Name: Neil Howchin

Date of birth: April 17, 1979

Birthplace: Cheltenham

Schools: Swindon Village and Pittville

Occupation: Financial adviser

Where live: Bishop’s Cleeve

Your sport: Football

Your position: Physio room!

Clubs: Cleeve Colts, Charlton Rovers, Cheltenham Civil Service, Belmore Jags, Star.

Best achievement/result and why: Winning cups and league promotions from under-12 Charlton Rovers. Inter-school cups to senior football cup wins and promotions. The same buzz applies at any age of winning a league or picking up a cup.

Style of play: Direct and hard.

Best team-mate you played with and why: My best mate Neil Jackson. He was the only one on the pitch that made me look good!

Best opponent and why: Don’t know his name. He was a West Ham veteran. I was 21 he was in his 40s. I went into the game very confident… he ate me alive! These guys are so talented.

Best manager/coach you played for and why: Mr Kinder. I was playing for Cheltenham schoolboys. He really tried to ingrain good football basics. I’m using this in my coaching now for the Cleeve Colts under-8s.

Best thing and worst thing about your sport today: I feel football has got better and more skilful over the years so the game as an elite sport is certainly going the right way. I feel from a grassroots level that all the bigger clubs are happy to scout your players and take them away. This is great for the child involved and you only wish them the very best of luck. However, I feel these clubs with fortunes of money could help out the feeder clubs by supplementing the clubs with goals, equipment, basic kit… just a thank you.

What is your involvement in sport today? I’m coaching Cleeve Colts under-8s at present and have done for the last four years. My daughter Darcy is a club swimmer so I am also now in the throes of helping out Tewkesbury Swimming Club.

What do you think you will be doing sporting wise in five years’ time? Personally, I would like to get into triathlon.