It’s a familiar tale repeated over and over by people who run amateur sports teams.

They receive a call on the eve of a game – whether it be football, rugby, hockey or even golf – to be told by a player that he or she can’t take part for whatever reason.

Those reasons can, of course, be anything from ‘I’m going shopping’ to ‘My car’s broken down’ to ‘I’m on the lash and won’t be in any fit state to play, sorry!’.

Andy Wilcox, the manager of the newly formed Cheltenham Town FC Veterans, had a player drop out on the eve of their first game in the Gloucestershire Veterans’ League at the weekend.

But on this occasion, it was entirely understandable.

“I received a message from Lee Carsley on Saturday evening,” laughed Wilcox, who has recently joined the League Two club’s board of directors. “He said he was gutted that he couldn’t play on Sunday because Birmingham City had just sacked their manager and he had been called in for a meeting the following morning.”

Harry Redknapp was the man who was axed of course and while Carsley, who enjoyed a distinguished Football League career with the likes of Everton and Derby, may have been “gutted” to miss the vets’ game he must have been jolly pleased he did make contact with Wilcox because he is now caretaker boss of the Championship club.

Carsley was, of course, missed by Cheltenham even though they eased to a 6-2 win over Shurdington Rovers Veterans.

Mind you, it’s not surprising that Wilcox’s all stars were in such dominant form because their team includes some stellar names from yesteryear like Lee Hendrie, Darren Byfield, Shane Duff, Steve Jones, John Finnigan, Marcus Bignot and Jerry Gill.

Byfield, who scored more than 100 goals in a playing career that numbered Walsall and Bristol City among his former clubs, got four of the goals and the other two were scored by Lee Hendrie, the one-time Aston Villa midfielder who was capped once by England.

“These boys are still really good players,” purred Wilcox, who was a decent local footballer himself back in the day. “They never lose it, they’ve still got all the skills. Lee Hendrie does some work for Sky TV on Saturdays so this is the only time he can play at weekends.

“He just wants to play, they all do. It’s good fun but they’re competitive as well.”

The vets play their home games on the 3G pitch at the All Saints’ Academy in Cheltenham and fans of the club’s League Two team are more than welcome to turn up and support one of the club’s ‘other’ teams.

“It would be nice to get some support,” added Wilcox. “This is a going to be a successful team and anyone who comes along will see some good football.”

They may even get to see the normally smartly dressed Wilcox running around in the red and white of Cheltenham.

“I’ll play if we’re short,” he chuckled, “I used to play a bit. I played for Prestbury Rovers and Ashton-under-Hill and also for Horsley in the Northern Senior League.”

So, what position was he?

“I played up front and I scored a few goals,” he said. “I was one of those who tended to be in the right place at the right time. If ever there was a tap-in I got it!”

But while Wilcox, who used to manage Ashton Reunited in the vets’ league, is first and foremost a big football fan – he was at Anfield last week to see Liverpool play Seville and has been invited to Villa Park this weekend to watch Aston Villa play – there is a serious side to him launching the vets’ team.

“It all helps to generate interest in Cheltenham Town,” he said. “If the vets’ team are doing well that can only be good. We’ve got the first team, the ladies’ team, the academy teams and the vets’ team all playing for this club and I think it’s something worth shouting about.”

And there was certainly something to shout about on Saturday when the club’s flagship team recorded only their second league win of the season, beating Colchester 3-1.

That was a good moment for Wilcox who joined the club’s board 10 months ago and admits there have been plenty of tough times as the club battled against relegation last season.

He’s passionate about all things Cheltenham Town.

“I was born and bred in Cheltenham,” he said. “They are my local club and I grew up watching the likes of Dave Lewis and John Murphy play for them.”

That was in the 80s in the club’s non-League days and they have come a long, long way since then, of course.

Wilcox has, too. Now living near Malvern he runs LCI Rail, a railway construction and signalling business.

It’s not Wilcox’s only success story. The club’s veterans’ team may only have played one game but it looks like they are very much on the fast track to success as well.

The vets’ next game is at home to CT Outcasts Veterans on Sunday 15th October. The game kicks off at noon.