MATT Pendergast is possibly the worst pre-season trainer I have seen.
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Any time he knew running was on the agenda, the phone would ring ... or you'd get a message outlining the reason why he couldn’t make it.
He had a few favourite lines too like:
- Nan's cat is having kittens
- One of the kids is sick
- I've been crook with asthma
Personally, I've never known a cat to have as many litters of kittens.
If you did any running – 200s, 400s or 2km – he would be in the last few … on a good day.
BUT as soon as the footballs came out, he turned into a freak.
Penda was like an Energizer bunny.
He had the quickest, cleanest hands I've seen and played with no fear.
In his early days he struggled to handle a tag, but once he worked out to just play, because he was an inside player, he didn't have too many dramas.
He was an old-fashioned footballer who knew nothing about running patterns.
Penda’s always had the attitude of see ball, get ball.
And he’s the best I've seen at doing it.
I used to particularly like our road trips back from away games.
Lots of laughs a couple of frothies and the compulsory stop at Chiltern to see Leroy Lappin.
Leroy always had his finger on the pulse.
Penda had some funny pre-game routines as well such as:
- He always went to the toilet in his dress shoes and jocks with a Critic in hand.
- Warm ups and stretching weren’t his go. Matthew would always be on the table with the trainers getting a rub and eating snakes.
Penda’s post-game and training recovery has come a long way.
KFC was the staple diet for a lot of years.
On the way to training and on the way home.
So much so that we called his brother, Guy, ‘Chips’.
He has some diehard fans in his Nan and Pop, John and Betty.
And his mum, Jenny, before she passed away could be heard quite clearly.
They are all fiercely proud of him and deservedly so.
But I think some of that has to do with him looking after Nan's cat with all those kittens.
Penda has been a marvellous servant of Lavington Football Club and the O and M.
A 2001 premiership player and five-time best and fairest winner.
Is he the best I've seen?
There aren't any better!
He’s the peer of any player I have seen in my time in the O and M.
When you need someone to do something special, you look to him.
And nine times out of 10 he gets the job done.
Lavington Football Club is going to miss him, as will the entire competition.