Having won the ChromaSport UCL Premier Division title and golden boot twice in his career, many eyebrows were raised when Andrew Tidswell opted to end his self-imposed exile and sign for Pinchbeck United last summer.
One of the top South Holland talents of the past decade, many saw playing for the Knights – then newly-promoted to UCL Division One – as beneath the former Spalding United and Holbeach United striker.
Fast forward six months and Tidswell, now playing as a holding midfielder, has been a key cog in Pinchbeck’s extraordinary march towards their first-ever Step Six title.
Some 16 points clear with eight games to go, both the title and a promotion to the UCL Premier Division now look a certainty for a team bossed by Ian Dunn and his trusted assistant Allan Ross.
Tidswell, who hadn’t played since leaving Holbeach midway through the previous season, insists that he’d not have signed on at the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field had the club not shown the ambition to succeed when they approached him over pre-season.
“After taking a year out I was in no rush to get back into playing,” admitted Tidswell, who won the UCL with Holbeach in 2013 and Spalding in 2014. “I had spoken to ‘Dunny’ (Ian Dunn) during my year out, but not in any great detail.
“Once Pinchbeck’s promotion to UCL Division One was confirmed, we spoke again. Both Dunny and ‘Bro’ (Allan Ross) have been very understanding of my job and that I wouldn’t always be available.
“Couple that with the reduced amount of midweek fixtures this league has and it became a good fit.
“The last thing I needed to know was their ambition – as my only stipulation was I don’t play to take part, I will only sign to win.”
Having made the decision to join Pinchbeck’s title crusade, Tidswell has been impressed by the atmosphere in the club’s dressing room – dubbing it “fantastic”.
He sees that team spirit as the chief reason the Knights have seemingly run away with the title, but also credits both the squad and management for learning from their mistakes early in the campaign.
“There are two reasons why I think we have been successful this season and why we are clear at the summit,” added Tidswell. “One of those is the changing room. I have been in football a long time and experienced many changing room atmospheres.
“Some were great, some had little groups and some were just toxic.
“The atmosphere in Pinchbeck’s changing room is fantastic, everyone gets along and not only do we enjoy our football we enjoy getting together and can share a joke – even if sometimes it’s on the pitch.
“I would say the last changing room I was involved with a similar atmosphere was with Holbeach United when we won the UCL title under John Chand.
“The second reason is, as a squad – and I can include the manager and coach in this – that we learn from mistakes.
“As players, there were areas early on in the season in which we didn’t do well and we were punished. We don’t make these mistakes any more.
“I also believe Dunny and Bro also had to make decisions early on in terms of players that weren’t good enough to fulfil a title challenge. So credit where credit is due, they made those decisions.”
Having scored 33 goals in 37 games during Holbeach’s title win and 30 goals in 23 matches (injury cut his season short) in Spalding’s championship year, many would have expected goals galore from Tidswell at a lower level.
A change in position has put the skids on his chances of a third golden boot, but his haul of 11 in 25 matches is still not a bad return from midfield. However, Tidswell hasn’t been overly impressed with everything he’s seen at the lower standard of football.
He said: “Playing in a deeper role was something we spoke about in pre-season. I had my reasons for wanting to play there, but there was also obvious reasons to play me further up the pitch.
“Depending on the game, I can adapt. Recently I have played as the attacking midfielder and then also reverted back to the defensive midfielder during certain moments and games.
“Even though playing as a defensive midfielder isn’t my known position, other players such as Bish (Nick Bishop), Shippo (Chris Shipley), Jack Smith, Ash Murrell and Brooko (Tom Brooks) make it easy for me to do what I am asked to do.
“I enjoy playing with the players in the Pinchbeck team and I have enjoyed playing at different grounds.
“But I would have to say that UCL Division One is a strange league to compete in.
“We play against people who buy boots worth hundreds of pounds and they go around Tweeting that they are a “baller”, yet kick it off the pitch all game.
“I do think the standard has decreased in just my time playing these levels, but you may have to ask the old guard – the likes of Dean Elston, Phil Barnes and Dan Hussey – their opinions on the standard.”
While the overall standard of the league may not have impressed Tidswell, he does believe bosses Dunn and Ross have done a brilliant job throughout the season.
Always keen to see the funny side of the game, the midfielder did however take the chance to poke fun at Ross’ old quote about the duo being like “pilots taking the players on a journey”.
“Dunny and Bro are very passionate about football and very driven for success,” Tidswell added. “They plan for multiple outcomes and do their homework in order to give the best information across to us for each fixture.
“We as players are then given the trust to go and perform and execute.
“They have assembled a team with capabilities and characteristics that they like and while getting us playing, they can also show their lighter sides in the changing rooms and during the heat of battle.
“Having said that I’m not sure about the quote of them being pilots? My advice would be to stick to the stories of St Albans and Omega watches.”
All joking aside, Tidswell is hopeful that he and his team-mates can clinch the title as soon as possible.
That would make him the first-ever player (along with Dunn) to win UCL league titles with South Holland trio Spalding, Holbeach and Pinchbeck.
He likens his current team-mates to the Tigers squad of 2012-13, but admits it’s hard to compare the three teams.
“I would say there are very similar traits between the title-winning Holbeach team and this Pinchbeck team – especially in terms of the dressing room.
“Both teams are just full of mates, playing football together. Another similarity would be there is no egos, which there wasn’t during the Holbeach season.
“Everyone is prepared to do what they need to do. Whether that’s blocking a shot, running 50 yards to track a run or scoring in correct moments.
“I would say the Spalding title-winning team was different. We were expected to win, we had some big characters in the squad.
“It felt like more of a job – and ‘job done’ when we completed the objective.”
Is he up for a crack at a third UCL Premier Division title with Pinchbeck next season? Tidswell admits that “there are many options open” and he’ll “see what happens”.
