LIFE OF ANOTHER LEAGUE...

AWAY IN THE CLOUDS...

2012-02-09T13:59:00.000-08:00

Last week I was sat in Mid air on route back from Portugal. It was a pleasant and peaceful flight. Winning is a great feeling but when it's the FA Cup and you've beaten a team two leagues higher than you on their home patch its even more special. You have to savour these moments as they don't come around often and in some cases never. I on the other hand am very lucky, someone's been looking down on me.

Two weeks ago we beat Championship side Hull City 1-0 to put ourselves in the 5th Round of the Cup. This is the second consecutive season that we've made the last 16. Last year people may have said it was lucky but you can't say that anymore. If you were at the KC Stadium then you would have agreed that the better team won. The feeling after the final whistle was amazing. Our fans were terrific throughout the whole game and the boys showed our appreciation by celebrating with them. For the last 10 minutes of the game it was a nervy period as Hull tried their best to get an equaliser. As a player you do keep thinking in the back of your head please don't score. Every time you looked at the clock to see how long's left it felt like it's moving in slow motion, every minute that passes feels like 10, it reminded me of when I was in school looking at the hands of the clock ticking away counting the seconds of every minute until class finished just so I could go and play football in the lunch break! I can imagine every Crawley supporter had no finger nails left by the final whistle. We did it, the lads gave their all. In the changing room after the Gaffer said his bit and then the boys had a chill out to soak up the moment. Hull had laid on some food for the lads after which is rare these days so as you can imagine we didn't leave a crumb spare. Ice bags were passed around for the lads that had picked up some bumps and bruises which is the norm after every game.

A few of the lads know I like to catch everything on camera so they like to hammer me a bit for banter but pics like these are more than worth it ;)

The 4 hour journey home is always better when you've won...

And I couldn't resist putting this video of the Salsa King himself Sergio Torres showing us how the real Latinos do it...

The past few weeks have been a busy period for us. We've travelled many miles starting with Bristol Rovers 2 weeks ago, followed by Plymouth Argyle, then last week the FA Cup game. This week we've had a treat to switch off. We arrived back from Hull last Saturday night and then Sunday 2pm we were 30,000 feet in the sky on route to Portugal. Some people may of thought it was a reward for reaching the 5th Round but actually the Gaffer had planned the trip months ago. We did the same last season and it's a great way to relax from the busy period we've had. It is hard being away from your families but that's always been part and parcel of a footballers life. It definitely hasn't been a holiday out here but its been enjoyable. We trained as normal as we would of back home but with the bonus of having facilities like this to train at...

It's also a good way to help some of our new signings settle in as we are with each other 24/7. Aside from training we've been having a good chill out. The table tennis has had it's fair share of usage with Scott Shearer and Pablo Mills winning their fair share. Seeing John or should I say 'Job' Akinde in the pool was a funny sight. I say Job as the lads grabbed his passport and found out that is his real name ha ha. I as usual couldn't help but play a few practical jokes to keep the time ticking by. I also managed to get a sneaky photo of this fine chaps passport pic without him knowing ;)

Like I said it's been a busy schedule and it doesn't stop here. I originally wrote this on Thursday 2nd February after our Portugal trip, we landed at Gatwick in the afternoon but then had to pack our bags again to travel to Bradford City the next day ahead of our game Saturday. We've put in some mileage recently and I have missed my girls but I do love my life and wouldn't change it for the world. I appreciate how lucky I am and I'm making sure I remember it...

COULD WE?...

2012-01-08T13:47:00.000-08:00

The day after the night before. The FA Cup has lived up to its name again, this is why it's so special. Before I joined Crawley Town the furthest I'd ever progressed was to the 2nd Round. At this club there's a different belief that I haven't experienced before. People may of looked at how we did last year and thought it was luck and yes part of it always is but we are proving to all that we aren't a team to be taken lightly. Every Saturday we go into a game as if it's a Cup Final because every team wants to beat us. Yes there's a lot of hype about the club off the pitch which seems to fuel the opposition to want to beat us even more but I think it's a testament to the players and staff that we step up to the challenge that's thrown at us continuously. I don't believe it's by chance that we have achieved what we have so far. The lads have worked their socks off since the first day of Pre Season and all that hard work and graft has confirmed to me that you can create your own luck.

