Denne twitterhistorien må jo bare deles, typisk Gary Speed vil nok mange si...
Nick Coppack
@nickcoppack0
Eight years and a day after Gary Speed's death, here's a story I've never really told. Mainly because I've never wanted to make it about me. And it isn't. But I realise now it's just another example of what a genuinely good guy Gary Speed was.
Back in December 1997, I was a 15-year-old from Australia, over in the UK for two months having written to loads of clubs in the north-west asking for trials (I was a pretty decent goalkeeper back then!).
Everton were one of a handful of clubs who took a chance, inviting me to Finch Farm for a week's training. I was staying with my great aunt and uncle in Chester - it took a train and two buses to even get close to the complex and then I had to walk the rest of the way.
Although only 15 I trained with the first-team goalkeepers (including @NevilleSouthall
and Thomas Myhre) and got changed before and after training in the first-team dressing room. It was a pretty incredible experience!
Gary Speed - the Everton captain at the time – was one of the first players to approach me as I got changed after training and took a genuine interest in how and why a kid from Australia had ended up here. We spoke for a good few minutes.
Unfortunately I had to cut short our conversation on account of needing to make the convoluted journey home. When I told Gary about it he asked where I was heading.
"Hoole in Chester", I said.
His reply: "That's not far from me. I'll give you a lift!"
So Gary Speed drove me home, dropped me off and then said: "I'll pick you up in the morning. See you then!"
Wow.
The next day, Gary arrived in his flash car and I had to go out and ask him to come inside because my great aunt had insisted she meet and vet the man who was going to be driving me to Liverpool.
But Gary smiled, agreed and, in the small front room with a cup of tea and the fire on, charmed my great aunt enough to gain her approval and convince her to allow him to drive me to training.
For the rest of that week, Gary picked me up and dropped me off before and after training. On the Wednesday night he dropped me at Liverpool Lime Street instead as I was getting a train down to London to see Oasis at Wembley Arena.
Coming from Australia, I was woefully under-dressed. Gary noticed, took off his scarf and leather gloves and handed them to me.
"You'll need these more than I will! Just give them back to me on Friday," he said. (Thursday was a day off.)
On the Friday morning - scarf and gloves safely returned - a report came on the radio claiming Newcastle United were interested in signing Gary Speed. This was awkward/surreal. I looked over at him.
"That's the first I've heard!" he said.
Fast fwd a few weeks and Speed's making his debut at St James' Park. I'm back in Oz, unsuccessful after my trials but with some great memories and, not least, a huge amount of respect for a man who went out of his way to help a lost kid a long way from home.
Thanks, Speedo.
https://twitter.com/nickcoppack0/status/1200029031166550016
