Curtis Weston: History man or just a footballing footnote?
He set a record in the 2004 FA Cup final. But, as the midfielder returns to the limelight this weekend, he tells Glenn Moore that he wants to be remembered for a lot more than a few minutes as a 17-year-old
Friday, 2 January 2009
The 27th minute of Curtis Weston's professional career broke football's oldest record. More than four years on, it remains too soon to judge whether this distinction will prove a burden or an inspiration.
Weston entered the game's annals when he came on as an 89th-minute substitute in the 2004 FA Cup final. Being 17 years and 119 days old, he eclipsed the record set by James Prinsep 125 years earlier when playing for Clapham Rovers against Old Etonians at the Kennington Oval.
The previous year another record set by Prinsep, also in 1879, had been superseded, that of being England's youngest international. The teenager who replaced him was Wayne Rooney.
Rooney has remained in the public eye, and the England team, ever since. Weston, however, all but disappeared from view.
On Sunday he will reappear in the national consciousness as Gillingham, the League Two club he now plays for, host Aston Villa, the team of the moment, in a live televised FA Cup third-round tie.
As Weston, for almost the first time in his career, is playing regular football, his performance should give an indication as to whether his two minutes of fame at the Millennium Stadium were a harbinger of a notable career, or merely made him a footnote in football history.
"I guess I haven't kicked on compared to the way that Aaron Ramsey, who wasn't much older than me when he played in the Cup final for Cardiff last year, has, but I just get on with it," said Weston when we spoke this week.
"I've dropped down a league or two but I am still relatively young and there's no reason why I can't get back up," he added. "I'm getting experience now, plenty of games, and learning from that. It's better than playing in the reserves."
Weston, who is 21 later this month, still has vivid memories of his final experience.
"It's obviously the highlight of my career so far. I supported Manchester United as a kid so that made it even more special.
"I had made my debut as sub against Bradford the previous week and played nearly half an hour. Dennis Wise [who was player-manager] must have been impressed as he kept me involved."
Weston found out on the morning of the match that he would be on the bench. From there he watched Millwall, then of the Championship, resist until Cristiano Ronaldo scored shortly before half-time. As full-time approached, with United easing to a 3-0 win, Millwall's assistant manager, Ray Wilkins, turned to Weston and said, "Get ready to go on". Weston replaced Wise. "I didn't get long on the pitch, but I got a few touches. I remember a sliding tackle on Ruud van Nistelrooy, and a 50-50 with Nicky Butt," Weston said.
"I kept my shirt, and I also got Mikaël Silvestre's. I don't know if he wanted mine, I didn't give him the chance to ask. Although we lost, the whole experience was great, right to the open-top bus ride around south London the following day."
Weston headed off for his summer break with a head full of dreams and memories but the following campaign brought two starts, the next season none as Wise, his mentor, left, then Millwall were relegated.
Millwalll released him but Wise, now managing Swindon Town, signed him again. Weston, now 19, finally managed a run of appearances. Then Wise left for Leeds United, Paul Sturrock arrived, and Weston was dropped. Again Wise rescued Weston, signing him for Leeds at the start of last season. But Weston found it hard to break into the team as Leeds went three months unbeaten. Then Wise left for Newcastle where he has occupied a somewhat nebulous role with an element of responsibility for signings.
"Dennis Wise has obviously been a big influence," Weston said. "He's put his faith in me playing me at Millwall, then signing me to Swindon and Leeds. I'm waiting for him to take me to Newcastle!
"I learnt a lot from him, especially with him being a central midfielder. Ray Wilkins, who also played in my position, was also very good with helping me.
"Leeds looked a great move, but they had a lot of established players and it was hard to get into the team, then Dennis left. Gary McAllister [the new manager, since fired] was straight with me. He just told me I wasn't in his plans and I should get myself another club.
"When the chance came to go to Gillingham I grabbed it. It is League Two but, being from the area, I knew the club, knew the set-up was good. It was the chance to move back to where my family is, and to play regular games. I feel I'm playing well now, getting games and experience under my belt."
Mark Stimson, the Gillingham manager, explained why he moved for Weston, who signed permanently in August after an initial loan period. "He is a creative midfielder of a good age with a lot of potential.
