Dean Stacey reports on Ant Roach

If you are a football fan and just love the game so much what could be better than to have a son who not only shares your love, but has been someone who has given you so much pleasure and joy as a player and one who is so well respected not just because he earned a reputation of being a very good striker, but also because of all the work he does not only for the South Devon League but also the Devon FA.

From the time my mother failed miserably to rid her womb of me and from then on for most of my life I have had so much thrown at me. But there has been two bright shining stars in my life that has made realise that I have had some things in my life that has made living it so worthwhile.

It goes without saying that Carol is one of them as she was able to give me what I spent most of my life looking for and I’ll keep her going one way or the other as I never want to have to face life without her.

I do have three children and through no fault of my own just this unjust land we live in where fathers seem to have no rights, only one has been consistently in my life from the day he was born and I could not wish for a more devoted son and one I’m so immensely proud of.

People always said he was my little shadow as everywhere I was he was always there with me, only I made sure he was never an extension of me but his own person with his own personality

He was kicking a ball as soon as he was able to stand up and it was no real surprise to me he would take up playing the game and I remember so well his first ever junior game where he only went and banged eight goals in.

I have stood on touchlines hundreds of times often soaking wet or freezing cold to the bone but it was always worth it as it was very rare he would not get a goal or two or three or four. I have run the line for the teams he played in and have run onto the pitch in games I didn’t when some thug took him out just because it was the only way they could find to stop him hitting the back of the net.

I loved in when he played in a cup game against Liverton many years ago, a really top local side but even they could not stop him scoring a brilliant individual goal that rates up there in my all time top ten goals he scored.

Ipplepen like many other local teams have been after Ants service for years and he came to their attention many years ago when he played in a cup game against them. His team one nil down and looking second favourite all over the pitch until he hit two wonder 35 yard shots that the likes of Beckham would have been proud of.

So how did he get on yesterday in his first game for Ipplepen? Did he score? Well what you think, he may have lost the pace he once had, but once a goal scorer always a goal scorer and once again he did himself proud playing the game he loves and I know he could have played at a much higher level, but he has been happy and content just to stick to playing in the South Devon League.


22 months old and already a good dribbler.





Anything you can do Dad, I can do better





Felt so proud on his first day at school






Last seasons cup final

He did have words with Carol about the pictures I put up ;D

From todays Herald Express.



New boy Roach scores on debut


IT took debutant Anthony Roach just eight minutes to open his account for Ipplepen Athletic Reserves as they enhanced their Division Five promotion credentials with a 3-0 victory over the Broadhempston United second string.
The prolific striker, who joined the Pens in midweek after scoring 57 goals in a 15-month spell at Marldon, headed home to fire Ipplepen in front, before Joe Brittain and Sean Rooney sealed the win.