Interview ~ John Reardon

Interview with former Club Secretary, John Reardon.

Having announced his retirement from Wycombe Wanderers it was ironic that WWISC had already arranged to interview with club secretary John Reardon (I hope his leaving is not our doing).

How and when did you Join Wycombe Wanderers? 

I think that Sid Can, the manager at the time saw me have a very good game in the Berks & Bucks cup final at Chesham against Wycombe Wanderers Football Club in 1956. Wycombe were actually leading 2-0 and Maidenhead managed to beat them 3-2. It was against probably one of the better Wycombe Wanderers non-league sides in fact they were the side that had gone to Wembley in the Amateur cup final.

After having success with Chesham Utd what made you return to Wycombe Wanderers?

Well obviously I've always had this affiliation with Wycombe Wanderers and there was no doubt that Wycombe Wanderers were the strongest of the non-league sides in this area. I was invited to come back to the club by Brian Lee who was chairman at the time. They were apparently having a difficult season and the players were not up to standard. I’d been very successful at bringing players into the club before and Brian Lee thought that I was the right kind of person they needed to put Wycombe back on the right track again.

Throughout your career at Wycombe what positions have you held here?

Well they all joke about it but the only one I haven't had is the groundsman and I think Jim Gardener is a bit worried about that. I've been everything in the club, I've been a player, assistant manager and I've been the manager. I've also been the manager on a few occasions in temporary positions where it was a holding job whilst the club actually got in the person whom they thought could do a good job here.

That's the same as Neil Smillie did last year?

That's right.

Could you pinpoint your favourite moment at Wycombe?

That will have to have been the Wembley appearances with Martin, they were very special.

What has been your lowest point at Wycombe Wanderers?

Probably when I was sacked by the club when I was the manager. We'd finished fourth in the Isthmian league which a lot of clubs would probably have felt was an enviable position but at Wycombe due to it's high standards it was looked at as a disaster the fact that we finished as low as fourth. That really tells you something about this club and about how successful we were during that period -

Who in your opinion has been the best player at Wycombe Wanderers?

Very difficult because of the length of time that we're talking about. In the Pro-game there's been the odd player that has taken the eye. I was a big instigator with Martin O'Neill in bringing Steve Thompson to the club who I always admired. We also got him out of the RAF. But talking as an ex-player and not a manager the player that I thought had tremendous ability and could have gone to the very top had he had the will to do it, was a player called Mickey Hollyfield, a left sided midfield player. He had a magic left foot.

Who has been the most entertaining team to visit Loakes or Adams Park?

I know that the memory dims but the Villa side that came for the pre-season friendly last year, who after all are a premier league side. We found it very difficult as a team to compete against them and I thought they were particularly good. We didn't have to happy a game against West Ham in the FA cup a few seasons back which was and I believe still is our record attendance of 9007. West Ham were useful on the day but I do think that Aston Villa in that friendly were very entertaining. That's an awkward one to deal with. I'd find that very difficult in as much as that part of my job in all the time that I've been here is to get on with people and get the best out of them. I think possibly I'd be letting myself down if I said anything about the most awkward person. Usually there's a way of getting around everything most of the time I seem to have achieved that.

What was it like to work alongside Martin 0 'Neill?

Oh they were great times, the thing about working with Martin was there was never a dull moment but of course we had a few lows. Our biggest low was when we lost on goal difference to Colchester with 94 points that was a particularly sickening period and Martin didn't know whether or not he should stay at the club and get us into the league. Thankfully he did and I always have to say that in Martin's time here there was always something happening which were great times,

Do you have any contact with Martin?

Yes! I see Martin from time to time, I actually watched Leicester play against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park when Leicester managed to win 3-0. It was good seeing him again and also he still lives in the area. Of course it’s impending on whether or not he goes to Celtic at this particular time isn’t it.

Do you think that the atmosphere has suffered now that more people at seated at Wycombe?

I think that you've got this situation where we have completely reversed the ground. We've got a ten thousand capacity' with seating for seven and a half thousand were as at one time we only had twelve hundred and sixty seats in the ground When you say there was more atmosphere when people were standing obviously you’ve got to go forward hut I do appreciate the fact that some people can't watch football sitting down and I don’t think that they'll ever get away from that situation It doesn't surprise me that sonic football clubs are talking about taking or wanting to take out seats to allow more standing areas Of course they are then up against the Taylor report and clubs are very, very loath to do that.

How do you see the future going for Wycombe Wanderers?

I think that at this time we're at a stagnant period. We've come a long way in a short period of time and this is the period where although there are still great expectations from everybody about us, I do feel that just like Wimbledon did in actual fact, it wasn't all roses for Wimbledon there is a period where you have to take your breath and I think that Wycombe arc at that stage now before they push on.

Now that you have decided to retire what are your plans for the future?

Absolutely no plans at all, I'm going to find it very difficult. I often bear people say about all the jobs they should have done and I'll probably fall into that category but actual plans for what I'm going to do in the future I haven't got anything positive in mind.

What will you miss most of all when you step down as secretary?

I will miss the association with all the other secretaries that I've been involved with in the league. This is something that is not seen by the public or necessarily by people within the club, certainly there is a kind of a bond between secretaries at all clubs and they do talk to each other. They do have a very, very good affiliation with each other from club to club.

Ted the Ed’s Note

Over the last few months since I have been the editor of The Wanderer John Reardon has been a very charming and helpful person. He provided me with a set of photos of the first team and also made it possible for WWISC to present Keith Ryan's Player of the Year' Trophy on the pitch for the very first time. I have enjoyed having dealings with and finally interviewing John. I wish him all the best for the future. What ever he decides to do and hope that he's never a stranger to Wycombe Wanderers.