Non-League and Academy football writer

Marvin Hamilton is a player who has played professionally in football, for clubs such as Gillingham, a club that he progressed at, from their academy system. The 35 year old has also achieved some really good things in the game, in non-League football. The talented midfield player has played for clubs such as Eastbourne Borough, Whitehawk and Haringey Borough, in non-League football. Marvin has also played his club football in Australia and Cyprus. However, the Sri Lanka international is currently playing for FC Baresi, in the Essex Alliance League, where his quality and experience has really helped them this season, as they sit at the top of the Essex Alliance League. I recently had the great pleasure of speaking to Marvin about some of his non-League memories, both past and present.

What are some of your earliest footballing memories?

Marvin: I’m from Leytonstone, and I’ve lived in Walthamstow for most of my life. When I was younger, where I lived there was a lot of grass and green spaces, and so every day after I’d finished school, me and my friends just used to go out on the grass, play football and get muddy. So they would be my earliest footballing memories.

As a youngster were there any footballers that you looked up to, or tried to model your game on?

Marvin: I support Man United, and I’ve always loved Paul Scholes. He was just someone who I looked up to, and although I wouldn’t say that I modelled my game around him, he was someone who I looked up to. I loved the way that he could strike a ball, and his technique was really good. I also looked up to Ryan Giggs as well, because of the way that he played. I was fascinated by players who had a left foot, but those two were the players who I looked up to as a youngster. But to model my game around anyone, there was Zinedine Zidane, who was someone who I wanted to play like, but that was a far reach.

Could you talk me through some of your earliest memories in non-League?

Marvin: I had a little taste of non-League when I was with Gillingham, as I went out on a couple of loans. My first loan was to Folkestone, and to be honest my time at Folkestone was good, and in my first couple of games there I scored a couple of goals and I played some good football. There were also some really nice people in the changing room, who helped me. Being there, it kind of prepared me for what was coming, but my second loan to Dover was a bit different. I didn’t really enjoy it, as they’d won the league and I was only there for like the last month of the season, and so because they’d already won the league, I didn’t really feel like I was a part of the team. So that was a bit different, plus I knew at the time that I wasn’t going to get another contract at Gillingham, and so I probably wasn’t in the right mind frame to enjoy my time at Dover. After Gillingham I went to a couple of local clubs, before I got into Hemel Hempstead, which was my first official non-League team. I was only there for a short time, as the manager who’d signed me had left and gone to Eastbourne. So I just went with him to there.

Have you had any great footballing influences in your career, such as coaches for example?

Marvin: There was a coach called Danny Bailey, and he’s from Walthamstow, and he had a pro career in the game. I trained with him so much throughout my career, from when I was about 12. He would run coaching sessions throughout the year, and I would be there for the whole time. There are a lot of football players who he helped to make, and so anyone who was from Walthamstow/Leytonstone definitely came through him. So Danny Bailey was probably the most influential coach that I’ve had in my life.

What has been the overall highlight of your footballing career so far?

Marvin: I’ve had a few to be honest. Obviously first of all signing my first pro contract was one, as was playing abroad in different countries, and also playing for my country (Sri Lanka). So getting to travel the world through football was a highlight, but just playing for Sri Lanka was a very proud moment. My mum is from Sri Lanka, and she was very proud to see me represent them at international level, which made me really happy. So that would be my overall highlight of my football career. 

Could you talk me through some of your standout memories of your non-League footballing career?

Marvin: It’s been so many years since I’ve been in non-League, but one of them would definitely be getting into the play-off final with Whitehawk, in the Conference South. I rocked up there for the last eight to ten games of the season, and I played the semi-final of the play-offs, and also the final. Unfortunately we didn’t win the final, but that would be a highlight of my non-League career. But to be fair there a lot of memories, but just playing with a lot of players who have moved on higher up the leagues, are good memories. I would like to think that I’ve helped a lot of youngsters in their game, even if it’s just the smallest thing that I could help add to their game. As I’ve played with a lot of players who have moved up the ladder.

In your opinion who is the best player that you have ever shared a pitch with in football?

Marvin: There’s a lot, you know. Ahmed Abdulla is a good friend of mine, and he is someone who I’ve always thought shouldn’t have played in non-League at all, because he’s such an intelligent footballer, with great technique. He might not be the most physical footballer, but he was someone who could easily have played in the football league, in my opinion.

Could you talk me through what it has been like to represent Sri Lanka at senior international level?

Marvin: I was 31 at the time and I’d already played a lot of games in football, but to get my national team experience at 31 was something that I really felt ready for. The teams that we came up against were a lot higher ranked than us in the rankings, and so it wasn’t easy, but it was just all about the experience. To be able to travel to another country and feel like we had the country on our back, that was a different experience. So I got to play in South Korea, The Maldives and I also got the opportunity to play in Sri Lanka as well.

Could you talk me through your memories (so far) of playing for FC Baresi? And could you also talk me through the current season with them?

Marvin: So I go way back with FC Baresi, as one of my friends, his dad actually runs  the club, and he’s had the club for years. I’ve played for them a few times over the years, here and there, and so that’s where it started from. To be honest this season has been really good. We’ve won a lot of games and are top of the league, and we’ve only lost one league game and drawn a couple, but we know that we could definitely have won those games. But it’s been going really well, and the aim is to win the league and to get FC Baresi higher up the ladder. FC Baresi is a family club, and the guys that run the club are all family, but the club is a good opportunity for players to showcase their ability. If there’s a young player in our team who is doing well, then we want them to push up the leagues, and I try and help as well by using my contacts in the game, to try and help them move up the leagues.

What has been the favourite goal that you have scored, so far in your footballing career?

Marvin: My favourite goal would have to be my first international goal for Sri Lanka, which was against Nepal. We were losing 2-0 at the time, and I scored to make it 2-1, and I let out a lot of frustration with that effort from outside of the box, and I caught the ball nicely.

What would your advice be to young footballers who are starting out in non-League, after leaving a professional club?

Marvin: I would say that everyone lies to you, and says that it’s really difficult to get back in somewhere at a club, or to get a trial somewhere. It really isn’t that difficult, because if you turn up and work your hardest then it’s really not that hard, and you will get opportunities in football, and in non-League.

What was your time at Gillingham like?

Marvin: It was good. When I played in the first team at Gillingham, a lot of the players were a lot older than me, and so they’re all retired now and are managers, or coaching in the game now, but it was a really good experience for me at the time. The coaches and the manager were from up north, and they were old school, but I learnt a lot from training with them and being around the first team set-up.

What are your hopes and aims for the rest of this season with FC Baresi?

Marvin: My hopes and aims are to win the league, and enjoy the ride! We’re halfway  through the season already, and we just want to win the league, which is the main aim. But, I also want to enjoy my football as well, and since I’ve hit 30 I’ve enjoyed my football a lot more than I thought I would.

Do you have any aspirations to get into coaching in the future?

Marvin: 100%. I’m planning on doing that and I’m working towards it. I’ve been coaching now for the last five or six years in a full-time role, and one day hopefully I can get in somewhere, at a club.