Up Close And Personal WithAJ Smith The Romford Raider Facebook page is delighted to keep some post season

momentum going with its on-going articles straight from the mouths of the players themselves. We clearly hope there is some relevance here and that the featured players are set to return to the Gold and Blue, wherever that may be and whatever the shade of those colours are. We are not so fickle to forget you guys just because pastures new beckon, and we hope in the near future to have a few golden oldies on the books for you as well. Any requests, please pm on the facebook front page. Back to the star of this interview, AJ Smith. First things first, is it AJ, Smithy, Adam? What do you prefer? AJ I prefer AJ but I get called everything, Ive got a couple of mates outside hockey that call me Smithy and my family call me Adam and its Adam at work as well. Oh and Bombers Mrs, Clare insists on calling me Adam too Normal question then, when did you first skate, where, and how did you get on?.....a natural? AJ I think I was 4 or 5 the first time I went skating at RVW. I took to it pretty quick and remember by the end of my first time I was skating around in the middle while my parents were still clinging to the boards. How did that visit come about? AJ I cant remember to be honest. You grew up pretty close to RVW, so I guess the Romford Junior system was a natural progression in the interest in the sport. Any persuasion needed to get you there? Is a family member responsible? AJ Yeah I grew up in Elm Park less than a 5 minute drive from the rink. Both my parents were responsible for me starting hockey, they used to take me to watch the Raiders as a young kid and when I was 6 I started training and never looked back. How many of the junior teams did you ice for? Any trophies in that time? AJ I iced for the U10s, U12s, U14s and U16s at Romford before I left. I cant really remember any specific titles but Im sure there must have been a few league wins along the way and a few top points scorer trophies too. You can find them now on eBay Who of the present squad and better known Raiders would you have appeared alongside in those early years? AJ Theres no current Raiders from my exact age group but I played up with the likes of Grant Taylor, JJ McGrath, Anthony Leone and Stuart Low. Dave Oliver was coming along just a couple years younger than me. I also played South East for my whole junior career with a certain young lad from Peterborough called Julian Smith so we knew each other well when we both signed for the Raiders.

Did you have any family members or relatives involved in the sport at all? AJ No, its just me that plays in my family. Growing up with a relatively unusual sport as a hobby, did your classmates at Albany get curious regarding this odd sport you were involved in? AJ Its one of those sports that everyones heard about but no one knows that much about it, and it wasnt just like it at school, every time you meet someone and they find out you play hockey they have a million questions and it almost always starts with Thats a bit rough aint it? Is there always loads of fights? Were any other Albany pupils amongst the junior teams at the time? AJ Yeah one of my best mates James Beattie played as well but he packed it in after juniors but he came to the IOW game last Sunday to watch and say goodbye to the rink. What other sports did you excel in at school? AJ I was pretty good at most sports but wouldnt say I really excelled at any of them. I was in the school rugby team but we only ever played one game and we lost quite heavily so I dont know if that counts. On the other hand though there was one sport that I was terrible at Field Hockey! As a left-handed Ice Hockey player it was a nightmare, you have to use a right-handed stick, you cant use the backhand of the stick, you cant put it through your legs and you cant kick it, in the end I just went in goal to get out of the way. Stupid sport! Did Ice Hockey help out do you think, the extra physical training, hand eye coordination. AJ I think it must do, it keeps you physically fit and if youre fit its quite easy to pick up most sports. Do you think the commitment required for hockey hindered your school work in any way? Was it possible to be disciplined and stop hockey affecting homework. AJ I think a lot of things hindered my school work but hockey seems like a better excuse so yeah, Ill use that. So was being a player in a big tough sport a help with the ladies in those early days? AJ Early days? It still is, I can barely walk down the street sometimes without women throwing themselves at me, its a nightmare! Its not just me though, I know Dave Oliver suffers with the same problem. He is a model too though I dont recall your name in the senior rosters at Romford. When did you head over to Invicta? AJ I left for Invicta when I was 13 so no, never played for the Raiders before now.

