Melvin Slight would not be the first unsung hero who never intended things to turn out this way.
“I took my son down here for a trial when he was 12,” says the Tonbridge Angels physio. “I remember sitting with him in the car when we arrived, saying to him: ‘Whatever you do, don’t tell them I do any sort of physio work – I don’t want to get involved.’”
That was 13 years ago, and “involved” does little justice to the extent of Slight’s activities at the Ryman Premier League club since then. “Immersed” would be a better description and his commitment has been recognised by his selection by Supporters Direct as one of its case studies for Supporter Ownership Week, which highlights some of the voluntary work being done by those at clubs that are owned by their fans.
“I’m a bit humbled by that,” says Slight. “It was quite overwhelming. I’m the quiet type, really, and prefer to blend into the background. It was really nice to be singled out but this is just one of the things you do – you don’t seek the glory, and I really mean that.”
Slight, who works full-time as an engineer, was singled out by Supporters Direct for his “enormous professionalism and dedication” as a volunteer. He had taken a Football Association physiotherapy course before becoming involved at Tonbridge, in order to assist his son’s team, and once the cat was let out of the bag he worked with the youth setup for four years before assuming first-team responsibilities.
“I’ve done all the follow-up courses and I’ve been happy to finance it myself,” he says. “It’s cost me a few bob but I would never complain. I’m fortunate that I’m solvent so it doesn’t really cause me a problem. The biggest thing is time, really – when the season is kicking in you’ve got training twice a week and one or two games as well. But I love it, I’ve met some good people down the years and this is a real family club – one of those where you’re either there for a short time or for years.
“I look after the players as if they are mine, they’re a big part of my life; it’s important they all come off the pitch safe and well, and giving them the right support during their rehabilitation is crucial too. You have to get them back to the right level but it can be very lonely sometimes and you need to be there for them.”
That concern for others’ welfare extends to those at rival clubs, and the story of Slight’s response to an emergency involving a Dorchester Town director last season has gained him admirers far beyond Kent.
“It was a strange one,” he says. “We’d just lost the game and one of our directors said: ‘Could you come over, one of the guys from Dorchester has become unwell.’ When I got to him, we thought he might have been having a heart attack – he wasn’t well at all. I looked after him until the paramedics arrived and it turned out that he had an inner ear infection. But he was unable to get himself home from hospital so I told him to get in the car and drove him back. We’ve kept in touch since, he’s someone I know in football, and he made the lovely gesture of donating some money to our club, which we’ve put back in for medical supplies.”
What Slight does not mention is that over 150 miles separate Tonbridge and Dorchester, and the round trip resulted in a 3am return home. He is not one to give up stories of his own heroism readily and prefers to see his recent recognition as symbolic of a collective achievement.
“You look at some of the others involved, like the guys from St John Ambulance – those people are amazing, so dedicated and selfless, and I’m nothing compared to them,” he says. “The praise I’ve had is really for everyone in football that does what I do. There are countless people in the background, hundreds, and football clubs would not survive without them. Even down to making a cup of tea for the visitors, they do these things and don’t even realise the importance of it.”
It is a prevalent attitude at Tonbridge, who were taken over by their fans last year in a process overseen by Supporters Direct. The club were relegated from the Conference South last season and have not had a straightforward time in the tier below, currently sitting 16th, but the bigger picture looks a far more secure one.
“We needed to do something like this, and we’ve seen how well it has worked at clubs like AFC Wimbledon,” says Slight. “It is still a bit of an unknown quantity but we’ve seen the other side of it before – we’ve had big sponsors who have pumped in money but as soon as they fall out of love for the club then it’s gone. We need to be on a sounder footing than that, and the supporters deserved a say. It’s their club, after all.”
Slight, who says he feels far younger than his 55 years and runs several half-marathons a year in memory of Jack Maddams, a young Tonbridge player who died aged 17 as a result of a heart defect, has been a Tottenham supporter from a young age but admits that his first love – and perhaps another, too – has been usurped.
“When people ask me who I support, I always say Tonbridge first – that’s my club. My wife always says that if she put a blue Tonbridge Angels shirt on she might receive the attention they get there, and I think she might be right.”
