Winning dough off the club director at poker on the team bus

David Artell / David Artell / 11 October 2007 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet

Morecambe's no-nonsense defender on card schools, nights out with the boys and eating a good curry at the club canteen

Its been a lucky few days for me. Firstly I predicted there would be more than 3.5 goals in the Liverpool v Tottenham game, then we progressed in the Johnstones Paint Trophy on Tuesday on penalties, which is always a bit of a lottery.

It was the first time I'd ever taken a penalty in a competitive game. There were five volunteers and we scored them all so I think if you're confident that you will score then you more than likely will. I can't say I was especially nervous before the penalty, it was only when I ran back to the centre circle that I noticed I was shaking! I daren't think about what I would have been like if I had to take one in front of more than 1600 people.

Although Tuesday's game was at home, we recently had two overnight stays at Lincoln and Peterborough. The journey and the time in the hotel can sometimes be really boring but these two trips have been enjoyable mainly because we returned with two points and a few quid in my back pocket. This was due to the card school on the bus and mainly the 'cash cow' that is Mark Dixon, a director, who waltzed up the back of the bus, confident and wallet bulging, only to get to the destination with his tail between his legs and a lighter wallet.

We play poker and he can't bluff to save his life. On the way back from Peterborough we had to stop the bus on the motorway for him to be sick and although he reckoned this was due to some dodgy mussels at London Road, the card school believe it's because he hasn't won a game of cards all year.

There's certainly a few more gadgets on the coach than when I first started playing. There are PSPs, lads on their laptops and some watching a movie on their portable DVD players. Some lads read the newspaper whilst others just sleep; it really depends on the individual.

The team spirit at Morecambe is second to none and I think that this shows through onto the pitch and its worth at least 10 points a season. Obviously you have to work at this camaraderie thing and none of us need a second invitation for a night out. We had our first 'social' of the season recently in Preston and we all had a great night. This is not always the case as you normally get a couple of lads crying off with an excuse, a couple flatly refusing and a couple already going out with their friends. Before you know it you've got eight lads (usually younger, single ones) and it's not really a squad social. A little effort from everyone leads to a great team spirit.

It goes without saying that you're closer to the lads that you travel in with, which in my case helps as I travel in with two centre halfs and a left back. You just get to know each other's personalities and traits and familiarity on the pitch, especially those who play in positions around you, is another big advantage.

Another big reason the team spirit is so good is that we all have our lunch together after training. Many a time at other clubs I have been told this kind of arrangement would be setup but this is the first time it actually has.

At Premiership clubs this is taken for granted with a big canteen run by qualified chefs, but I have to say the food supplied by Chelle and Val in the sponsors lounge is excellent. The chicken curry could come straight from India, it's that good.

As our match is on Friday night, I will be settling down to see the England game on Saturday afternoon. I can't see anything other than an England win both on Saturday and Wednesday, the way they are playing at the moment. The bet that really appeals to me is on the half time/full time market. At 6.2 the draw/England win looks really attractive as Estonia are likely to come and put 11 men behind the ball and it could take until the second half and some weary Estonian legs to make the breakthrough. Once England score they will win at a canter.

David Artell plays for Morecambe:

http://www.morecambefc.com/

Tags: David Artell, Euro 2008 betting, football betting, Morecambe football