Sport: Local football - Former Hammer Marc Weatherstone on life with Wingate and Finchley FC
Published: 02 June 2011
by STEVE BARNETT
THE road to becoming a professional footballer can be fraught to say the least.
It’s a roller-coaster journey that Marc Weatherstone knows only too well as he continues a career that has so far seen him go from West Ham to Wingate and Finchley, with a couple of stops in between.
The defender was beaming with pride after helping Wingate clinch promotion into the Ryman Premier Division this season.
Marc, 23, is now calling on supporters to get behind the up-and-coming north London club as they continue their climb up the footballing pyramid.
He said: “Winning promotion with Wingate is the proudest thing I’ve achieved so far since I started playing football. I was part of the promotion-winning squad at Dagenham and Redbridge, but personally this means a lot more because I’m playing a lot more games and feel more part of the team.”
Marc (pictured) has established himself as one of the longest-serving players at Wingate, during which time he has made the right-back position his own.
His fourth campaign with the club has been by far the most successful after winning the play-offs final, the London Senior Cup and the Ryman Cup.
“I’m enjoying my football, which is a lot more important than money. Wingate is a family-oriented club that likes to play good football. We work hard as a team and are always improving.
“It would be great to see more fans coming along to cheer us on next season.”
Marc, who lives in Islington, first came to our attention back in 1999 when we covered his progress as a youth player at West Ham Utd.
Back then, making it as a professional was all he could think about. But an eight-year stay at the Hammers ended when he was 15 after he stopped enjoying the game and decided to take a break.
It wasn’t long, however, before the craving to start playing again kicked in, and Marc enjoyed short spells at Luton and Barnet before joining Dagenham and Redbridge, where he received his first ever pay packet.
Although some would have become disheartened at dropping down the leagues,
for Marc the love of playing football is the most important thing of all.
“You tell people the clubs you’ve played for, and when you mention going from West Ham to Wingate and Finchley they seem to focus on the number of levels you’ve dropped down as a player. But I know a lot of good players who would love to play at the level I’m playing at, and earn money for doing something they love.
“I’ll never stop dreaming of becoming a professional footballer, it’s in my blood. Realistically I know the older I get the less chance I have of making it, but I’ve got a lot more going on in my life nowadays so it’s not something I stress about.”
• Wingate and Finchley FC, who play their home games at the Harry Abrahams Stadium, are looking for sponsors ahead of the new season. Anyone interested should email Mike Bayly at mike@wingatefinchley.com for details.