Tony, how did you become involved at Buntingford? 

It was through Paul Attfield, who has been manager of the club for a couple of years. I know himbecause he used to coach the youth team at Royston Town and my son Thomas played for them.

So I have kept in touch with Paul and he phoned me last season to ask me to help out, but I was tied up with work commitments at that stage.

This year, I have a little bit more time on my hands in the evenings and at weekends so I have been able to join Buntingford. 

One of the highlights at Buntingford this season has been an excellent run in the national FA Youth Cup.

You lost at Brentford in the Second Round after beating Halstead Town, Henley Town, Rothwell Corinthians and Aldershot Town along the way. How much excitement did that create at the club? 

We all enjoyed the cup run. I was at three of those games and Paul asked me to take a rigorous warm-up before the big tie at Brentford. I knew quite a few of the players anyway as they had played in the first team.

The match at Griffin Park was very exciting as Buntingford had a lot of supporters there. The lads gave a good account of themselves in losing 3-1 on the night. 

You had a great career at the highest level. So how much go you enjoy the grassroots involvement at Buntingford? 

I have always liked Non-League football as that is where I came from. I started out as a player with Goole Town in the Northern Premier League. We used to play teams like Scarborough and Wigan in those days. 

Did your time at Goole give you a good grounding in football?

Yes, absolutely. It keeps your feet on the floor especially when you get the option to go up a few levels, which I did. It makes you realise that football is not just about the top teams. It is about the 92 League clubs and hundreds of Non-League clubs as well at grassroots level. 

Do you enjoy coaching nowadays? 

Yes. I’ve always had an involvement with junior and boys’ sides. I set a team up in Royston when I used to live there. I was also manager of Royston Town for a couple of years in the early 1990’s. 

What were the highlights of your playing career? 

At club level, winning the UEFA Cup with Spurs when we defeated Anderlecht in the 1984 Final. For Ireland, going to the European Championship Finals in 1988 when we beat England 1-0. Those two moments really stand out for me. 

What else do you do with your time now? 

I work for the Learning and Skills Council. My current role is as a Further Education Manager. I am in post-16 education in a support and advisory role. It is a non-teaching position. 

Finally, having had a great football career how much do you enjoy putting something back into the game at Buntingford? 

It is enjoyable. We have some very good young players who are eager to learn. I feel that they have been making progress in the few months that I have been there and some of those lads should go on to play at a much higher level.