Did you player for any other senior teams between? AJ No, only ever played for just the 2 clubs. Why the move to Invicta. Since your return its pretty obvious you could have done a great job for Raiders years ago. AJ At the time Invicta were the best junior club in the country, I had a lot of friends there and Pete Bronnimann had been trying to get me there for a few years. Romford were always in the B leagues at the time so it seemed like an obvious move. They also put me straight into the senior team at 14 which wasnt an option at Romford at the time that I left. And in that case why the move back? Any change in circumstances make that an easier choice? AJ Id always known that I wanted to play for Romford at some point, they are my home town team. I was at Invicta for a decade and had a lot of success there but in my last season there Id found myself dropping down the pecking order in favour of new faces from further away. At the time I had been working a permanent nightshift for a number of years and couldnt commit to every training session and that wasnt well received which didnt help and I became quite disillusioned with hockey as a whole. Then 3 years ago I got a call in the summer from Marsh, Id already been offered a spot back at Invicta on the 3rd line but Marsh said he wanted to play me on his first line with himself and an import. He was also cool about my work situation and it was a chance to play in the famous Gold & Blue. It renewed my love for the game and Ive loved every minute of the last 3 seasons. You were a fixture in that team during the spell where they won everything, year after year. Does that become a bit boring, being so dominant? AJ I was in the Invicta squad that won the league 8 seasons in a row and I can tell you that winning never becomes boring! So was playing on a team with a complete line of Smiths explain the AJ moniker? Was it useful in differentiating between you and Andy Smith. AJ I think one year there was 4 of us. Myself, Andy, Tim Smith and Andys cousin Jamie. Thats not where the name AJ came from though, I generally cant remember who first started calling me AJ but it was pretty much as soon as I started playing hockey that it came about. If so, can we see the AJ being dropped before too long, or is a return across the water a possibility? AJ Well I used to have to have AJ Smith on the back of my shirt to differentiate between me and Andy who had A. Smith and I liked it so I had it on my shirt my first year at Romford but then the next year my shirt turned up and the J was missing, that wasnt my decision and I wasnt happy at first but then I had a great season and we won the league so I kept it like that for this year too.

It seems that many players have an obsession with their shirt numbers. How did you choose your number 7? AJ I picked 7 as a junior at Romford because it was my favourite number. When I went to Invicta Paul Hume was already wearing 7 so I had to pick a new number. I chose 27 because as a kid my favourite NHL player was Jeremy Roenick and that was his number for Chicago. When I signed for Romford Marsh informed me that 27 was a retired number so it seemed logical to return to 7 as that was my junior number at Romford. And have you ever had to play in another number? AJ Not that I recall, probably at some point but not for too long. Do you have any superstitions that lead to rituals? Do you always dress in the same order, stay on the ice for a certain time? AJ I get changed the same way every time but I think thats more habit than superstition. As for superstitions though, when I get to the rink before a game I do everything the same, in the same order every game. Get changed into sweats, then tape stick, then smash the lads at 2-Touch, then stretch, then eat a pack of Skittles (Greens, Yellows and Oranges only) and then let Tom Davis and Gilesy share the Reds and Purples. Then get changed. You have a reputation for your twitter comments. Is there a league policy that players are supposed to adhere to regarding social media comments? AJ I dont know what the official policies are regarding Twitter I just tweet whatever I want. I know Marsh wishes I wouldnt sometimes as I did get in trouble once for comments about a ref which almost led to a ban, but in fairness he was terrible. NIHL twitter seems to suggest you are under Hayleys thumb. Any truth in that or should I ask her first? AJ Never!! I am in complete control, sometimes I just let her think shes in charge! (Dont tell her I said that though) Rumour has it you are the twitter informant in the Romford locker room. Any truth in this? AJ Informant? Ive had a couple of accusations thrown my way about being behind the @NIHLRumours account, I know Billy Phillips thinks its me but I can definitely confirm that its not me, I have my suspicions as to who it is but I wont publish them here. All I can say is that if it was me there wouldnt have been so many tweets about my balding head!

