Couch Potato has been on an undercover spying mission (well ok blatant visit) to Wade Elliott’s former club Bashley and uncovers some astonishing facts..including the one in the title!
Our private investgator, Couch Potato has been on an undercover spying mission (well ok blatant visit) to Wade Elliott’s former club Bashley and uncovers some astonishing facts including the one in the title!
ELLIOTT COULD HAVE GONE TO QPR
This is just one of the things Couch Potato learned when visiting Wade Elliot’s first club, Bashley…
With Burnley playing Everton last Sunday, Couch Potato travelled to the New Forest to watch Bashley FC play Clevedon Town in a Zamoretto League clash, 3 tiers below League Two.
When playing there as a 19-year-old, while also undertaking a degree at Goldsmith’s University in London, Elliott was carefully watched by QPR. But he ended up at nearby Bournemouth. Bournemouth played in the FA Cup at Turf Moor; and the rest is Claret history, not QPR’s. Phew.
Couch Potato asked in the clubhouse who he could donate a copy of When the Ball Moves 75 to, which has Wade Eliottt on the cover… and was introduced to the Chairman. After chatting for ten minutes, as Bashley took control of a game they would win 3-2, Couch Potato came away with ample material for an article to be sent to Barnsey for consideration for the next WTBM; and with many kind words from the Chair, Gary Parsons.
Gary assured us that WTBM 75 would be kept in the club archive, wished Burnley FC would consider a friendly one day with the club whose youth system brought Elliott through his early days, and extended a warm welcome to any Claret fans who wanted to stop by.
The spacious and comfortable clubhouse offers plenty of food and drink, plus a noticeboard dominated by press cuttings of ‘Wembley Wade’. They are immensely proud of him. Lots of people were interested in chatting, and Couch Potato felt especially welcome when the Bashley score came up on the SKY screen directly underneath pictures of defeated R****s departing the Stadium of Light.
Bashley is a village of just a few hundred people, and therefore, like Burnley, in a league with clubs from much bigger places. It’s just north of New Milton, on the train between Southampton and Bournemouth. The New Forest National Park boundary is a few hundred yards north, and beaches are a couple of miles south, Everything you need to know about going to a game can be found on BashNet at this link:
Bashnet LINK HERE
Couch Potato really enjoyed his visit to Bashley, and encourages other Clarets to go and fill their clubhouse coffers while enjoying the warm hospitality of an impressive organisation who nurtured the talents of one of our stars.
Article provided and written by Couch Potato
Great article CP, so much so I changed my plans and put it up a day earlier!! 😉 See you at Chelsea me owd mucker!!
For everyone who went to Hartlepool last night… or who just yearns for the lower division days of being able to watch the players react to your kind comments, make suggestions to the manager while he natters with the ref, or even go over to the chairman to share a few thoughts… there is something rather fun about non-league. I even found myself shouting once or twice: ‘Come on Bash!’ More on Elliott’s early days in the next WTBM…
Looking forward to reading that, CP!
CP’s piece has reminded me that there is a little place called Barton-on-Sea near to New Milton (and therefore Bashley ). I stumbled on it one day when I took a wrong turn. It has spectacular views out to sea and a cliff top walk for those who are interested in that kind of thing. Gets a touch windy but then it is by the sea. Nothing to do with football I know but there we go.
Great article CP. Agree with the lower league comments, when I was posted to Arbroath for 3 years in the early 80’s I supported them along with 247 other fans and a dog! The Mighty Lichties in Purple! Even followed them away from home!
If, over the years, 100 Clarets were to visit Bashley and spend £25 each, that would increase by 50% the total of what Bashley FC made as their return on nurturing Wade’s talent from his transfers. That is how I understand it from talking with several people there. None of which changes the fact that going to Bash is a good day out!
I can see a theme developing here, maybe Vital Burnley posters could get together when we haven’t a game and instead hunt down a non-league ground based on where our players started their careers. Barnsey is the one to organise this sort of thing,he’s always buggering off to gawd knows where 😉 Could be a good crack dont you think?
I do think it could be fun, and that the clubs visited would appreciate it. On the subject of which I am going to send Barnsey something I read in a travel article about Yaroslavl, where Bikey played for a bit. It’s about 4 hours north of Moscow on the trains. (Maybe someone else can do some Googling on where else he has been and turn it into an article?) But maybe Duffman’s Cheltenham might be higher on our agenda? What a buy he has been for £20,000! His dance at Wembley alone was worth twice that.
On a slightly different tack, a trip up to Dumbarton might be worth it. Owen’s first club along with brothers Joe & Tommy! They all played together in same team by all accounts
We’re going to have to think about this carefully. Where did Andre actually start?
Come on Burnley how about a pre-season game at Bashley next season by way of saying thankyou.
Hi couch potato
Have just found this whilst hunting around the net for something completely different for Bash fundraising ..anyhow the point is thank you very much for the program when you visited the club some weeks ago and the article since and we’re glad you enjoyed your visit. We’d love to have some more of you visit if you follow up your players previous club tour (give us a little notice if you’re coming though!) maybe you could bring Wade for a daytrip as well LOL. You could always make it an away weekend as we’re in between Bournemouth & Southampton and we’ve got the beach and forest – lucky I know! As you know we are a very small club and any publicity is great news for us and if we can get a few more through the gate it’s always a bonus. Pre-season friendly would be fantastic if it could happen!! Thanks again 🙂