Cod Almighty | Article

by Various

1 July 2004

There are probably loads and loads of fascinating facts that someone who actually knows young Mr Soames could tell you, but in the absence of knowing anyone of that ilk, here are my personal top three in the Digger hit parade.

He has an interesting nickname. When David was a little lad, he used to enjoy playing in his parents' garden with a spade. Digging. 

This early interest in archaeology didn't stick, and instead young David decided he'd like to be a footballer. When asked on his football player application form by what nickname he would like to be known, David decided on intrigue rather than obviousness, and plumped for Digger – in doing so securing at least a week's worth of speculation in 2004 and an associated small feature in the Evening Telegraph. 

Other players could learn from this – I'd like to hear that Sestanovich's nickname isn't Stanno but Arthur or something equally obscure. Fat chance.

He is short and can run fast. David is a striker, which makes the fact that he is 'not tall' quite unremarkable really (especially at Town, where big lumping strikers are a rarity – well, they used to be before Russ gave trials to all of the Harlem Globetrotters). However, for the record he is a tiny 5'5", which is a whole inch taller than Dave Gilbert, but a massive two inches shorter than both Macca and Ben Chapman. So there.

For a striker, though, running fast can be quite important at times. David can run fast, but this is hampered by his inability to look up and see where he's going at times. And will someone remove the Thierry Henry Guide to Scoring Very Clever Goals from his bookshelf and replace it with The Beginner's Guide to Putting the Ball in the Back of the Net. Please.

He is a 'promising youngster'. A couple of seasons ago, when Town were an unfashionable first division club, observant fans noticed that reports from reserve team matches increasingly included the name of the hitherto unknown Soames on the scoresheet. Once messageboard threads started eulogising this "hot new talent", surely it was simply a matter of time before he burst into the first team in spectacular fashion. There was even the danger that Town fans may get some home-grown talent, the likes of which they (and the bank manager) have been craving since Oster departed the Humber shores.

Digger got his initial crack of the whip in the first team at Selhurst Park in November 2002, replacing Livvo late on in the game. A goal on his debut would have been too good to be true, and it was (not true, that is). Three substitute appearances and a Boxing Day goal at Pride Park later, David was staking a claim for the crown of the baby-faced Sunderland winger (which he had kindly brought back to BP during his loan spell).

Now 20 years old, David has made only 20 appearances for the Mariners, all as a substitute (so Soccerbase tells me), and has yet to fully realise the promise displayed in late 2002. It could be argued that with time on his side, Digger still has a chance to make the transformation from promising youngster to first-team dynamo, but with the arrival of Reddy and Parkinson, he may struggle to make his mark again in '04-05. Time (and injuries) may prove me wrong, but I can't help but feel that this season will be a key one for David Soames and his footballing career.