Prelude

Prelude.

11^th February 2003

The snow started falling as the half time whistle blew, there had been doubts whether the game would have gone ahead, not because the pitch conditions, the under soil heating made the pitch playable. But it was the surrounding area that was problem. The snow had hit Norfolk hard that February, and the area surrounding Carrow Road was frozen solid, it was touch and go whether the game was going to go ahead, but it did, but it wasn't going according to plan.

We we’re 1-0 down at half time to Brighton in the FA Cup, and at that point I had just been a spectator. But that was about to change. Manager Nigel Worthington gave his team talk before indicating that myself and Welsh striker Iwan Roberts would be coming on for the second half and try to change the game.

I’d played only a few games before that night, with just one assist to my name, so I was desperate to make an impression, show I belonged on that pitch, and the changes worked almost instantly. I floated a ball in from the left, Iwan met it and equalised, 1-1.

The snow was starting to fall harder as I had my first chance to grab that allusive first goal, the ball came in low from Philip Mulryne but was cleared out to me about 20 yards out, I controlled it and got a shot off, it dipped and curled but just too much and flew past the post, I genuinely thought that was going to be my first mark on English football since signing for Norwich from Sydney just 6 months earlier, aged 17.

And then it happened, aged just 17 I finally made my mark. The ball was cleared from a Brighton corner by our goalkeeper Rob Green, Paul McVeigh picked the ball up and saw me breaking through the middle, with the outside of his left foot Paul picked me out on the half way line. I had just 2 defenders to beat and I as I stepped over the ball sending Robbie Pethick the wrong way I realised I was through on goal. The goal getting bigger every step but so was Brighton goalkeeper Will Packman, who was rushing towards me, I set the ball onto my right foot, tried to compose myself as best as I could on the slippery pitch and hit the shot round Packman, the ball hit the back of the net in front of The Barclay Stand, the crowd erupted as I ran towards the Snake pit in the corner! My first career goal, I didn't know what to do with myself, I didn't have time to think about celebrating as Adam Drury and Mulryne jumped on my back and I was down on the ground.

We won the game 3-1 with a 3^rd goal from Mulryne sealing the game, and were through to the fourth round to face Dagenham & Redbridge in the next road, but my night wasn’t over. I lived just the other side of Norwich, so the short journey home with my girlfriend Stephanie should have been simple, but the weather had worsened.

Snow had been falling all night, and roads were almost undrivable, as we approached the bottom of Grapes Hill, Stephanie slowed at the lights, but a lorry behind us tried to slow but hit some ice. The cab hit the back our Ford Fiesta, driving us out into the junction and into the path of an on coming car, which hit the front panel on the passenger side. Our car slid across the road and into a guard rail the force knocked me unconscious.

As I woke up dazed, I could see the ambulances and fire trucks arriving on the scene, but my thoughts turned to Stephanie who had taken the full impact of the guard rail. I looked over to her and saw it for the first time, the guard rail had come through door, and impaled Stephanie. Before I could react, the passenger door opened, and a paramedic was trying to get my attention, asking me if I could move, could I get out of the car on my own, I had no idea. I just wanted to know if my girlfriend was OK. I tried to talk, but nothing came out of my mouth, I was scared, I could see all the blood, I could see how pale Steph looked and I could see she hadn't moved as paramedics were looking at the damage caused by the guard rail. But they couldn't get in to the car. The paramedic and fire fighters my side of the car had started getting me out of the car, when I felt it, the pain was excruciating, I looked down and my right foot was a mess, but I didn't care. As they dragged me from the car I looked over at the driver side of the car one more time, as a paramedic looked to his colleague and shook his head. Stephanie was dead.