Jamie Guy
Scorer of two vital winning goals already, Jamie Guy has made a big impression during his work experience loan from Colchester United and he is looking forward to finishing the season on a high.
Having enjoyed a successful loan spell at Staines earlier this season, Jamie had a trial game for United's reserves in January and was allowed to join the U's the following month on work experience.
He went straight into the first team and his first senior goal was United's memorable winner at Woking to clinch only the second away win of the season.
Making his curling 25-yard strike sound easy, the 18-year-old recalls, "Fola flicked it on and I held it up on the edge of the box, sold my man and I saw a chance to hit it, so I just let go and it went in the bottom corner.
"I'm always prepared to have a go from distance;" he adds. "If you don't shoot, you don't score. I might miss three but I might score one!"
Jamie was then recalled to Colchester as cover for their LDV area final matches as they had players cup-tied and injured, but after playing a few minutes near the end of those games for Colchester he was allowed to re-join United until the end of the season.
"It was a bit frustrating because I had just settled in and scored the goal at Woking and then he called me back. I was gutted really because I was getting the games in here," he admits.
"It's quality coming here to play and I've really enjoyed it. The manager at Colchester said I've been unlucky not to break into the team, because they're doing so well. He said if it was an average season and they weren't doing as well then I probably would have played, but it's good to come here to a big club and play, and the fans have been really good to me."
A former West Ham season ticket holder who still gets to as many games as possible, Jamie was with the Hammers as a schoolboy but was released at the age of 16. He was then picked up by Colchester United and, rather than have him leave the family home to take up the offer, his family uprooted to Colchester with him.
"It would have been difficult at that age but they moved up there straightaway and it was much better than living in digs, so they did me a big favour," he says.
"It was disappointing when West Ham let me go, especially because I'm a fan too, but I moved on from it. When I made my debut for Colchester at 17 I asked myself if I was still at West Ham would I have made my league debut by now and I thought probably not," he adds.
A regular scorer for Colchester's youth team, and a member of the side that reached the quarter-finals of the FA Youth Cup for the first time in their history, Jamie also made his mark in the reserve team. Now in the final year of his scholarship, he has already agreed professional terms for next season with the Essex club.
A bustling striker who never gives the opposition defence a moment's peace, he believes hard work is the key to success as a striker: "That's where it starts, working from the front.
"I like the ball to my feet so I can get it down and pop it off to other players, but if it's in the air I try to win my headers. Some of the games have been like that recently; a real battle and you have to work hard for any chance you get."
Partnered with David Bridges in his first game, Jamie has since played alongside Fola Onibuje and Craig Westcarr and he grins, "I haven't really had chance to settle with one partner, but they're all good players and we've all got on well and we talk to each other throughout the game."
Jamie is here for the rest of the season and hopes he can be successful and make an impression on Colchester manager Phil Parkinson as well as Rob Newman.
"I had a chat with the Gaffer at Colchester and told him it wasn't doing me any good to be called back there, so he agreed to let me stay here to the end of the season," he explains.
"I'm just going to take it step by step and hopefully do well here, then go back to Colchester in pre-season and if things aren't looking good there and I'm not playing, then I wouldn't rule out a move back here."
Since his first senior goal at Woking, Jamie has also netted in front of the home fans to snatch all three points in last week's eventful game against Exeter. Having taken a 14th minute lead through Fola Onibuje, United were disrupted by injuries to defenders Mark Peters and Adam Davies - the latter taken to hospital after a 20-minute stoppage - and the visitors capitalised on the distress and disruption by equalising.
However all was not lost when Jamie raced onto a through ball ten minutes from time, running half the length of the pitch and evading three defenders on the way to goal and then tucking the ball under the advancing keeper to secure a superb home win.
His all-action style has brightened the end of a tough season and quickly endeared him to Cambridge United supporters, and he reveals the feeling is mutual: "I've really enjoyed it here. They're good supporters and it's a big club so I would love to come here and play regularly.
"I want to play games and the crowds are big here, with 2,000-3,000 people, and it's much better than playing in the reserves. It's a good way to get experience and that's the only way I might break into the first team at Colchester, by getting experience and learning the game," adds the down-to-earth teenager.
Although he has sometimes played on the right of midfield this season for Colchester, Jamie is primarily a striker and names Ian Wright and Robbie Fowler as two strikers who impressed him as a youngster.
He also admits that his distinctive shaven hair has attracted comments from his new team-mates at the Abbey, but he shrugs good-naturedly. "I think I've had all the jokes now, like train maps and that, but I think all the boys at Colchester and here now have run out of things to say about it!"
Andrea Thrussell
*This interview was first published in the programme for the match against York on 14th April, 2006.
Previous Featured Players:
16May06: Jon Brady
04May06: Tommy Jaszczun
26Apr06: David Bridges
20Apr06: Scott Howie
13Apr06: Craig Westcarr
22Mar06: Andy Duncan
15Mar06: David Bridges
01Feb06: David Chick
08Dec05: Michael Morrison
29Nov05: Ritchie Hanlon
25Oct05: Stephen Smith
05Oct05: Fola Onibuje
29Sep05: Mark Peters
Last season's Featured Players:
15May05: Your Players of the Year 2004/05
10May05: Tes Bramble
05May05: Tom Newey
30Apr05: Adam Tann
23Apr05: Iwan Roberts
10Apr05: Stuart Bimson
17Mar05: Matt Somner
09Mar05: Daniel Chillingworth
24Feb05: Dan Gleeson
17Feb05: Shane Tudor
14Feb05: Richard Hodgson
07Feb05: Warren Goodhind
22Dec04: Darren Quinton
06Dec04: Andy Duncan
24Nov04: John Ruddy
22Oct04: Kingsley Mbome
13Oct04: Jermaine Easter
17Sep04: Justin Walker
09Sep04: John Turner
26Aug04: Luke Guttridge
Anything to say about the interview? Make your click count for the U's by discussing it on the Message Board!
You are respectfully reminded that any article, as with all content on this website (unless otherwise stated), is subject to copyright and the Official Cambridge United Website must be acknowledged as the original source.
AT060529