Last night we beat Championship side Bristol City 1-0 in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup. If you were one of the 3,779 that attended then I'm sure you'd agree with me that you couldn't tell the difference between the teams. From start to finish we gave everything we had and in my opinion dominated the game for the majority. We hit the woodwork twice and had plenty of chances to win by more without giving hardly any opportunities to an opposing side finding themselves in a good run of form themselves. Some of the Bristol players even said that they had prepared for the game knowing exactly how we play yet they still couldn't deal with our threat throughout the game. The gaffer has designed an ethic and mentality that if we work harder than the opponents then half the battle is won already and I feel this epitomises last nights performance. Don't get me wrong I'm not trying to gloat or offend anyone all I want is to get my thoughts across whilst still buzzing from the magic of the Cup. We approached this game with the same mentality as every other game. When the draw was made I straight away thought it would be tough but teams find it hard to come to the Broadfield Stadium and deep down knew we could beat them if we were all on our A game...and we were.

Tubbsy deserved all the credit he got for his goal and I think the celebrations showed how much we enjoyed it. It's always nervy being 1-0 up but we dealt with City's attacks and managed to hold on to well earned win. You could tell the supporters enjoyed it as much as we did...

In the dressing room the atmosphere was nice and I managed to get a few photos to take in the moment. Here's the boysies showing some love...

Tubbsy and Kyle having some bromance...

Me and one of my Car Skool pals Dannie Bulman catching our breathe...

It's always hard to sleep after a game and even more so when it's a Cup win. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has sent their support through twitter to me and the lads. I try to reply to everyone so if I did miss you then apologies. I've made some good friends from twitter and it's always nice to meet them so I'll take this chance to thank Stephen North for not only his support but also supplying me with some of the best coffee I've ever tasted for the last few months. No matter how much I offer to give him something in return he never accepts so I want to show my appreciation here, thank you.

So the 4th Round draw has been made and we have Hull City away. They have a very strong squad and not long ago were in the Premiership so it will be an extremely tough task. The last time I played there I lost 3-0 with Leyton Orient so I feel I have a personal point to prove. It's a few weeks away yet so until then it's on to the league and our next hard test of Bristol Rovers away.

Since my career starte I've had highs and lows and every once in a while felt that the game I love so much wasn't showing the love back to me but times like last night always keep me reminded of why I wanted to be a footballer. I share this experience with you as the FA Cup doesn't come around often and so I feel I want to savour the moment. A footballers career flies by so I try to record the memories. We've made it to the next stage and last year we wrote history playing Man Utd in the 5th Round at Old Trafford, we couldn't do it again...could we???

"Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. I've missed over 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot...and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

Michael Jordan.

FA TV INTERVIEW...

2012-01-03T08:25:00.000-08:00

FA TV came and filmed me in my house last month to do a piece on the FA Cup. Here it is...

YEARS COMING TO AN END...

2011-12-29T12:09:00.000-08:00

Where has the time gone??? I remember Pre Season like it was yesterday. A Footballer's life is mad, it can go one of two ways. The first is the really slow end where nothing goes for you which I call the 'Dark Side' of football, for me that's when I was either injured or not in the plans of previous managers. The second is the good side, which I feel is me right now, with games coming thick and fast and feeling the fittest I've ever been, whilst enjoying every day as it comes. A footballer is always happy when he's playing.

I've had a couple of years of the 'Dark Side' which aren't fond memories. 2007/08 is one season that stands out for me, I was at Shrewsbury Town and our season wasn't going to plan. The club had moved into their new stadium and expectations for promotion straight away were high. We were in the Christmas period and had won 3 games in a row, I was in good form and feeling great. Our next game was Wycombe Wanderers at home on Saturday 29th December. After 8 minutes we were 1-0 down and then a huge turn in my season happened. The manager brought me off after 31 minutes! It was totally unexpected and one of the most embarrassing moments of my career that I will never forget. We ended up losing the game 1-0 and the gaffer never said a word to me. The next day was our day off and all I could think about was what had happened, especially without an explanation. First thing next morning I was gonna pull him. It was Monday 31st December and we had Peterborough away the following day so we were to train and then travel straight to Peterborough, from the training ground, so I was packed and ready to go. We had friends come up from London to celebrate the New Year with my partner whilst I was away.

