Trialists.   We've had many of them of over the years and while some were signed up and were both great successes and tragic failures, others have disappeared into the mists of time.

 

So aside from those who were signed up, who else have we had over the years?  How many of them them were missed chances?  And how many of them were lucky escapes?

 

I think we should go one at a time, it's more fun that way!

 

I'll start us off - 

 

Vladimirs Koļesņičenko - A Latvian international attacking midfielder who came on trial at the same time as Pavels Mihadjuks.  Brewster decided not to sign him.  Seems afterwards he played for clubs in Azerbaijan and the Ukraine as well as two spells at Skonto Riga, who he is now chairman of!  They also have Nauris Bulvitis playing for them as well!  

Edited September 12, 201312 yr by Renegade

I stumbled across the names of 2 Dutch trialists from 2009, Chris de Wagt and Melvin Holwijn, but I don't remember them at all.

Chris De Wagt was a Dutch centre-half.  I never saw him play but from what I remember of people saying, he was rather mediocre.  Wasn't signed after Butcher reckoned he was no better than what we had already IIRC.

 

The other one was a midfielder I think.

 

Edit - According to some reports as the time, De Wagt was rubbish and that was against Buckie!  Melvin was described as "Melvin the Mule".

Edited October 23, 201312 yr by Renegade

They were youngish Slovakians called Robert Ujcik and Jaroslav Machovec.

 

Ujcik plays in the Slovakian 2nd division (club with ground capacity less than 2,000 which perhaps gives you some idea of the level).

 

Machovec played briefly in the Slovak top flight and is now in the Czech 2nd division, for a club in the town where Budvar is brewed. He is now listed as a defender/midfielder.

 

Doesn't sound like we missed on much.

Ujcik was actually a Derby County academy player and scored 3 times in 3 games for Slovakia u19s but his career seemed to go dramatically downhill afterwards.

Ricky Shakes - Ex-Brentford winger who'd received caps for both Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana.  Apparently, he was very fast and not much else and wanted to stay in England for personal reasons.

Edited October 23, 201312 yr by Renegade

We should have signed him just so we could sing "For goodness sakes, we've got the Ricky Ricky Shakes....."

Brentford used to play that over the tannoy when he scored apparently!

I see he's now at Boreham Wood, but was with James Vincent at Kidderminster last season.

Chris De Wagt was a Dutch centre-half.  I never saw him play but from what I remember of people saying, he was rather mediocre.  Wasn't signed after Butcher reckoned he was no better than what we had already IIRC.

 

The other one was a midfielder I think.

 

Edit - According to some reports as the time, De Wagt was rubbish and that was against Buckie!  Melvin was described as "Melvin the Mule".

 

They've both been playing in amateur leagues ever since, roughly the 5th tier of Dutch football.

Michael Barnes - young winger released by Man U, Brewster had him here in 2008.  Has since been playing for AFC Fylde in the Northern Premier.

Melvin Holwijn was the other Dutchman in question. Never saw him myself but seemed to divide opinion. He played one game for Barnet last season. Thats about as high as he got. 

 

Chris De Wagt was a Dutch centre-half.  I never saw him play but from what I remember of people saying, he was rather mediocre.  Wasn't signed after Butcher reckoned he was no better than what we had already IIRC.

 

The other one was a midfielder I think.

 

Edit - According to some reports as the time, De Wagt was rubbish and that was against Buckie!  Melvin was described as "Melvin the Mule".

 

They've both been playing in amateur leagues ever since, roughly the 5th tier of Dutch football.

 

 

I see the team De Wagt is playing for (ONS Sneek) have a stadium capacity of 950!  Sounds like it was good decision not to sign him.

 

Michael Barnes - young winger released by Man U, Brewster had him here in 2008.  Has since been playing for AFC Fylde in the Northern Premier.

 

I'm sure he was the most ginger person ever!  So much so, that when you clicked on the link for the story about him, you got a fright!

 

Edit - Found a photo of him, think he'd have gone down well with the ladies!

 

Edited October 23, 201312 yr by Renegade

the team De Wagt is playing for (ONS Sneek)

 

From HMS Sneck to ONS Sneek!

Young wingers Darren Campbell and Matthew Glass both featured v Clach in 2006.

