Injured Met Police striker Michael Charles talks chipmunks, scoring for Horley Town and FIAT Puntos.
First medal: Won the 20m freestyle at school when I was in year 6. I was a bit of an arrogant kid when I was at school and I left the medal hanging in the classroom to make sure everyone remembered I’d won it.
First football club: Horley Minnows. I don’t remember my first goal for them because I was scoring 70 a season. We were playing in full size goals and we were only small, so I knew as long as I hit it high I’d score.
First goal (senior football): It was playing for Farnborough against Aldershot Town – who was managed by Terry Brown then – in the Conference. I came on as a substitute and my first touch was to get up ahead of Will Antwi and head the ball past Nikki Bull in goal.
First car: Fiat Punto. It was supposed to be red, but the colour faded so it looked pink. The lads nicknamed it the pink panther, but it was a hit with the ladies.
First lads holiday: Xanthi in 2005. It was an 18-30s holiday for two weeks. It was my first and my last. I came back whiter than I went, because we’d be going out every night and sleeping all day. I got a tattoo while I was there. It is on my arm and it says Charles in Chinese. At least, that is what they told me. I haven’t had it checked.
First pet: An alsation called Shelly and two chipmunks called Bubble and Squeak. More people should have chipmunks as pets. They are very under-rated.
First red card: I got two yellow cards in the space of 30 seconds for Farnborough against Newport County in the Conference. I got booked for kicking the ball away and then from the resultant free-kick I inexplicably jumped to head the ball and instead punched it. I didn’t get fined because the management put it down to being a young kid at the time. At least we won the game 1-0.
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