Interview with Andy Booth

Legend is a term used very loosely in football nowadays, but in terms of League One side Huddersfield Town, Andy Booth is just that. Over the course of seventeen years he made 293 appearances for the Terriers and claimed his 150th in his final game to become the clubs third top goalscorer ever. In January he spared a few moments with me to reveal his love of football, life at Huddersfield and his opponents.

As a football fan myself, it was fascinating to get an insight into the life of a footballer, especially who they enjoyed playing against. It makes it a realisation of what goes on in the Sport you love, and Andy had certainly played against some of the best. I decided to get an in-depth look at his career and whom he had enjoyed playing with, and against. He and Ronnie Jepsom struck up a brilliant partnership in the early nineties and it was of no surprise to me that he named Ronnie as the best striker he’d played with, some achievement when you take into account he’s also played with the likes of Paolo Di Canio & Les Ferdinand. The late nineties was his next subject of praise, naming the Arsenal defence of Dixon, Keown, Adams & Winterburn as the toughest defense he’d faced. He went on to talk about their understanding of eachother. “They never spoke, they just knew where to go, what to do and were almost unbeatable.” Communication’s important in any team then yes? He also held Ruud Gullit in high regard, naming him as his overall toughest opponent, in the Dutchman’s days at Chelsea. It’s easy to forget someone who played his late career in the lower tiers also played with some of the best around.

The conversation then moved on to his personal achievements, mainly with Town. We discussed in detail the play-offs that took Huddersfield back to the third tier of English football in 2004. He said playing at the Millenium Stadium, aswell as Wembley, was a dream and to achieve it in such fashion was one of his proudest memories in football. In all fairness, Booth was a team player, no doubt a legend at the Galpharm and his goals that season along with aid of up and coming youngster Jon Stead certainly helped Huddersfield regain some glory after a miserable 2003 campaign. Talking of goals, Boothy revealed it was a great relief to him to secure his 150th Terries goal in his final game in 2009. “I was on 148 with two games left, I managed to score in my last game here against Brighton, and then went to Leyton Orient and scored there too. It was a great feeling, it didn’t change our season but gave me something to walk away with.”

His passion for football was clear, he said he’d never even considered a career outside of football, even through education, so if football hadn’t come off he would really have been stuck for work! His passion for football shared that of former Town manager Neil Warnock, whom he named as the best manager he’d played with, closely followed by Peter Jackson. There aren’t many in the game who rival those two in terms of passion and flair when it comes to management. Andy had previously played for the England-U21 side, scoring 2 goals in just 3 games, but revealed he never harboured thoughts of the England squad, even when he was at Tottenham. “No, not really. I had a lot of injuries at the time and there were many strikers around who were getting more goals, it was just something that didn’t work out really.” That would have been another achievement to the Andy Booth collection.

Nowadays, Booth is an ambassador at Huddersfield Town. A role which covers promoting the club, and the people of Huddersfield. It appears Andy is enjoying his new found role inside the Galpharm, with more time on his hands to enjoy the football, and the arrival of new signings such as Lee Peltier & Jordan Rhodes, who had particularly caught the eye of the former striker. It was a pleasure interviewing such an icon of our local surroundings, especially in Sporting terms, and to get an insight into the life of a modern day footballer.
Interview took place January 25th 2010