32know so I think you know that that aspect of of scoring the goal in front of whether it's in front of a hundred
05:41people or thousands of people is is always gonna always gonna be a memory uh and just just love doing
05:50it kind of thing. Now talk to us a bit about Ashford and when you were 16 really going into non-league for
05:56the first time. So in fact at 16 I signed a two-year contract at uh Ramsgate so I didn't start uh Ashford
06:08until 2011 when I was sort of 17 and a half 18 so when Ashford reformed under Ashford United uh I come
06:17in as a youngster they sort of were going sort of a local route with certain local players a couple of
06:23the players that I played through with youth my youth at Kennetton with they they were there as well
06:28and some of the lads there now are back at Kennetton in the in the first team there so
06:34uh it was it was proud you know I think when you grow up and and watch football with your your dad or
06:43your mum etc you go to your non-league ground so obviously I've grew up in Ashford all my life
06:48uh so it was sort of a a place where you know you you do call home obviously you do have ambitions of
06:55as a footballer and as an adult you want to obviously play as high as possible and uh so so sometimes you
07:02you change clubs a little bit but Ashford for me is is not a club it's it's a home so uh I love I love
07:12playing for Ashford you know there's a real good feel this year as well but you know starting out as a
07:18as an 18 year old 17 year old boy in in 2011 and making my debut then to now playing at 32 and and
07:27scoring goals and is is what is what I wanted to do it must be amazing to look back at your 14 years
07:35there what is it like looking back to that time yeah look obviously there's certain years that I've
07:40spent away from Ashford which is which is for my own personal personal uh mindset around football
07:48obviously I've gone to try at higher levels and and and being successful there in in terms of
07:53personal success uh being back at Ashford now sort of so out of the last you know four well five
08:02seasons I've been there for four of them and then one I spent away at Cray Ronderers but yeah the last
08:08four years at Ashford have been great obviously we narrowly missed out on on going up in the playoffs
08:13a couple of seasons ago but for me yeah I think you know at the age of 32 now I think that I'd love to
08:24see my career out there there might be a time where I feel that I can still give to the game
08:29that I might have to either drop down a level or go and play you know a level where it doesn't require
08:36to be as fit as you need to be now but yeah no look I love Ashford I love going to the club uh my kids
08:44come to training sometimes they love going up the club uh my wife and yeah my wife and children that
08:52they come to to some games home and away so they they love supporting me there they know the commitment
08:58that I put into to these things and and you know my wife does the commitment side of of my children so
09:04I've got a 12 year old daughter who's currently at Brighton and Hove Girls Academy and then my two
09:13boys are playing at the grassroots club Kennet and that I started at so you know there's a lot of
09:19commitment around that and I'm missing a lot of my children's football but you know the the commitment
09:26my wife puts in is is second to none she's she's made me be able to continue playing at this time
09:34that's amazing do you think that now you're in your 30s you're a father do you think you're adopting
09:41more of a mentorship role in the side
09:42yeah so obviously I was made a club captain at the back end of last season uh that's another proud
09:53sort of moment for me it's a club where I think if players that are coming in from other teams can
09:59buy into the values that I feel about the club then I think the club will be successful and I think
10:06under the new ownership of Lloyd and Dave who took the club over roughly about 12 to 14 months ago
10:13you know they've brought a hell of a hell of a lot to the club you know uh especially off the pitch
10:18they've brought loads to the club they've done the club up they've put bars in the changing rooms have
10:24changed and and just the the feel good around the club is is is amazing at the minute and you know
10:30that just needs to mirror onto the pitch and and you know get to where we need to get
10:35throughout your time as a player would you say it's been more coaches or players that have really
10:43supported you uh I think with my own mindset I'm my own worst critic at a lot of times so
10:52I'm a firm believer in knowing your own standards standards so you know when you've had a bad game
11:01you know when you've had a good game you know what you can improve on you know what doesn't need so
11:07much more improvement on and I think you know coming off coming off the pitch and knowing that you can do
11:13better is always a good trait but I believe you know growing up I think why so many young kids
11:22including myself don't make it is around your mindset so obviously I've got a daughter that's
11:27going through academy football now so you know the lessons that I've learned through my career I can
11:33pass on to my children well that's it for part one join us after the break as Gary and I talk about
11:38the current state of football how it felt to break the record what Gary calls the death of the
11:44traditional number nine and his role as a mentor for Ashford United's players see you in just a few minutes
11:50you
14:55Hello and welcome back to Invicta Sport right here on KMTV.