I arrived at the training ground and straight away the gaffer wanted to see me. I had thought about what I wanted to say the day before so I was prepared but nothing was going to prepare me for what I was about to hear. I sat down in his office and he played the video from the Wycombe game and highlighted when I lost the ball and he felt I didn't chase the opposing player quick enough after losing the ball. I must of sprinted 60 yards after 2 players and eventually the ball went off for a corner and nothing else came from the phase of play. From that he had made his opinion that I wasn't the player he wanted. The next words were "We are going to Peterborough for a battle and I'm not taking you, this tells you what I'm thinking." WOW! Two days ago I was going into a game with 3 wins out of 3 and now I was, in other words, being told I'm not in the managers plans!!! It hit me hard. I headed home with all sorts of thoughts running through my head. When I walked through my front door everyone was wondering why the hell I was home. It's at that moment that you need your family with you, I needed them then. I don't like to show my emotions much but that evening took it out of me. The team travelled to Peterborough and lost 2-1. Exactly 3 months later 11 games with only 1 win the manager got the sack, I hadn't started a game since the Wycombe incident... For those three months I trained as hard as I could keeping my head whilst sometimes being left out of the squad completely. It's a lonely place to be, I do believe it's made me stronger, but at the time it hurt like hell. When I used to play down the park with my mates as a youngster I never once thought that football could hurt me so much. I didn't have a clue that these things happened and I bet some people still dont, even as adults supporting the game now. It's extremely hard to keep yourself motivated for training every day only to know that no matter what I do I won't be starting come Saturday. You get very frustrated and that's when living so far away from Home has it's downsides. My relationship was being affected by my bad moods and having a 4/5 month old baby too really added to the mix. I would say it was the lowest part of my career as a footballer. I only started two more games that season with the club narrowly avoiding relegation.

The next Season 2008/09 we had a new manager and he had said I could leave the club if the opportunity came as I wasn't in his plans. I had agreed a deal with Brentford. They had tried to sign me the previous year and this time was certain, it was going to happen, I had even bought a house back home in London. It was perfect, as times had been hard in Shrewsbury for me and my partner, especially as she had no help with our new born baby. Now we could be with all our families again. Could you believe it the deal fell through!!! I now had a real problem on my hands, do I pull out of the house and stay in Shrewsbury? Or do I buy the house and put my family first? It would mean driving 2 hours 45 minutes to Shrewsbury every day... It was a tough decision but decided that Family came first; I knew that for the sake of my relationship I needed to move them back to London. I would go to bed most nights with my clothes next to my bed, set my alarm for 6am and be in my car on route by 6.10am. I would arrive at the training ground just gone 9am if there was no traffic. It wasn't ideal but it was a sacrifice I had to make especially knowing that the manager didn't want me. Despite that I made sure I hit the ground running and that Pre Season I was flying fit. I was starting to prove to the gaffer what I could do and ended up featured in every Pre Season game leading up to the start of the Campaign. It was looking like I'd be in the gaffers starting eleven for the first game of the season, until a week before, I ruptured my LCL ligament in a friendly against Fulham. I came off with 30 minutes left and a very sore knee. I couldn't believe what was happening, the roller coaster had started again! I stupidly tried to carry on training the following Monday & Tuesday. The pain was so bad that I had to let go of my pride and admit defeat to injury. I was absolutely devastated. I'd worked extremely hard all Off Season and Pre Season, I managed to prove to the manager that I was worthy of a starting place, to then have it taken away seven days before the first game of the season!!! Heartbroken...