Over the past 3 seasons at Romford would you say the homecoming has been what you expected? Are you pleased with the results, even if it hasnt been the total dominance that Invicta used to enjoy? AJ Having only ever played senior hockey at one club and played there for so long I didnt really know what to expect from a new club as Invicta was all I knew. But if I did have any expectations I can safely say that playing for Romford has exceeded them all. Ive been very happy with the results, no single team has dominated in the last 3 seasons, its been pretty fairly spread between ourselves, Chelmsford and IOW but weve been the best team in my opinion. Weve won the League, the SE Trophy, the NIHL Cup and the Raiders Cup and weve won it playing a style of hockey that many dont like but I think secretly wish their teams played the same. At least we stay on our feet! But back to the original question, only the playoffs have alluded us but 4 trophies in 3 years is great as far as Im concerned. What highlights come to mind over the three years. Its obviously easy to recall the most recent events, but when you think back over the three years, any particular game or incident that sticks in your mind. AJ One highlight was just the way I was immediately welcomed into the team by the players, management and fans when I first signed. Other than that its hard to put anything else up there with winning the league last season, that was special! Other highlights include doing a photo shoot with Diana Vickers, scoring a hat-trick against Invicta this season and winning Coaches Player Of The Year last season. Im sure theres loads more but they were the first to come to mind. On the playing front, many of the crowd sense a playing rapport with a couple of the Raiders. Any particular team members you look forward to lining with and why? AJ I think everybody already knows my answer to this question dont they? Matt Turner. I think were quite similar players (except he has better hands). We both like to play the same way, lots of passing and scoring the best looking goals we can. I also like playing with Shaun Yardley, one of the smartest players and best passers Ive ever played with (and his speed too)! Wallis played the last month or so of the season with me and Turner and he clicked really well with us too, never stopped chasing the puck down and created loads of space for us to work in. Also love having Bomber on my line, cant help but feel a little bit untouchable on the ice when you know Bombers backing you up. And hes the best attacking midfielder in the league. Do regular line changes break the momentum? AJ They can do sometimes but for the most part Marsh tries to keep the same lines when possible, our 3rd line of Tommy, Grant and JJ have been together for 2 whole seasons now and you can tell when you watch them play together. (When JJs not injured) Your energy, hands and awareness are pretty clear from the terraces. Any particular part of your game you would like to improve, and how does that happen? AJ You know why Ive got good hands and awareness? Because my shots always been so bad that I always had to either pass to someone else or stickhandle the puck all the way into the goal.

Playing the back end of the season with no back up must have been pretty nervy for the boys. Its certainly not unknown for a netminder to get run when there are no back ups available. Years ago Jamie Randall would possibly have stood in. What was the plan in the event Kempy got injured?

AJ It was kind of nervy the fact that there was no other regular goalie to step in in the event of an injury but we weren't too worried about anyone trying to run Kempy. You'd have to be pretty dumb in all honesty to try that, some teams let you get away with that kind of thing and I think it's disgusting. The keeper is the most important player on the ice, everyones job is to protect them and if anyone ran ours they wouldn't make it off the ice standing! Would you run our keeper with players like JJ, Bomber, Bill, Wallis, Taylor, Gilesy etc on the ice? I wouldn't! But luckily there was no injuries to 'Tinie Kempah' and he was amazing throughout the last months of the season and into the Playoffs, really kept us in a lot of games. As for a back up plan? Jason Buckman was the secret weapon. The final game was an emotional one on several levels. Any particular aspects that will stick with you for a while? AJ The whole day was pretty surreal really and even now I dont know if Ive still got my head round the idea that RVW isnt going to be there anymore. I just feel privileged that I got to play in the last ever game there. The Romford rink was pretty well the only one left with netting and future Raiders will be playing behind plexi. How does that affect the players? Does getting hit in a plexi rink present a greater or lesser chance of injury? AJ Im not sure if theres any greater or lesser chance of injury, theres always a pretty good chance of injury but I think that the netting makes for a more intimidating atmosphere for visitors. Nightmare pulling them round for training though! The netting presented an opportunity for some possible tactical advantages, deliberately creating rebounds off the net in front of goal for advancing forwards to pick up. Its rarely been done at Romford. Any thoughts why? AJ Isnt that what Huska does every time he takes a slap shot? Have you seen the plans for the new rink? Any thoughts on the design. We note that the Zamboni that has to be removed through a removable panel in the wall by crane if ever it needs to be replaced. That wall panel is 33 feet from ground level so hopefully no one ever needs a replacement in a hurry! AJ I havent actually seen the plans, that sounds interesting though! Matty Turners the man to see with Zamboni related questions. What does the closed season hold for AJ? A holiday no doubt but is it a chance to catch up with stuff you cant fit in during the season? AJ First and foremost its an opportunity for my body to rest. Ive got so many aches and pains its unbelievable and pretty sure Ive had a bruised rib for about a month now as it hurts every time I breathe in. Its gonna be nice to have free weekends for the next 4 months. Also have about 5 weddings to attend this summer including Andy Smiths and Jason Buckmans.