15:11Today we're speaking with Ashford United striker Gary Lockyer all about his journey from joining
15:15the Nuts and Bolts aged 16 to becoming their all-time record goal scorer.
15:20Here's part two of our chat with him.
15:22So, Gary, how did it actually feel when you knew you broke the record?
15:26Yeah, Favisham is when I equaled it.
15:32Funny enough, both games were obviously I equaled it and then broke the record against Margate.
15:37We were in a losing position.
15:39So, for me, it was a bit of a, how can I put it, in a sense that you couldn't feel that you could celebrate it as much.
15:50You know, we're there to win games.
15:52Yes, I love scoring goals, but I think as you get a bit older, you really focus on them team achievements more than your personal ones.
16:01And I think that's sort of what Ashford are missing now.
16:05But look, it's something that obviously I set out last year to do when I signed for Ashford, re-signed for Ashford.
16:13I was 39 goals behind.
16:15I scored 36 last year, so I only knew I was three away.
16:18So, my aim was to do that in August and that's what I'd done.
16:24You know, the feeling was, it was good, you know, it was very good.
16:29But I think now that's sort of done and dusted, I can now look forward to extending that and hopefully to add a promotion to Ashford and being captain would, you know, really top that all off.
16:44And talk to us a bit about that promotion push.
16:47What do you think needs to be the focus going forward?
16:52You know, it's mindset.
16:55It's about how you gain management.
16:57And like I said, I touch on mindset quite a lot.
17:01You know, if you're not playing so well or your teammate is not having their best game, you know, you need to carry them through that.
17:07You know, you need to work hard as a team.
17:09You need to buy into values.
17:12I think the camaraderie in the dressing room needs to be spot on.
17:16And I think, you know, if you are in a losing position in the game and how are you going to get through that game to turn that around to win?
17:23Or if you're away from home and you're winning 1-0 and you're holding on a little bit, it's about, you know, adjusting to what we're trying to achieve.
17:32And I think, you know, the most successful teams are not the ones that tend to spend the most money.
17:37It's the ones that are actually got the togetherness.
17:40Now, you mentioned that you set out the goal of beating the all-time goals record.
17:47Where did that start?
17:48I think myself more than anything, obviously, like, look, being a local boy, I think, you know, I love playing for Astrid.
17:58I love going down to the ground.
18:00I love, you know, the fans that are behind that, the Sing Your Name, you know, they're starting to get a few more younger, like, youth players and that.
18:09And I think, you know, mixing in with them and giving them the time of day and, you know, seeing them as people other than just fans is where non-league is really good at.
18:20And I think, you know, you can go to a premiership game and that and you can see your idols growing up.
18:27Like for me, you know, Wayne Rooney was my idol growing up.
18:31And, you know, you don't get to meet them type of people, but you go to a non-league ground, you get to the field, you're right next to the pitch.
18:39You can mix with the players, you know, you can ask them questions.
18:43So I think for me, like I said, I did say last year that, you know, I want to see my career out at Ashford.
18:52I enjoy playing there.
18:54There was a couple of records that I want to get personally.
18:56But like I've said in a previous interview, I think the team ambition now is what I want to achieve before hanging up my boots.
19:10And many might know you've previously won the FA Cup Golden Ball.
19:14Now you're the club's top scorer.
19:16Are there any other records that you have your eye on?
19:19Yeah, look, I think the last year or so has been really good, even at 32.
19:26You know, there's still time to achieve certain things in the game.
19:31And that just goes to show like what happened within the last year with the FA Cup, etc.
19:38Yeah, I think for the team ambition now and getting the promotion is what I'd want.
19:46There is another record to break, a personal one, which I'm hoping to sort of do this year if I can stay injury free.
19:55Touch wood.
19:57And then that is the games.
20:00So I believe I am 39 games away from becoming the record appearance holder as well.
20:07So, you know, if I can get there at the end of the season, you know, I've extended my leads with the goals.
20:15Obviously, this year I'd like to get to 100 goals.
20:17So I'm 14 off that.
20:20So I'd like to get there, get the games and then a promotion.
20:23But like I said, the personal achievements will take a little backseat because obviously as a team that we want to achieve a promotion.
20:31You also mentioned earlier that the classic number nine is a dying art.
20:37Is that something you tap into to score goals?
20:41Yeah, there's a certain way.
20:43I think football's changed since I was, you know, a 13-year-old boy.
20:47There's a lot more tactical around it.
20:52I think, you know, the Premier League, you can even see the Premier League that has changed massively.