The injury took 3 months to recover from. I had to be in for treatment ever day for 9am and didn't leave until 3pm, I wouldn't get back to London until 6-7pm to then have to be up again at 6am next morning to do it all again. I ended up staying in Shrewsbury a few nights a week as the journey was getting the better of me and also wasn't good for the recovery of my knee. When I was finally fully fit I wasn't in the managers plans at all, he had brought in new signings and I didn't start another League game for Shrewsbury Town. But this is how mad football is, five months later January came and the club offered to end my contract, by mutual consent. I found out Brentford were still interested in me, this time there was no disruptions and I had gone from one of the loneliest places in my career to being able to finally sign for a club 20 minutes from my house. You can't imagine the happiness it brought back to my life again! Words can't describe what that did for me mentally. To add the icing to the cake, I ended that season making 20 appearances, scoring 2 goals and being crowned Champions. How do you explain that feeling??? You're only getting a fraction of this, as I write it in a blog, but try putting yourself in that situation and then imagine your emotions!

That season finished for me on the 2nd May with Brentford and I went on the first of my two holidays. On the 23rd May Shrewsbury Town lost to Gilligham 1-0 in the League 2 Playoff Final, I was in a bar in Cyprus watching it whilst on my second holiday with the family..... I was in the right place at the right time!

Reflecting on the 'Dark Side' of my career makes me appreciate where I am at the moment. It makes me hungrier and even more determined to succeed. We are half way through our season and top of the League 2. There's still a long way to go and I know it won't be easy but I'm looking forward to the challenge and what the future holds for Crawley Town FC.

MERRY XMAS...

2011-12-26T02:29:00.001-08:00

DAY IN THE LIFE...

2011-12-11T05:37:00.000-08:00

PLEASE HELP...

2011-11-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

I'm looking for help this month as I'm taking part in Movember. Every year during November men around the globe grow a Moustache for the entire month for the charity to help raise money for Male Prostate Cancer. Me and my fellow teammates are taking part and need as many people as possible to donate. The person that donates the most money to my Mobro page will win a pair of my Footy Boots. I'll be updating the page every day and posting pictures on my twitter @DavidJHunt daily.

So please dip into your pocket or get to the 'Tachepoint' and help me raise money for a good cause! You can donate here... http://mobro.co/Hunty

Thank you to everyone that has already donated, love to you all...

MOVEMBER...

2011-10-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

Remember remember it's nearly November!!! Where has the time gone??? Ok first and foremost I have to ask for your help. Some of you may have heard of Movember. During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces in the UK and around the world. The aim of which is to raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men. My teammates and I are taking part in raising money for this charity and we have setup a team. We are going to grow our Moustaches from the 1st-30th of November and are not allowed to shave or trim them! There's going to be some funny looking Crawley Town players as the weeks progress but the good thing is it's all for a good cause. If you would like to donate you can do so here http://mobro.co/Hunty and any donation is much appreciated. I'm a little bit worried as to how long my Moustache will be by the end of the month especially as I have more hair there than on my head but I'm more looking forward to seeing Sergio Torres with a Tache haha.

As I said earlier, it's already nearing November and the time has flown by. It felt like a few weeks ago I was writing a blog for the beginning of the season but now three months have passed and so much has happened. After 13 League games we are sat at the top of the Npower League 2 table. Even though we are at top spot we are taking every game as it comes making sure that we respect everyone we play against as there are some very good teams in our league. We know that the league isn't won in October/November so it's fundemental our focus is on point and that we have the hunger week in week out. It's been a great experience so far and I hope one that the Crawley Town fans and club in general are enjoying.

Of the 13 games so far there's been a few away trips where we've travelled to a game the day before and stayed in a hotel. These journeys can take a while and as you know I like to have my camera on me 24/7! You know what this means...Some of the lads have been caught slipping up!!! C'mon boys...

Hope Akpan aka 'Venus Fly Trap' & Mike Doughty...haha

During these trips I'm sharing a room with my mate Scotty Shearer which is always a pleasure. A few weeks ago Shears managed to play a prank on me so I've been dying to get him back and when better than in our hotel room!! Whilst lying in our beds watching TV I slid off the side and along the floor without him knowing and then jumped up at the end of his bed! I've never seen the big man jump off his bed so fast. I'm just gutted I never managed to catch it on camera but my memory is priceless! 1-1 Shears!

Me and the big Scott chilaxin just before the scare...

People that know me know I love to have a laugh and play a prank with my teammates! I've hidden under beds and in wardrobes to catch some of the lads and whilst hiding to jump out at Scott Davies in his bathroom I noticed he was doing something a little odd that I thought should be caught on camera!!! and it would be rude of me not to share it with you...he later said he was picking his lottery numbers! I'll let you decide...

