l 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 Great Wakering Rovers chairman Tony Butcher, who took over the role at Burroughs Park in the summer and celebrated his 48th birthday on Tuesday.

 

SATURDAY

Even though I haven’t coached a team for years I still find myself waking up earlier then I want! I can never get back to sleep either but that’s most probably because my wife Lisa snores!

I now find myself encouraging my youngest son, Cameron, to get ready for morning training, with the Great Wakering Colts under-15s while his former Colts/Rovers Alliance brother Aaron stays in bed and his older sister Yasmin recovers from a late night out on the tiles and a long week at work.

But I do get the chance to cook my once a week fry-up which is the morning treat while watching Saturday Kitchen Live.

Today we are home to Dereham Town. It takes me just over five minutes to walk down to Burroughs Park and I arrive at 1pm to help with pre-match preparations, including covering for our stadia manager Jim who is on holiday again!

Due to traffic Dereham arrive late, but it’s always a pleasure as Dereham’s committee/chairman are a great bunch of people and I make sure our 4-1 away win earlier in the season is mentioned.

The game finished 2-2, although we were two goals down. The team has been showing great resolve and this showed today with a superb fight back and a cracking goal from Jay Nash.

The club had an evening social and I got home at around 8pm for some easy Saturday night viewing and a glass of wine.

 

SUNDAY

Another early wake-up call to watch Cameron’s Colts team lose 3-2 to Wickford Town on a very difficult pitch.

In the afternoon Lisa, who I have been married to for 25 years now, and I take a long walk and spend some time together. It was a very lazy afternoon followed by a family roast to catch up on events with the kids.

 

MONDAY

I am a construction project manager/ quantity surveyor. I left a city practice some 11 years ago but have an office at home where I spend most of my time with the odd visit to London.

First thing this morning I was required down the club to allow EE into the grounds to check the mobile phone mast and back home to pick up work emails.

In the evening I chair a club committee meeting before we met up with our new Ryman U21 managers to discuss the future running of the team.

I played for the Colts when it started in 1978 and then came back to manage my children. Aaron’s team started in 2001/02 as under-sixes and we went all the way through to Rovers Alliance and now he and some of the others are in the club’s reserve team which is a great achievement for the boys and shows immense one club loyalty.

I have been the Colts chairman and now the Colts honorary president and I am now the chairman of Rovers and a supporter of youth football.

 

TUESDAY

In between work today I take a walk through the Village distributing fixture posters.

I have also started to prepare an extension to our lease with the Parish Council whilst chasing players for our club’s upcoming fundraising match.

The club takes on the two local schools PTA’s (Great Wakering & Barling Magna) to raise much need cash for them (Sunday, May 3 – all are welcome).

Tonight we have a second team game at home against Redbridge but, being my birthday today, I missed this one and paid a visit with Lisa to Mim Spice, the Village Indian restaurant instead, for what was some superb food. It comes highly recommended.

I got some James Martin cookery books, a box of 12 crème eggs, The Who’s LP Quadrophenia, some clothing vouchers and the curry meal last night!

And hearing our young team overcome a more experienced team winning 4-3 finished a great day for me.

 

WEDNESDAY

Today has been work-orientated with the odd football phone call thrown in.

Both my boys play for Southend-on-Sea EMT Cricket Club so both have winter nets at two different venues at two different times to contend with which is fun!

As I work from home and Lisa is a nurse it leaves me with a fair share of the house chores and most of the cooking, but the kids prefer that and tonight will homemade chicken pie and mash will be on the menu!

Even though I am privileged to be chairman of Rovers it takes a lot more than a grey-haired worn-out chairman to keep this club going.

Our band of volunteers performs heroics on and off the field every day and that keeps the name of Great Wakering Rovers alive and kicking in the area.

This Saturday we play Heybridge Swifts but I will be at our home ground of Burroughs Park instead supporting our second team who are facing Sawbridgeworth with a 2pm kick-off.