20:56You look in the Premier League now, the teams that have a number nine, there's, you know, you probably got Chris Wood from Nottingham Forest is probably one.
21:06And you haven't got many now, you know, the game's changed.
21:11You know, I feel that the Premier League's got a little bit robotic.
21:15But, you know, growing up in my era, it was a bit of a, you know, get it at the back, kick it up front and we're played from there kind of thing.
21:26And, you know, you needed a big nine from there.
21:28You know, we had, when I was watching football, you had the likes of Drogba, you know, Rooney, Tevez, you had real good number nines.
21:38We don't seem to have that now, but, you know, that's the beauty of football.
21:42It changes over time, you know, in the next 10 years, it might sort of go back towards that.
21:48But, you know, yeah, nine is a dying art.
21:52I think, you know, there's a lot of non-league clubs that do still play with a number nine.
21:58But, you know, there's not a chance that I could potentially change the way that I play.
22:03I play on the edge.
22:06I am quite aggressive in certain areas.
22:09And, you know, that's just me.
22:11And that's just me as a player.
22:14And for that record, are there any goals that really stick out to you as being maybe your favourite or a particularly good goal?
22:21Yeah.
22:22For me, back in 2011, there was a free kick that I had hit against Staplehurst.
22:30Not many people would have remembered it.
22:33Maybe a couple of the fans might have remembered it.
22:37But there's many good goals.
22:39And I think, you know, I think breaking the record, that's got to be up there as well.
22:44It was a really good header.
22:45But, you know, like you touch back on the FA Cup sort of story.
22:52Sometimes I don't take so much acknowledgement of it.
22:58And I think, you know, it's such a big achievement in my career.
23:04And I think in the next sort of five years, I'll step back and, you know, maybe have stopped playing or taken a bit of a coaching role somewhere.
23:12Or I'm playing on a Sunday morning with my friends.
23:16And, you know, an acknowledgement.
23:18And I think, you know, wow, that's an amazing achievement.
23:22And, you know, you'll be forever there in the history book.
23:26So, yeah, I think any goals sort of leading to that award or, yeah, probably my header that's broke the record, you know.
23:37Now it's just, you know, focusing on helping the team as much as possible and extending that lead.
23:43So no one breaks it for a few years.
23:47And would you have any advice for any young players trying to emulate you?
23:51I think now that there's a lot of young players that come out of academy football at under 18 level and, you know, they try their hand at non-league.
24:03Non-league is a completely different ball game.
24:06You know, you've got players that, you know, you go to work.
24:11Some go to work at night and they turn up at the game and a couple of hours sleep.
24:15And you've got some really good players that have come out of professional football at a later age and join.
24:21So for me, it would be if you're a young player going into a team, make sure that you're going to be played.
24:28Make sure that you're playing football.
24:31A lot of people sort of chase, oh, let's go and play at this level because it's this level.
24:36And some players that want to chase the sort of money side around it.
24:40But my advice would be listen to the experienced players that have played a lot of football and got promotions within non-league.
24:49You might be talking to a couple of ex-pros as well that have been there and done it one where you will want to go.
24:55Make sure that you go to a club that you are going to play week in, week out.
24:59And then all the above, like your level and the money that you can earn from football will come to you.
25:07So it's about just playing, listening to the experience around you that you've got and just enjoying the journey.
25:17And we always ask this question to our guests.
25:20What advice would you give to the younger version of yourself, that 16 year old playing for Ashford for the very first time to then get you to where you are now?
25:28Good question, really.
25:35There's a lot of things I don't have.
25:37I don't really have any real regrets.
25:40I think mine would probably be around the passionate side of the game, controlling my emotions a little bit better in certain situations.
25:49But I think it would be more to do with how I would channel my mindset around becoming a better footballer and becoming a better footballer to try and achieve the goal that was to become a professional footballer.
26:03I think it's, you know, it's just to carry on working hard, take every opportunity that you can get, listen to any experience around you or your coaches that are trying to coach you, take everything on board, whether you agree with it or not, and just keep pushing towards the end goal.
26:22Thank you so much for your time, Gary.
26:27Well, that's it from us on today's episode of Invictus Sport.
26:30Don't forget there's plenty more sports news, interviews and features from right across the county available on our website, kbtv.co.uk.
26:38Just click on the Sports tab, watch back previous episodes of Invictus Sport by clicking on Programs.
26:43That's it for now.
26:44We'll see you next time.
26:52We'll see you next time.
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