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Here's our coach driver acting weird whilst waiting for dinner! ok we made out we'd all put a napkin on our heads if he did but did we???? lol...

The boys showing the love on an away trip...

I take pics and vids at first for laughs but also for memories because one day it'll all be over and I want to be able to remember the times.

Aside from the matches we've been working hard on the training pitch and after sessions as some know we like to have a few games of pool and table tennis. On the pool table Matt Tubbs has been taking me to the cleaners and handed me plenty of forfeits which have been nicely published on twitter. Me and Shears are dominating the doubles ping pong as you can see here. This pic is from our victory over the Gaffer and Assistant Paul Raynor. I think the score ended 21-8...

We are very lucky to have the facilities that we do at our training ground which is why we make the most of them every day!

Away from footy I've been spending as much of my time with the family as possible and also resting. Games have been coming thick and fast. Each of them are vitally important in their own way and it's crucial to me that I make sure I know when to have fun and when to rest up. I've learnt over the years to make sure my body gets the recovery time it needs so I'm ready for the next game.

My birthday was last month and as a nice surprise my partner managed to get my Rooney shirt from the Man Utd FA Cup game framed and my 2nd Crawley Town signed shirt with photos included. It was an amazing gift and one that now sits proudly on my wall...

I have also setup my new YouTube Channel FeroxStarTV http://www.youtube.com/user/FeroxStarTV which will have a new video up next week of one of my teammates dishing the dirt on the rest of the lads of who's worst dressed, most skillful, biggest moaner etc. so stay tuned for that as it'll be funny.

I would also like to congratulate Paula Lewis for winning my competition for my last seasons Crawley Town tracksuit. Here she is with her prize and stay tuned for more competitions coming soon...

Other than that there hasn't been much else going on. Like I said we've had many games and my main focus is on making sure I'm physically feeling good and ready for the next. We've got 3/4 of the season left to go and we know that it's going to be a tough test to stay where we are in the league. It's a great challenge and each games a test of character but it's why I love playing this game so much.

I'm gonna leave you with a little video of me and the boys enjoying life on the way home from a recent game and remember if you want to help me and my teammates raise money for Movember you can donate here http://mobro.co/Hunty watch the Tache grow!!!

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FEROXSTAR TV BOOT REVIEW...

2011-10-05T10:23:00.000-07:00

FEROXSTAR TV...

2011-10-03T01:26:00.000-07:00

TRACKSUIT WINNER...

2011-09-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

My tracksuit competiton winner is...

TRACKSUIT GIVEAWAY...

2011-09-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

I've been slacking on the blogging front so as a kick start I thought I'd hold a competition. The Prize is my Crawley Town Club tracksuit from our Championship winning season last year. I have a lot of memories and memorabilia from last season and I think it's only fair to share some with my followers. To enter all you have to do is follow me on twitter @DavidJHunt and Retweet the following message...

The TRACKSUIT giveaway! RT & follow @DavidJHunt for a chance to win this http://tinyurl.com/672kcnk

The competition will end Friday 23rd September at 12pm. I will pick the winner at random out of a hat and post a video of it on my blog later that same day. As many of you may know our season has got off to an interesting start full of highs and lows but I'm happy with where we are in the league at the moment especially as we haven't hit top form yet. Fingers crossed it's a good season ahead.

I had ideas of starting a Soccer School up but that's been put on hold at the moment for various reasons but I am about to start a Youtube channel that I think many will be interested in. It should be up and running by this time next week. Stay tuned.

So that's it follow me and Retweet the message above to be in with a shout of winning. I will also ask the winner to send in a picture of them with their prize to post on my blog.

Good luck with the Comp and get tweeting!!!

Hunty...

METRO FANTASY FOOTBALL...

2011-08-11T16:03:00.000-07:00

Ok people I've set up my own Metro Fantasy Football Mini League for all to join. It's free for anyone to enter, I've decided you can only enter 1 team. If you think you've got what it takes to beat my HuntDoggs team then register now and join. My mini league number is 31554 and the leagues called Dog & Duck. There will be a prize for the winner at the end of the season and there'll also be a prize for the team sitting top of the leader board on the 1st January 2012 which will be kindly sponsored by Phillip Seaward of Seaward Coaches LTD of who I'd like to thank.

