CITY POOL GETS SEAL OF APPROVAL

Sheffield's Ponds Forge has been given huge praise by Steve Foley, the man who will be partly responsible for guiding the US diving team to success in the London 2012 Olympics.

Foley, speaking during part of a three-day visit to the city by a number of US Olympic committee members, said: “ Ponds Forge is one of best aquatics centres in the world. For a training venue it’s great, really world class. So it's good for us to have our best divers training in the best environment”.

Foley has a distinguished career in the sport of diving, having competed at the Olympics in 1976, 1980 and 1984, and is currently in the role of High performance director of US Diving.

The Australian also said that Sheffield rates as better than the pre-Beijing camp in the last Olympics: “This is probably better, because it’s an event pool. The one we trained in before Beijing was just a very small diving pool, so I think it's good for us to come here and dive in a big event pool”.

Sheffield City Council Leader Paul Scriven was also present at the visit and says other national teams are in discussions to also come to the City: “We’ve got the Serbia team already here and the Brazilian judo team are coming aswell. And we’re also talking to other teams trying to make sure we utilise as many of our sporting facilities to get teams here and really promote Sheffield”.

PURSE AIMS FOR ASCENT BOTH ON THE PITCH, AND IN THE SKY

As he sits back, fresh from an autumn morning’s training, Darren Purse discusses what his plans are for life after football and stares expectantly into the skies. Ironically, those skies are void of clouds, and represent perfect conditions for a mid-morning flight – something the Sheffield Wednesday captain may be doing on a regular basis when he eventually hangs up his boots.

“It’s a career that I would like to go into, obviously when I’m finished playing football” says the 33-year old.

Retirement plans will no doubt come into the minds of most thirty-something players from time to time. It is therefore a refreshing change to see somebody who has a passion away from the game, instead of wondering what to do with himself after he trudges off the field for the final time.

He describes an off-chance trip with a former team-mate, as the moment his desire for helicopter piloting stemmed: “My old friend at Cardiff, Ricardo Scimeca, took me along one day to Coventry airport to have a look at helicopters, because he was the one that was into all that. We had a go in one and I really enjoyed it and it’s just gone on from there really.”

It seems what was once a hobby has now grown into a real future career prospect for the much-travelled centre-half, although he is finding it increasingly harder to fit in the sessions nowadays: “Living up in Sheffield, it’s a lot harder (to find time). Obviously when I was living in the Midlands, Coventry airport was there and I’d go and fly on an afternoon, whereas now, especially when you’re coming to the latter stages of it, it takes a full day out of your life just to do two hours flying.

A lot of it now is navigation stuff, and paperwork and you’ve also got to check the helicopter overnight aswell so it does take a lot of time to do. This is why I’ve put it to the back of my mind for the time being until I’ve finished my coaching badges and then I’ll take it back up again.”

Purse, who has played top-flight football in his career with Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion, refuses to rule out becoming a manager, although he does see the need to keep his options open: “I’m hoping my “A” licence will be done by next June (2011), and then that’s those done really. There’s only one other licence I can take and that’s the Pro Licence and you can’t really take that up until you’re a manager anyway.

But once I get the A licence done, I can then manage anywhere I want, up to the Premier League even. Obviously it’s a natural step from being footballer to become a coach, but there are a lot of managers out of work at the moment, so you’ve got to open up other avenues, and that’s where the helicopter thing came up.”

It seems Purse will not be stuck for options to choose from, when it comes to hanging up his boots. A route down the helicopter path seems likely, although with a coaching career in the back of his mind, he refuses to set to his heart on one route: “I’ve every intention of when I’ve finished playing football, of maybe taking a year out to get my PPL (private pilot’s licence) and then to do a crash course, which takes another year before you get your commercial licence. And that’s something I would be interested in doing. Once you’ve got that you can then fly people about and obviously do what you want to do.”