 

Campbell had been released by Reading, and had played U17 for both England and Scotland. He's been mostly in the Isthmian league with Fleet Town ever since.

 

Glass was last heard of at Hucknall Town in 2012. When he joined, their website announced "Glass arrives with a proven goalscoring record with Alfreton, Grantham Town, Worksop Town, Sheffield FC, Rainworth Miners Welfare and is seen as a prize recruitment."

Also from the Christie era, there were 2 Austrians who were supposed to be arriving in time for our Italian training camp in 2007. Their trial got rescheduled until afterwards because one was injured, but they never materialised. Just for the record they were:

 

Dominique Taboga - defender. Has since appeared in Austria's top 2 divisions.

Benedict Bauer - striker. Been playing in Austria's regional leagues ever since.

Hucknall Town...

 

At the same time as Reidford we had another keeper, Greg Kelly.  In fact they both got some game time in the 5-0 at Brechin.

 

 

Edit to add : just looked him up, he went on to have a season with Annan but then seems to have disappeared from senior football.  I did find though that in the last couple of years a Greg Kelly has been keeper for the Scottish Police football team.

Just as an aside, Darran Thomson played for Preston Athletic last week in 9-2 defeat at home to Whitehill Welfare in the Lowland League 

If you'd told him back in 2004 that one day he'd be playing for Preston.......!

At the same time as Reidford we had another keeper, Greg Kelly. In fact they both got some game time in the 5-0 at Brechin.

Edit to add : just looked him up, he went on to have a season with Annan but then seems to have disappeared from senior football. I did find though that in the last couple of years a Greg Kelly has been keeper for the Scottish Police football team.

Just as an aside, Darran Thomson played for Preston Athletic last week in 9-2 defeat at home to Whitehill Welfare in the Lowland League I seem to recalled he played a few matches for whitehill welfare, was he rubbish at that level too?

 

I seem to recalled he played a few matches for whitehill welfare, was he rubbish at that level too?

 

He got a few games covering at LB near the end of the season (2011-12 I think ) but wasn't signed. TBH he wasn't bad at that level 

Mind a couple of seasons ago we had some decent player come up on trial from Sheffield? started to drive and got half way(Edinburgh)? and turned back, aghast at the distance involved, never to be seen again!

During pre-season in 2009, we had a French defender and a Polish keeper come on trial.  Their names were never officially announced, but the keeper was rumoured to be ex-Darlington player Przemysław Kazimierczak who is now at KS Polkowice in the Polish Third Division, while the Frenchman was rumoured to be Lionel Djebi-Zadi's younger brother!

Liam Buchanan - Then Cowdenbeath striker came on trial in 2006, before eventually opting for Partick instead.  He later played in the SPL for Dunfermline, and for some reason always used to come alive against us!  He later played for Sligo Rovers, Airdrie and Ayr, and is now at East Fife.  His dad has some trouble with the law at some point as well IIRC.

John MacDonald - Ex-Rangers striker who'd been round the clubs from Charlton on loan, to Barnsley....to Fort William!  Came in on trial during our first season and scored at Hampden against Queens Park.  His last club (unless he's still there!) was amateur side Drumchapel United.  He perhaps has the possible distinction of being our second best ever goals to games to ratio behind Iain Stewart (one goal in two games!  ) and is possibly the last trialist to ever score for us in a competitive match.  Seemingly after his trial here, he never played in a senior game again.

Jason Hastings - According to the stats on here, a J.Hastings turned out in midfield in the first pre-season match away to Wick in 1997.  Presumably that has to be Richard's brother, who later joined the club as a fitness coach.  As far as I'm aware, he never officially signed for ICT so must have been a trialist.

Liam Buchanan - Then Cowdenbeath striker came on trial in 2006, before eventually opting for Partick instead.  He later played in the SPL for Dunfermline, and for some reason always used to come alive against us!  He later played for Sligo Rovers, Airdrie and Ayr, and is now at East Fife.  His dad has some trouble with the law at some point as well IIRC.

 

That's right, Liam's car was seized as it was purchased using the proceeds of his dad's heroin dealing. 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/thistle-star-buchanan-has-car-seized-967220