Many of us enjoy visiting our local non-league club at the weekend and during the week. We finish work, watch the match and head home ready for a new day. But what about the players who have to fit in their work commitments around the football? How do they do it?

The Echo will be speaking to non-league stars from across south Essex this season about how they juggle two of life’s most crucial aspects – work and football.

This week we speak to Concord Rangers defender MATT FRY, 24, who has had a week of contrasting fortunes on the pitch.

 

SATURDAY

Today was slightly different as we play at St Albans City, which isn’t a million miles away. I think the coach was due to leave the club at 11.15am but I always choose to meet at Brentwood Holiday Inn for games north of the M25.

I normally have a decent lay-in until about 9.30am but my missus Amy usually wakes me up as she goes to the gym at silly o’clock on a Saturday.

I used to watch Soccer AM but for me the banter has got very predictable and I don’t enjoy it as much as I used to when Tim Lovejoy presented it. Nevertheless I will watch it if it happens to be on.

Saturday morning is greeted by a coffee and breakfast and I spend the rest of the morning carefully packing my match day bag. It always involves the same dilemma of whether it should be a stud or a mould that day (but I always pack both to be safe anyway!) I travel to games and training with Woody (Alex Woodyard), as we are both from south of the River Thames, and today it is Woody’s turn to drive so we both jumped on his horse and cart.. I mean car (cough cough) and away we went!

My mum and dad usually come to support me at home games and local away ones, but that didn’t include St Albans.

Today, for want of a better word, the game went s***! It was a poor performance all around and we’re all good enough characters to put our hands up and admit that.

Dan (Cowley) was clearly very let down by our performances and the only good thing I can take from the game is that St Albans changed their formation and personnel to accommodate our strengths, which is a backhanded compliment.

Not many teams give us the respect we deserve and as a result we tend to come away with the points more often than not!

Saturdays are the only evenings I really get to see mates or have date nights with the missus. Luckily we have similar circles of friends so my Saturday nights are normally booked up far in advance which is a good thing.

Tonight was Amy’s mum’s birthday and Amy had to drag me out kicking and screaming due to the game earlier! She will be the first to tell you I’m not great to be around when we have lost so I always get an anxious text after games to determine my mood!

 

SUNDAY

I usually get up early on Sundays to play golf with a mate who plays over at Maidstone (Jamie Coyle) and a few of the other lads.

I use this as a cool down but, dependant on how I play, I can sometimes cover more distance than on matchdays! It is always a very chilled out day for me, ending with a Sunday roast at mum’s or Amy’s mum’s.

 

MONDAY

I usually get up about 7am for work but, since Christmas, I have been fortunate enough to work from home so I’ve been getting out of bed at about 8.45am walking to the other end of the room and switching the laptop on!

Since November I have been working in the accounts department at a music agency called Elastic Artists.

After dropping out of professional football I had a brief spell working at BMW but it was difficult as I’d always played football as a job. But as a result of the injuries I’d sustained over a few years I found myself without a team so I had to get my head around working and playing in the evenings which is a lot harder than people think.

I’m only 24 so haven’t been out of the game long but I feel as though I’ve been around a few years. Amy has been with me through the highs and lows of my career and she’s always been my rock along with my family, so for this I’m very grateful.

 

TUESDAY

We play Dagenham & Redbridge tonight so it will be the same as a normal day, although luckily my boss is a massive football fan so he lets me slip off early if I need to. That means a lot as I like to prepare as professionally as possible.

We played against a near on full strength League Two team and unsurprisingly, to Concord Rangers fans, management and the players, we outworked them and even outplayed them in the game.

It was 2-2 with both of their goals very good solo efforts. It was the third time we have gone through on penalties in this season’s Essex Senior Cup and as chairman Antony Smith rightfully proclaimed ‘We are Germany’!

It was important for us all to bounce back after Saturday’s disappointment and the performance demonstrates what strong character we have in this team. Going on to beat a team with what must have easily been over 500 Football League appearances between them was never going to be an easy task so credit to all the boys.

 

WEDNESDAY

This would normally be the same as Monday but this morning I had my first accounting exam at 10am. I had prepared well for it and passed with 87 per cent so all in all a great week so far!

Let’s hope we can continue the good start with a win against Whitehawk on Saturday. #YAMC