So hurry up and enter and let the games begin...Good Luck!

UP UP & AWAY...

2011-08-05T16:49:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since my last blog and a lot has been going on in that time. Firstly I'm going to be back to my usual blog posting of at least once a week as long as I can find a chance to get some alone tine to write.

They say time flies when you're having fun which is ironic because I'm sat on a flight with the Crawley boys heading to Portugal as I write and the time definitely isn't flying by on here!

Soo what's been happening??? The Week after last season finished we were treated by Crawley Town FC to a luxury trip to Las Vegas and LA as a congrats for winning promotion. The lads had a great time and celebrated in style. I'm lucky enough to have been to Vegas before and every time it gets better If you haven't been I strongly recommend going. We stayed in the MGM Grand which was hosting the Paquiao fight whilst we were there so the atmosphere was buzzing, they even had a full size boxing ring in the lobby which Matt Tubbs couldn't resist getting it as you can see...

It was great to have some time to let our hair down before we all said our goodbyes for the Summer.

Once back in the UK its switch off time for me but obviously thinking about where my future lies. To be honest ever since last November whilst still at Brentford I could tell my future as a Bee was sadly looking like it was coming to an end. That was hard because I wasn't being played or even used as a sub and as some of you already knew my relationship with Andy Scott was different to most, we used to be teammates at Leyton Orient so for him not to play me people would think there was an atmosphere or even a fall out which were neither the case. Yes I was getting frustrated and on footballing terms I believed I should of been playing but as a manager he made the decisions and thought otherwise. I let him know my frustrations and that I was out of contract at the end of the season so I needed to be playing, thankfully when the 2nd chance came to go out on loan they didn't stand in my way. I don't hold any bad feeling as I saw it purely as a working relationship when it came to footy but off the field we still keep in contact and I've wished him all the best in his role at Rotherham.

From November I started to get myself prepared that I may be having to trial at clubs this summer, obviously I wanted a different scenario but if I prepared this way then everything else was a bonus. Thankfully Steve Evans managed to bring me to Crawley Town and it's been a different ending to the chapter from then on. Once this season was coming to an end the Gaffer let me know his thoughts on me staying and from then on I knew I wanted to stay at Crawley and be part of something special that's happening at the club. It was sad to leave Brentford the way I did but they've been great to me and I thank everyone involved for a great 2 years.

I really do appreciate being lucky enough to get my contract sorted so soon, firstly it gives me the rest of the holidays to relax with my family and know we don't need to think of moving the family to another part of the country, and secondly I know how many players there are that are out of contract at the moment, it's not a nice feeling not knowing where your future lies. I have friends that still haven't got a club lined up and they have a mortgage or family to look after. I've said it before that if you're in the Premiership or even many Championship teams the players don't have to have that pressure on their shoulder but being in the lower tiers it's different for most.

I've spent the rest of the holidays with the family, we managed to go away to Turkey for a week which was amazing as you can see...

The time went too quick but as you may know it's the only time of the year that we can get to go on hols so I made the most of it...

Back at home I've been digging up and relaying my garden turf and the missus has been hammering me saying going through a midlife cricise because I've been looking after the lawn and my coffee machine for than my kids lol. I also managed to change my Volkswagen Touareg for a VW Golf. I'm part of a car school and driving a 4x4 every other day adds up on the fuel bill so I thought it would be a good idea to exchange for something a bit more economical.

I think we had around 7 weeks off and usually I'm doing fitness work as soon as the season finishes but this season ended with me playing nearly 30 games so I decided to take 3/4 weeks off doing no physical activity what so ever. That's a first for me but something I'm glad I did as the body does need time to heal from bumps and bruises. For the last 3 weeks I made sure I picked my training up and started keeping an eye on my diet again as we were given target weights to come back to at Crawley otherwise you'd find yourself with a nice fine. My fitness work varied from 30 minute light jogs to fartlek running (4x 4 min runs) and some doggies and adding plenty of core work in-between. I've also started taking some supplements to help aid my joints and recovery for the training ahead.

