Caleb Martin reflects on his career at Albury United and assesses their chances this season

STEVE TERVET: Did you grow up with a soccer ball at your feet?

CALEB MARTIN: Not really. I was mad on basketball and quite good at athletics when I was younger so they were my main two sports. It wasn't until I was 10 or 11 that I had a few mates playing soccer and they said "come down because you're fast, we'll throw you up front and see how you go." I loved it. I've always loved team sports and I'm a very competitive person. A lot of blokes will tell you that. I don't like losing.

ST: When did you start taking the sport seriously?

CM: When I was about 14. I was trying out for a few rep teams and realised I was probably starting to get a bit better than I thought I could be. I thought maybe I could play seniors when I was a bit older. When I was at high school, four or five blokes were playing at United. My old boss, I was best mates with his son, he was at United as well and he invited me to have a run. I haven't looked back since. I got along really well with Scotty Kidd, who was the senior coach. We had a really good thirds team and I wanted to be a part of that older group. Being a younger bloke, you see a successful senior group and you want to bust your bum to try and be a part of it. That was one of the things that really drew me in and that's when I started to realise, when I was playing with those older blokes, that I could match it with a few of them.

ST: How did you find the transition into the men's game?

CM: It took me a while, fitness-wise. The physicality wasn't too bad. I've changed body shape a bit since then; I was a pretty solid 16-year-old because I was playing a lot of sport and I was pretty big for my age back then. I've slimmed up because I run a bit more now. I remember my first game, I blew up at half-time and I was looking at Scotty, going: "Jeez, mate, I think I've bitten off more than I can chew here." It probably took me a year to get used to what sort of fitness and physicality you need to bring every week to compete, especially being a 16-year-old playing against fully-grown men. I guess I used my pace back then and didn't jump into too many big tackles when I was that age. When you realise you can mix it with those blokes and you're in a successful team, you'll do anything to stay in that team and win stuff with them.

ST: What was that first taste of success like?

CM: I came off the bench for the seniors for about 20 minutes, hit the post and had a couple of really good chances. I couldn't quite score but the boys had a good win that day. Ever since that day, even that little taste of success and feeling like you're part of that senior win, it really drove me the next year. I was in the team full-time up front and we beat Myrtleford in the grand final that year. I scored the first header and ran the length of the field. I had all my mates there on the sidelines and it was just the best feeling. Webby scored the winner in about the 80^th minute. I was only 16 but after the game I had a few sneaky beers and I was like "how good's this, I want to be part of this for a long time." I was lucky enough that the next two or three years, we worked hard and had that mateship and a really good team, coach and leaders. There's no better feeling. I'll still say it to this day. Winning grand finals with your mates and celebrating is the best feeling you can ever have. I was really lucky but also didn't take it for granted. In the last few years, it's been a bit leaner, so when you do win, you've really got to soak it in. I'd love to win something with a few of these other blokes that have been around at United for 10 or 12 years and haven't quite tasted that league or cup success. It's certainly what you play for and they're great memories you always hold close to your heart.

ST: How did Scott Kidd get the best out of you all?

CM: He's just one of those blokes who makes you want to run through brick walls. He knows how to talk to you, he knows when something's not right or you're not having a good game. He knows how to talk to you in the right sort of manner, he'll let you know a few things you could probably do better and the way he directed that message was spot-on for me. He just had that aura about him that made you want to win things. We're all close mates with him. Not only is he your mate, where you've got a lot of respect for him, but when he coaches you, you've got even more respect for the way he treats situations and how he can get the best out of you. He's just one of those great man-managers.

ST: Has it hurt seeing other clubs dominate in recent years?

CM: Yes, definitely. We won the league a few years ago, with Matty Campbell coaching and we lost in the semi-final. That was a tough pill to swallow because we had a really good team that year. We thought we could do something special and we did win the league but any time you've got a good team and you know you're thereabouts, it's tough. It's not easy seeing teams win, especially Wangaratta. Credit to them, they've got a very good set-up and a very good team and coach but it certainly is hard, when you're competitive, to watch other teams constantly win. There's definitely a hunger and drive there this year with the group we've got. We think we can do something special.

ST: Do you think this season represents your best chance for a while?

CM: Absolutely. It's the best team we've had for three or four years, probably even longer. It's just about getting that message through to a few of the younger boys who haven't tasted success. You can see in a few of the older boys, how hungry they are. They see the team we've got and what we can do. It all came about after that Myrtleford win (6-1). A few blokes started saying "OK, we've got a team here that could maybe do something quite special." It's just keeping that in the back of your mind and knowing that when you're in a tough game, realising you've got blokes that can get you out of a tough spot.

ST: Teams from Albury-Wodonga haven't won much over the last few years. What are your thoughts on how AWFA has changed?

CM: It definitely has changed but you could go back to when we were winning everything and some people could say the same thing, I guess, that "Albury United won again, ra ra, we'd like to see someone else win." It's good that, over the last five or six years, there's been a few different winners. Myrtleford and Wang have been the main ones but you go through those stages where you have groups of players who enjoy playing together and stick together and they're successful. Wang and Myrtleford have had that chemistry for a while now. It's good for the league. It's obviously not good being an Albury United player but it's not the worst thing that could happen. This year, especially, it's great to see teams like St Pats and Hotspurs getting some good results and pushing a few other teams. The league is bridging the gap slowly. Whether or not they still want to do the whole eight-team finals, it doesn't faze me that much. It's been like that for a while and it seems to work.

ST: You'll be 31 this year - how long would you like to keep playing?

CM: I had a good chat with Matty Campbell this year about taking a step back and enjoying my soccer a bit more. I used to be a bit of hot head, liked to get involved in everything and didn't mind throwing a few tackles around. We talked about someone else maybe stepping in as captain. That's why me and Kris Wheeler are co-captains this year, I wanted to take a load off and enjoy soccer a bit more. I think I've finally matured.

ST: How much responsibility do you feel as the captain?

CM: When we were finishing fifth or sixth, I took it as a challenge to be the one to drive and lead from the front. But it's hard because when the game gets tough, you're the one that gets caught up in it and that's when I seem to lose my temper. In the last couple of years, I've tried to be a bit more mature and play the game. It is just a game of soccer on a Sunday with your mates. Yes, I'm very competitive but it's about finding that balance. As long as all of that keeps being positive, I'm happy to still be the leader. As long as the body keeps holding up, I'll keep running around. I've got another couple of years in me at least.

ST: If relinquishing the captaincy frees you up and extends your career, surely that's not a bad idea?

CM: It may be a discussion that still comes up in the next couple of years with Matty. If he still wants me to do it, I'm happy to put my hand up but as soon as he says "we'd like someone else to give it a go" I'll be the first one to let them take it over. It will ease the burden a little bit. If you're the captain and you make a mistake that leads to a goal or you get sent off, you think "how is that leading by example, how does that reflect on me?" I started to think about it a couple of years ago and have tried to rein it in quite a bit with my temper and the way I play the game now. I've been pretty good - I haven't had a yellow card this year, which is a record for me by a long way! I'm getting better in that area and it's helping me to enjoy it more.

IN OTHER NEWS

ST: Playing sport all year round for so many years, how much have you had to sacrifice?

CM: Well, not much travelling gets done during the cricket or soccer season. It's always easier when you've got a supportive partner and I've got that. It's great to have that support network. You've got to really enjoy it to want to keep doing it, week in, week out, but I wouldn't do it if I didn't love it. It's in the blood, I've always been like that. It does take a toll on your body and means you can't do those weekend trips or have a beer on Saturday night with some other mates. But I've played all different sports since I was a tacker and I wouldn't have it any other way.

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