"He hit great heights as a youngster, but for several years after that his football's been indifferent. He's not been playing regularly. The more he does so, the more his ability will shine through. He has the ability to move up the leagues and I hope it will be with us. I think he enjoys working with me and my staff and he's getting better every game."
Weston has barely missed a match this season and, though he has a tendency to fade, his superior ability at this level has frequently been evident. His burgeoning influence was underlined on Sunday when he volleyed a superb equaliser against the League Two leaders Wycombe Wanderers.
"There are more goals in him," Stimson said. "He should be aiming for six to 10 goals every season if he can get 35 games a season. We want to get him on the ball. When he is on his game he is one of the better players in this division. He is not as consistent as he needs to be, but that will come with age."
Stimson, who played twice in the top flight for Tottenham as a teenager at the beginning of a career which was spent primarily in the second tier with Newcastle and Portsmouth, added: "It must be very difficult if you play in a Cup final at such a tender age. It is a great achievement but you probably think it is just a matter of turning up for the next 20 years and playing. That is not always going to happen in football. You have to be professional and knuckle down. Maybe, being so young, Curtis didn't do that as much as he should have, but he is doing well for us now."
Stimson recognises that Curtis, and everyone else, will have to play to their maximum against Villa, especially as he has two key defenders suspended. "It'll go one of two ways," Stimson said. "We need a good start, something to get the crowd going. At Dagenham on Boxing Day we conceded after 18 seconds. We could do without that happening again. If [Villa] play to their potential, we could be looking at seven or eight-nil quite easily. You're talking about top international players."
With half of his team signed from the Conference, where Stimson managed prior to taking over at Priestfield last season, there is a shortage of league experience in the Gills' side. Simeon Jackson, previously of Rushden, is a threat up front but the Gills lean heavily on the nous of their 37-year-old goalkeeper Simon Royce, the £200,000 defender Simon King, and the veteran Nicky Southall. The 36-year-old is in his fourth spell at the club, having returned from a loan at Dover earlier in the season.
Southall is also the only survivor of the club's golden era at the beginning of this decade which featured five seasons in the Championship and giant-killing exploits which included knocking out the then Premier League teams Sheffield Wednesday, Bradford City and Charlton Athletic, the former two while Gillingham were in League One.
Southall scored a stunning goal to beat Wednesday and, said Weston, has been telling the squad all about it this week.
A repeat, of that goal or Weston's against Wycombe, is what the Gills are dreaming of. "Everyone is really buzzing, we just can't wait for the match," Weston said. "I'm hoping they play their best players. You want to measure yourself against the best."
Stimson may not be as keen to see Ashley Young and Gareth Barry on the team sheet, but he added optimistically: "There'll be a shock somewhere this weekend."
Youngest FA Cup finalists
1. Curtis Weston 17 years 119 days (Millwall v Manchester United, Millennium Stadium, 2004) Lost 3-0
Weston played in only four more matches for Millwall, two as substitute, before being released and signed by Swindon. Following a spell at Leeds is now at Gillingham.
2. Aaron Ramsey 17 years and 143 days (Cardiff City v Portsmouth, Wembley, 2008) Lost 1-0
Ramsey joined Arsenal in the summer for £5m, spurning Manchester United. Yet to start in the league but has made 13 Arsenal appearances. Awarded his Welsh international debut in November.
3. James Prinsep 17 years 245 days (Clapham Rovers v Old Etonians, Kennington Oval, 1879) Lost 1-0
Prinsep was also England's youngest international, a record that lasted until Wayne Rooney's emergence. It proved his only cap, though he did collect an FA Cup winner's medal, in 1881, with Old Carthusians. Killed while serving in Egypt in 1895.
4. Paul Allen 17 years 256 days (West Ham United v Arsenal, Wembley, 1980) Won 1-0
Allen played more than 700 games, including two further FA Cup finals with Tottenham – 1991 (won) and 1987 (lost). Now works in the Professional Footballers Association's commercial department.
5. Howard Kendall 17 years, 345 days (Preston v West Ham United, Wembley, 1964) Lost 3-2
At Everton Kendall won the league title as a player (1969-70) and manager (1984-85, 1986-87). Made more than 700 appearances and also managed abroad.
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