The 7 weeks flew past and before I knew it the 29th June had arrived and we were reporting back at the Broadfield Stadium for pre season. It was great to meet up with the lads again. As much as I enjoyed every minute of family time I always missed the banter in the dressing room as it's the best I've been in.

Our first competitive game of the season starts Friday 29th July which is new to me as I've never started before August. We'll be hosting AFC Wimbledon in a preliminary round o the Carling Cup. I don't mind having a game so soon as it means less pre season training.

I hope to see many of you there and here's to a new season and hopefully a successful one...

AND THE WINNER IS...

2011-05-23T16:13:00.000-07:00

Hi all it's that time to announce the winner of my competition. Check out the video below to see who took the prize...

Congratulations and the shirt will be out to you as soon as I get your address. More competitions coming soon over summer break.

COMPETITION TIME...

2011-05-19T03:14:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

It's been a while since I last held a competition as the season has been a busy period. As some of you already know my time at Brentford has come to an end and a new chapter has started in my career with newly promoted Crawley Town. To mark the end of my time at the Bees I'm giving the chance for one person to win one of my Brentford playing shirts and shorts from this season signed by me. To enter all you have to do is be following me on twitter @DavidJHunt and Retweet the following message...

The BRENTFORD SHIRT giveaway! RT & follow @DavidJHunt for a chance to win this http://tinyurl.com/5unhbwg

The competition will end Sunday 22nd May at 12pm. I will pick the winner at random out of a hat and post a video of it on my blog later that same day. So that's it follow me and Retweet the message above to be in with a shout of winning. I will also ask the winner to send in a picture of them with their prize to post on my blog.

Good luck and get tweeting!!! Enjoy the summer...

LIFE THROUGH MY LENS...

2011-05-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

My personal pics to share with you...

NOWHERE TO SOMEWHERE...

2011-04-19T16:53:00.000-07:00

It's amazing what a season has in store for a Professional Footballer. For me 2010/11 campaign has been quite a rollercoaster.

It started in June with me returning from my 6 week break to Brentford for Pre Season and I came back probably the fittest I've been for a few years. I knew this year was going to be a big for the club as expectations were playoffs and I wanted to hit the ground running to get myself in the team. Unfortunately by the time the first game of the season was approaching I realised I wasn't going to be making the starting Xl. After working extremely hard and being patient, 5 months had passed with Christmas arriving and I hadn't even started 1 league game. I was becoming a very frustrated reserve team player and had to do something about it, I knew I was good enough to play for Brentford and I wanted to stay but it was out of my hands. I love football too much not to be playing I had waited long enough for a chance and now it was starting to affect me off the pitch at home as well so I decided to ask to go out on loan. It was a tough decision but one I knew I had to make as I'd be out of contract come the end of the season. It's a horrible thought knowing you've only got 1 year left on your existing deal and for half of it you haven't made a single starting appearance. I started to think no one will want me next season and I have still to this day prepared myself that I'll be going on trial come the end of the year. It's not that I don't have faith in my ability but it's that the number of unemployed footballers out of contract at the end of the year would be in it's hundreds. When you have a mortgage and family to think about reality starts to set in and it's not a nice place to be, quite a contrast to a Premiership player in the same situation but with a healthy bank balance to keep them financially secure and as much as I hate saying it football is a job as well as my life! Now came an interesting time as a footballer when you ask to go out on loan you hope that there's managers out there that want you fortunately for me there were a few interested but with injuries in the Brentford team I wasn't allowed to take the first opportunity.

Finally it came. Once Christmas passed I heard of news that 2 clubs were wanting me on loan with one being Crawley Town. I spoke to the manager Steve Evans to hear what his thoughts were and knew they had one goal and that was Project Promotion. It's a hard decision at first to drop out of the League to the Conference because it's unknown territory and you don't know where it will leave you at the end of the season but once I'd spoken to the manager and family I knew it was an opportunity I should take so I signed for a months loan and knew that if it didn't work out I could go back to Brentford. It was the best decision I could of possibly made. When I think of a conference team I would never of imagined it to be run as good as Brentford, from facilities to food to travelling arrangements and especially the players and staff I was amazed the club is probably more professional than most league 2 clubs and even some league 1 clubs! As soon as you're in the door you know this is potentially a sleeping giant that is on the rise. I went from playing no games at the Bees to having 9 games in a month for the Redz. It took a few matches to settle in and my first week in the dressing room was still as nerve racking as when I joined Leyton Orient at the age of 20. I've been in many great dressing rooms but I have to say the banter and togetherness in this team is the best I've experienced.

