Ben Barrett (Page 129)

Just one week ago, nearly 2000 Yeovil, Exeter and South West football fans came to Huish Park to celebrate the life of Adam Stansfield and raise money for his foundation.

In the build up to the game, the Gloverscast trio joined a host of local reporters, Yeovil fans and hugely respected YTFC people came together to put together a programme, however one article didn’t make the souvenir programme.

Below is my chat with Andy Lindegaard, who had amazing memories of the sides with which he played across many, many years of success.

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It’s fair to say that being a Yeovil fan from 2000 onwards was a special experience, a decade of unprecedented success with the teams from 2002, 03, 05 and 07 all living long in the memories of a Glovers fans.

We can only imagine what it would have been like to have been on the inside through it all, but one player and one player alone did the best of both worlds.

Andy Lindegaard was a Yeovil born, Glovers fan who had been part of the local football from a young age and have been in the youth team under Stu Housley and Maurice O’Donnell before breaking into the first team in 1999 and playing for the next eight years through so many top teams, he spoke to the Gloverscast’s Ben Barrett about how it felt to be part of multiple teams who found success at Huish Park.

When Gary Johnson joined, he inherited a team that was close to success but hadn’t quite landed the big one, Lindy says a little sprinkling of quality was all that was needed.

“When Gary came in, he added a bit of quality, Lee Johnson came in, (Colin) Milesy and Steve Collis, those were the three I remember from the first day of preseason. They’d come from the Football League and had a little bit of experience, but it was more just the team spirit we had together. Anything we did, everyone wanted to win each time. It’s that attitude that helps bring success”

2001/02 culminating in a Trophy Final was a special occasion for Lindegaard, but it was just the start of the journey

“We were at the start of riding that wave, I remember going to Villa Park and the whole of Yeovil was there, it was something special.”

After that, the team conquered the conference and League Two with so many happy memories.

“It was a winning mentality, we had a lot of pace, it was attack, attack, attack, the fans were spoilt!”

“One of my best memories is playing in front of Huish Park when it was jam packed full, we used to get six or seven thousand every week.”

Lindegaard still has the match ball from his hat trick against Gravesend and Northfleet kicking about in the garden and the medals are framed up and on display for family and friends to enjoy, his only ‘what if’… not playing as a striker a bit more.

“I wish I played up front more, but we signed Kevin Gall so I didn’t get a look in.”

Fast forward to 2007 and things had changed. Johnson had left, Slade had come in and yet the success continued with the League One play-offs.

Slade, he says, was different to Johnson in the way they approached management but both got results.

“Gary was more of a shouter, he liked to encourage players that way, Russell Slade was more of school teacher-ish”

“Russell wouldn’t overload the players with information, but Gary had his own form of data analysis, it was ticks and crosses as we sat and watched the games back.”

Lindegaard was quick to take up the offer to come back and play in this game for the Adam Stansfield foundation, because of who Adam was, and he knew before most that Stanno would go on to be great.

“Stanno always had a smile on his face. I actually played in the game where Gary discovered him. For the reserves, against Elmore. It was a cold, rainy night, luckily I wasn’t playing in defence, so he didn’t run me ragged. I remember playing in that game and he turned up to training the next Monday”.

The rest was history.

From struggling to find somewhere to train with the reserve side to finishing his 8-year stint at Wembley Stadium in 2007, Andy Lindegaard saw it all happen around him and he hopes that for one more packed out Huish Park will wrap up the story nicely.

“As soon as they mentioned this game, I wanted to get involved. I’m really looking forward to it, I haven’t seen a lot of the players in a while, I keep in touch with a couple of the lads, it’ll be good. Some of the lads who are coming back never got to play with Stanno so it’ll be good to see teams from across the generations”

When asked who would win between a 2003 Yeovil side and the 2007 Glovers team, it was close, but he reckons the Johnson side would have just about edged it.

“I’d probably say the 2003 team would win, but, the 2007 team was the highest we’d ever been. That team was full of quality, but my instinct says that Weasel (Darren Way) and Lee Johnson would make the difference”

Those sides come together today to take on the South West XI, the best of both worlds!

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To donate to Andy’s blonde hair Just Giving page Click HERE

To listen to the Gloverscast’s Legends Game Special Click HERE

To take a look at the Gloverscast Photo Gallery of the day courtesy of Mike Kunz, Click HERE

To visit the website of the Adam Stansfield foundation and make a direct donation, Click HERE