It seems that that is the goal for the Owls skipper, in the long term. However, for the time being, the Londoner is firmly focused on his football. He takes his responsibilities as Wednesday captain seriously not only on the pitch, but also off it. He is the club’s ambassador for their partnership with the Children’s Hospital of Sheffield, who are sponsors for the Owls home and away kits.

Part of being ambassador means visiting the hospital on a regular basis, which the defender sees as hugely worthwhile: “It’s amazing when you go up there and hear that a kid’s had a smile on their face for a week, just because I’ve been up there and spent 20 or 30 minutes with them. That’s something that I really enjoy doing, and to put a smile on their face is the most important thing.”

To say Purse’s schedule is hectic would be an understatement. Aswell as being a full-time professional footballer, doing his badges and training for the PPL, he also has three children to cater for.

Purse, who joined Wednesday in the summer of 2009, says he enjoys watching his son play football aswell as help mucking out the stables with his horse-mad daughter. He also tries to find time to fit in other hobbies: “I like a game of golf and I’ve got a greyhound which runs, which I enjoy watching. I don’t really get much time to sit down. When you’ve got three kids you’ve got to be (active). And you’ve got to share your time equally between the three of them.”

As the attention switches back to football, Purse acknowledges the desire to propel the Owls to promotion this season: “With the players we’ve got, we should be in the top two in the division. If we finish outside the play-offs, it’s been a horrible season. To get promoted, we need to do the hard work now.”

And with that parting, passionate comment, the stocky skipper gives a firm handshake and departs. There is no doubting that for the time being, Purse’s mind is firmly set on guiding the Owls to ascension from League One.

While a career in helicopters remains a possibility in the future, for now, Purse is more than content to navigate Wednesday to promotion at the first time of asking.

GOAL GLUT AS WEDNESDAY RIDE OUT SAND-STORM

SOUTHPORT 2 OWLS 5

Wednesday avoided slipping on the banana skin that was present at Haig Avenue, and eventually ended up winning comfortably to seal their passage to the next round of the FA Cup.

But the scoreline does not explain the bizarre game that took place. Despite conceding five, the Conference hosts, known as the Sandgrounders, were on parity twice before capitulating thanks to some shocking defending.

Only a bizarre spell of six goals in eleven second half minutes brought this dull affair to life, and ensured a meeting with Northampton in the next round.

Wednesday had opened the scoring on 11 minutes. A long throw from the right was knocked on by Tommy Miller and Clinton Morrison, and eventually ended up with Teale, who poked home at the far post.

It is fair to say that Wednesday’s defence were content to get the ball as far away as possible when in possession. Mark Beevers was the worst culprit in the first half, literally hooding the ball downfield on every occasion, most of the time to no avail.

As the half progressed, Wednesday’s stranglehold on the game increased. Shortly before half-time, they went close on a number of occasions, with Giles Coke smacking the bar from a free-kick layoff, and then Neil Mellor firing just over.

In first half stoppage time, Mellor should have made it 2-0 undoubtedly when he and Teale broke away with one defender for company. Mellor had a glorious chance to effectively kill the game off, but his scuffed effort rolled wide as the half faded out.

The game certainly livened up in the second half, with a staggering purple patch of goals. The hosts were first off the mark, when the lively Barrett, capitalised on a Jon Otsemobor header and lobbed Nicky Weaver to send the home fans into raptures.

Far from dwelling on that setback, Alan Irvine’s men took the lead almost immediately when another long throw from Spurr, came to Morrison who hit the post. The resulting rebound fell to Mellor who tapped home to make it 2-1.

The hosts bounced back again, this time instantaneously when substitute Matt McGinn took a long throw, and when it came back to him he drilled it low past a sea of bodies beyond the reach of Weaver.

The home fans and TV commentators were now sensing an upset on the cards, but just as the tide was turning, Wednesday finally hit top gear, smashing in three goals in four minutes to secure their Hillsborough date with the Cobblers.

First, Morrison poached a brace in quick succession with a typical striker-in-the-box double, before Tommy Spurr added the icing on the cake with a thunderous effort that rendered the remaining 25 minutes a foregone conclusion.