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In these days of over inflated wages and ever shorter contracts, there is still a place were people play because they want to – non-league. Yes the players still get paid but the vast majority barely cover their petrol expenses. Long ago in August 1991 - before Sky discovered that people would pay money to watch football in a nice comfy chair cheering on ‘their’ team hundreds of miles away – Jimmy McFarlane made his debut for Purfleet, in October 2005 he made his 600th appearance. The towering defender [with a presence to match] was 26 years old having already played for the likes of Fisher Athletic and Clapton. He scored with what would become a typical far post header in his first game and helped the club win the Isthmian Division 2 and the Locite Trophy in his first season. Midway into the 1992-93 season Jim broke his leg and missed most of the next two years of football, although still watching and encouraging his team mates through his enforced absence. He had played 68 times for Purfleet scoring just 3 times.
Jimmy made his comeback in October 1994 taking the captain armband back where it belongs and once again asserting himself back in the heart of the Purfleet defence. The season culminating in Jimmy lifting the Essex Thames-side Trophy. After just 5 games of the 1996-97 season, then manager Gary Calder deemed that Jimmy McFarlane was not up to the rigors of Isthmian Premier Football and released him. Fate took Jimmy to Concord Rangers of the Essex Senior League where the old Purfleet captain, Colin McBride, was cutting his managerial teeth and the played out the season. Gary Calder left in the summer of 1997 and Colin McBride was installed as the clubs sixth manger with his first signing - Jimmy McFarlane - grasping the captains arm band that almost belongs to him. Jimmy led Purfleet to the Essex Senior Cup Final for the first time and a respectable tenth place in the league. Over the next 5 years Jimmy led us to 3 finals and helped cement our place in the top half of the Ryman Premier league. At the age of 38 Jimmy sustained a knee injury which required exploratory surgery and missed the end of the 2003-04 season however Jimmy decided that it wasn’t worth all the hassle and through a combination of rest and hard work Jimmy made yet another come back at the start of the next season. This time he led the newly renamed club, Thurrock, to the first round of the FA Cup outplaying Luton Town in front of the SKY TV camera’s in a one all draw before losing in the replay and two cup finals. 2004-05 once again saw Jimmy live on TV this time narrowly losing 1-0 to Oldham in the first round of the FA Cup and third place in the newly formed Nationwide Conference South. During one game away at Weston-super-mare Jimmy Dislocated his shoulder before playing on for 10 minutes. He also played two days later at home to Bishops Stortford because quote ‘We were a bit short on Centre Halves!’ He is now in his forty first year and still playing as well as ever, a testament to his training regime. Six hundred games and seventy three goals after his debut he still pulls on the captain’s armband with pride. At least Jimmy proves that there is more to football than money. Shall I start writing the report for 700? Don’t bet against it! | 
