Not many people can say they are an ex-team-mate of Aaron Ramsey and are an Emirates Stadium history-maker.
Well we have searched high and low around Yorkshire for someone who can and we have found Dodworth Miners Welfare goalkeeper Josh Herring – the former Cardiff City stopper whose gloves always have a strong cohesive glue on them.
He’s the focus of this week’s Player Profile:
Name
Josh Herring
Position
Goalkeeper
Current Club
Dodworth Miners Welfare
Previous Clubs
Wakefield FC, Shaw Lane Aquaforce, Athersley Rec, Worsbrough Bridge. Also played once for Parkgate in an FA Vase game and got MOM against Scarborough who had Dean Windass playing and then got benched.
Age
30 (31 on Monday )
Day Job
Gas engineer by trade but currently a compliance officer for Costain
Best mate in football.
James Young at Penistone who played with us last season. Played in the same Dodworth junior team from eight-years-old. Have also being mates with Danny ‘Ken’ Barlow for a long time and we have played for several teams together.
Team You Support
Manchester United season ticket holder
Football Idol
Goalkeeping wise got to be Peter Schmeichel. Cantona and Beckham legends!
Biggest influence in football
My dad. He took me all over the place he used to drive to Cardiff and back in the same day just to watch me play. Deadly honest with me, my biggest critic but got some praise every now and then! Big Russ what a guy!
Career Highlight
Getting offered a scholarship at Cardiff City at 15
Most Memorable Moment in Football
Playing at the Emirates stadium in the FA Youth Cup quarter final against Arsenal infront of 13,000. Although we lost 3-2 which I was gutted about because we would have played United at Old Trafford in the semi-finals, it was an amazing experience I’ll never forget. A certain Aaron Ramsey played for us that day, not done bad for himself has he?!
Bit of history for you, not one to be proud of but I’m the first goalkeeper to concede a hat trick at the Emirates Stadium! I still had a decent game to be fair.
Lowest Moment in Football
Not getting offered a professional contract at the end of my 2 year scholarship
Biggest regret in football
Not being mentally stronger when I got released. It hit me hard but I wish I’d have just knuckled down and tried getting back into the professional game via non league. Fell out with football for a while and decided to get a job rather than pursue football. Big regret.
Funniest moment in football-
There’s too many but one that sticks out recently a few years ago we played Swinton away, I was actually on the bench that game (cheers Daz Milly) but Dougie who comes to watch us sometimes came dressed up in his mum’s clobber, fur coat, no knickers, stilettos the lot and was just giving everyone, especially the linesman grief all game! Class still got the photos somewhere!
First semi-pro manager
Ronnie Glavin at Wakefield FC
Non League Debut
I think it was Chester FC at home for Wakefield. They’d just reformed after being kicked out of the Conference or Football League and it was their 1st league game as a new team and they brought about a thousand fans. Some atmosphere in a little ground. Lost 2-1 but got MOM so not too bad I suppose.
First Non League Red Card
Never been sent off on a Saturday I don’t think but got a few on a Sunday.
Best Goal
A few years back now we had a game on Boxing Day Dodworth v Dodworth old boys. I played in the classic number 10 role. Danny Barlow played a ball inside and I took an exquisite touch almost Bergkamp-esque and rifled it in top bag from about 30 yards. Fans still talk about it now, some goal!
What do you want to achieve in football in the future?
Just to play for as long as I can and still enjoy it with Dodworth. After I’ve finished might get into goalkeeper coaching but we’ll have to see
Favourite Non League Ground.
Got to be the Dodworth Miners Welfare arena. World level sporting venue.
If you want to take part in our weekly Player Profile, get in touch via social media, either on Facebook or Twitter.
Take a look at our previous Player Profiles HERE
If you have enjoyed reading Non League Yorkshire over the past few months, please consider making a donation to the not-for-profit organisation NLY Community Sport which provides sport for children and adults with disabilities and learning difficulties. CLICK HERE to visit the JustGiving page. There is a video at the bottom of the page showing our work.
NLY Community Sport, run by James Grayson and Connor Rollinson, has always had combatting social isolation at the top of our objectives when running our Disability Football teams.
Our work is playing an important role in reintroducing our players, who have disabilities and learning difficulties, back into society.
We have six teams, a mixture of Junior and Adult teams – Nostell MW DFC, Pontefract Pirates, Selby Disability Football Club and the South Yorkshire Superheroes (Barnsley) – across Yorkshire.
We have enjoyed great success over the past three years. Several of our players have represented Mencap GB in Geneva, including Billy Hobson from Selby and Greg Smith, whose story is quite inspiring.
You can learn more about the organisation HERE and on our Facebook page.
Watch the video below to see highlights from our three years as an organisation. The video was produced for our players at the end of March to remind them of good memories from the last three years.