Many of the WAGS have clearly bonded over the past years. Is that an important element in a successful team, that the social element works for players and partners? AJ I think its great how all the girls get along, that doesnt happen at every club. I know Hayleys made some really good friends there and was made to feel welcome straight away by the Head WAG Mrs Marshall. So what does a night out involve for AJ and Hayley? Clubbing with buddies, a night in a restaurant or a night entertaining friends at home? AJ Yeah, all 3 of them. Love a night out in The Brickyard, also eating out with friends, whatever comes up really, we see Andy Smith and his Mrs and daughter at least once a week, spend a lot of time with them. And if you had your way is that restaurant a Chinese, Thai, Steak House, Indian? AJ I love all food, but we do usually go for an Indian, if I had to choose one thats what it would be. I think Chinese works better as a takeaway. So away from the game, what keeps the bar and restaurant bills paid? AJ Right now I work for a company that sells renewable energy products. Is that a long term thing do you think, or have you plans in other directions you are working on? Perhaps set up a dance troupe with David Oliver? AJ Theres millions to be made if you get Dave Oliver in front of the right audience! Thats a pretty good idea. I think my role would be more managerial though, I cant compete with Big Dave! Hes not the only one though. Grant and Bill can throw a few shapes too! It seems like hockey players dont really have the time for any hobbies as such, or even alternative sports. Do you manage any of those now, and if not do you have any secret ambitions to take something up when the body has had enough of hockey? AJ Not really, like you say hockey doesnt really leave a lot of time for other hobbies. If Ive got free time I just like to relax. So do you manage to follow any other teams in the higher leagues? AJ No, doesnt interest me if Im completely honest. I like to hear if any of my friends are doing well but thats it. And the NHL, do you follow that and have a particular team whose results you watch out for? AJ No. Havent watched NHL in years since I was a young kid. Only team I follow is West Ham!

Is there a life after hockey for AJ as a coach? Do all players have some aspirations for this or is that something that only a few have any desire to get into? AJ To be honest I have never given that any thought but well see. I guess it will just depend on how much I miss hockey once Ive called it a day. I dont know if most players have coaching aspirations or not, its not something that comes up too often in conversations. The Invicta and Romford locker room has a few pranksters amongst them. Any particular incident stand out for you over the years? AJ A few. Cant think of many I can write about though. I remember last season when we had JJ Pitchley playing for us there were a few pranks at his expense, Im sure anyone thats on Twitter saw the photo where he had a vibrator taped to his helmet. As for where the vibrator came from thats another story! Ive played with lots of great pranksters over the years, Tommy Davis has to be the worst in the current squad but players like Jamie Smith, Kev Lake, Stuart Low and Elliott Andrews were always getting up to mischief. Oh, and dont accept any money from Frankie Harvey, it might have a few extra surprises. Any talents that we should know about? A cordon bleu cook? Car restorer? Karaoke celebrity in the local bars? A Im a world class singer. Ive been called the songbird of my generation by people who have heard me Many thanks to AJ for sharing a little bit of what makes him tick, and to Hayley for giving him time off from the chores to speak with us. Keep looking back for more from the Raiders

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