Mat Kendrick, a young journalist at the Wolverhampton Express & Star in the early 2000s, was sent to play a charity match at Manchester City's old Maine Road ground. What he didn't expect was a surprise encounter with City boss Kevin Keegan, who died at the age of 75.
The Hack-athon Challenge
Kendrick's editor, Warren Wilson, an ardent Manchester United fan, challenged his counterpart at the Manchester Evening News to a match at Old Trafford. When the M.E.N. editor couldn't secure the Theatre of Dreams, he arranged the next best thing: Maine Road, home of United's fierce rivals.
Kendrick feared the worst when a stern news editor summoned him and told him to 'go and play on the main road'. It turned out he meant Maine Road in Moss Side, Manchester.
Arriving at Maine Road
The Express & Star team, representing the Black Country, were given the away dressing rooms, which Kendrick described as very basic. After changing, they wandered onto the pitch, daunted by its size. They wanted to kick a ball but had none.
Kendrick was sent to the home dressing room to borrow a football. He knocked politely and heard a voice: 'Come in.' It was Keegan, early in his reign as Manchester City manager after his England stint.
The Encounter with King Kev
Keegan was giving the M.E.N. team a friendly pep-talk. When Kendrick explained he was with the away team and needed balls, Keegan gave a cheeky smile and said, 'Go for it, it might be the only kick you get!'
Keegan even stayed to watch 15 minutes of the match, but when it became clear the pub-league standard wasn't befitting a double Ballon d'Or winner, he chuckled and walked away. 'What a bloke,' Kendrick wrote.
The Match Result
The Express & Star won 4-1. Kendrick didn't score but gained a memorable anecdote and a brief interaction with a football legend. He concluded: 'Rest easy, Kevin.'
