Match Report – Andy Davies
Sunday saw Edgar Street welcome many celebrities, in a charity match on behalf of Sellebrity Soccer. The game was played to raise money for Herefordshire Mind as it ended 5-4, with the white team beating the blue team thanks to a winning goal from former Hereford midfielder Rob Purdie.
The white team consisted of celebrities such as Love Island’s Josh Ritchie, Theo Campbell and Luke Trotman along with Youtube personalities Duttinho, Sharky and Chunkz. The blue team featured fellow former Love Island contestants such as Calum Macleod and Warren Phillips, who has also been on ITV’s Survival of the Fittest. Their team-mates included F2 Freestyler Jeremy Lynch, former contestant of The Apprentice and Big Brother James Hill, TOWIE star Dan Osborne and music superstar James Arthur. Current Hereford manager Josh Gowling played for the blue team and his assistant Steve Burr was on the white team.
On what was a day that started off humid before the grey clouds were replaced with blue ones, there was an atmosphere filled with excitement and plenty of cheers. Pre-game, the players were warming up with James Hill and Josh Ritchie hitting powerful shots and volleys with Fleetwood Mac and David Bowie playing in the background. The players then went into the tunnel as kick off loomed.
Spoils Were Shared In An Even First Half
The first half was a fairly even one, with the white team starting off the better team. Warren Phillips was particularly impressive in the early stages, dealing well with the crosses supplied into the box by Duttinho, who was deployed out wide. Theo Campbell had the first real chance just moments into the game, failing to convert his header after a cross from Luke Trotman. Campbell was once again involved shortly afterwards, with Chunkz’ through ball just that little bit too far for him to reach.
Campbell put in some powerful runs in this game and was a threat throughout this match, particularly in the first half. He found Duttinho numerous times but the FIFA Youtuber’s shots on goal failed to truly test the opposition goalkeeper Joe Sealey, husband of Real Housewives of Cheshire’s Nicole Sealey and son of former Manchester United goalkeeper Les Sealey. Duttinho may not have tested the goal but recorded three assists as he did a great job of finding his team-mates.
Trotman was once again involved, his cross failing to meet Chunkz, who found Campbell but he could not beat Sealey. The white team took the lead through Sharky before the blue team quickly responded with an equaliser from Kris Boyson after an assist from Lynch.
Dan Osbourne then put the blue team ahead, punishing the defence of the white team by winning the ball off Manlikehaks before slotting the ball past Richard Duffy. Campbell played his part once again, this time in the white team’s equaliser. Duttinho picked up the ball on the left hand side around the halfway line. He played a beautiful long ball to Campbell, who took one touch before beating Sealey with a good finish. Duttinho almost gave the white team the lead when Manlikehaks won the ball excellently before playing a ball into the penalty area. This failed to be met by Calum Macleod as Duttinho found himself through on goal. This forced a save by Sealey and the ball went out for a corner.
It was not long before the blue team regained the lead, when James Arthur bundled the ball home with Three Lions by Baddiel and Skinner playing in the background. This was a unique addition to the game, with music playing throughout the 90 minutes, something that is rarely seen in football. There was songs from Michael Buble and Queen to name a few. The blue team almost doubled their lead when Josh Gowling played a brilliant ball to Boyson, whose cross could not quite find Arthur. Campbell then scored an equaliser for the white team after a cross from Trotman. The first half would end 3-3.
White Team Edge Close Game
The second half started off in similar fashion, with Ritchie testing Sealey and Jeremy Lynch being denied in the penalty by excellent defending. The Blue team would score the first goal of the second half as they took a 4-3 lead. James Arthur grabbed his second of the game. Jeremy Lynch played a throughball into Arthur, whose first class finish saw his effort go into the top right corner. This was met by a chorus of cheers. Both him and Chunkz received the loudest cheers of the day.
Chunkz didn’t get a goal in this game but he was certainly involved and after the blue team took the lead, his outside foot shot went just wide of the left post. He then had another chance but could not get on the end of a cross from Purdie after he was found by Trotman. They would soon equalise when Paterson got on the end of a Duttinho cross to level proceedings at 4-4. Jeremy Lynch had the chance to give the blue team the lead but his curling effort went wide of the bar. In the end, it just had to be a Hereford legend who scored the winner. Purdie played over 180 games for Hereford, scoring over 30 goals for the Bulls. He scored not only the winner, but also the best goal of the day, with his curling effort outside the box going into the top right corner. The action remained constant at both ends right up to the final whistle, with the white team celebrating with the trophy after the game.
Luke Trotman was named Man of the Match but other players that impressed were Theo Campbell, Duttinho and Warren Phillips
The Main Reason For The Game
Of course, the main reason for the game was to raise money for Herefordshire Mind. I spoke to one of the people behind the charity in David Harding.
“It is of equal importance that we talk about mental health, particularly for men. One in four will experience these issues in any given year with men at higher risk of suicide. It’s about reaching out not being a sign of weakness. If you are not feeling okay just talk, whether this be your nearest and dearest or ourselves”.
Herefordshire Mind have a ‘Can Do’ approach, which they define as Connect, get Active, Notice, Discover and Offer. They also work closely with the Hereford and Worcestershire Suicide Prevention Programme as well as Men’s Health Forum, the independent voice for the health and wellbeing of men and boys in England, Scotland and Wales.
They discuss warning signs and set challenges as to how people can connect. They suggest being active and how to deal with anger. Taking notice of those around you is discussed and they have a big emphasis on having fun.
There are some great discussions in their leaflets that they gave out.
For more information on Herefordshire mind, you can find them on the following website link, https://herefordshire-mind.org.uk or ring them on 01432 271643. They are also available on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Photos courtesy of Cameron Mitchell-Hill Photography. Full gallery available over at Sellebrity Charity Football Match | Cameron M-Hill Photography (cameronmhillphotography.co.uk)