I'm part of a car skool that commute from High Wycombe to Crawley everyday and I've got to give a shout out to them, here they are along with their Car Skool drivers ranking...

The caffine man Dannie Bulman Rank No.2

The Scottish legend Scott Shearer joint Rank No.1 with me ;0)

The always late Dean Howell Rank No.4 as he never drives...and he thinks he can dance. I caught him out in the car hahaha go on Deano Breezy...

Last but not least Miss Daisy Jamie Cook Rank No.6039

You can't beat the banter we have. There's also 'Car Skool Rules' here's a few...

• If there's flatulence released no windows are to be opened otherwise punishment is a flick of the ear from every member.

• Whoever is the driver has to take responsibility of the mess left in their car.

• If you're sat in the back you're allowed to sleep and not be woken up whereas if you're in passenger seat (wingman) eyes are on the road at all times otherwise punishment = flicks

I know what you're thinking big kids and you're right but we love it!

After my initial 1 months loan I decided to extend it until the end of the season I was back enjoying my football. I'd gone from not starting a game to playing nearly 30 with Crawley Town including appearing at Old Trafford.

We finally won the League title last week away to Tamworth and deservedly so. It's one thing to win the Championship but another to do it with 5 games spare! It's a testament to the players, staff and all involved behind the scenes at the club. The scenes after our 3-0 win were amazing and thankfully I managed to film it all. We had over 2,000 fans at the game and I'm sure everyone of them will remember the moment Crawley Town made history of joining the football league for the first time ever. Here's the view from my eyes, I must warn you that there is adult language being used in the footage which I apologise for in advance...

Here's the lads celebrating in the changing room...

Here's some pics of the celebrations after...

As you can imagine the coach journey home was full of celebrations which continued on into the night.

The following week we were presented with the Blue Square Premier Trophy straight after our 1-1 draw with Luton at the Broadfield Stadium, once again I captured an unforgetable moment in my career on video to share with you...(Warning Adult Language)

Here's some pics of the celebrations after...

So that's how my season has panned out! It's been an emotional ride of highs and lows but wouldn't it be great to end it with my 3rd Chamionship/Promotion medal, the points record, Unbeaten league record, Phillips, Savages & Rooneys shirt and only 1 defeat as a Crawley player being against Man Utd...oh and a trip to Vegas! The beautiful game...

OFFICIAL FA CUP 2011 HIGHLIGHTS VIDEO...

2011-04-14T16:10:00.000-07:00

Here's the Official FA Cup Highlights video that I was part of and has been shown at Wembley for both FA Cup Semis and will be on at the Final too...

CRAWLEY CRAWLEY MAN UNITED...

2011-03-01T15:44:00.000-08:00

Man Utd vs Crawley Town, 19th February 2011!!!!! A date that will be in the history books for Crawley Town Football Club and a dream that became my reality. We had made it to the 5th Round of the FA Cup and when the draw was made I remember being sat in the harvester with 10 of my family members whilst my mate was on the phone relaying the draw to me. When he said we had drawn Man Utd away everyone at our table shouted out so loud that the people eating there must of thought we were a bunch of loons but we didn't care. The footage of the Crawley fans in the Redz bar watching the draw summed up what it meant to the Club and the town. It is a footballers ambition and one that not many players outside of the Premier League will get to experience in their career. The team were buzzing with the draw and you could imagine what the dressing room was like for the next few weeks leading to it. The only trouble was we also had to make sure we stayed focused on the league as we had 3 games leading up to Old Trafford.

The big day was soon arriving and our journey started on Thursday 17th Feb a couple of days before so that we could prepare properly. I'm really not a morning person and on this day I was up at 6.50am with my bags already packed from the night before and in the back of the car. I literally rolled out of bed, ate some breakfast and then chucked my clothes on to go. We had to be in training very early as the club were holding a press day and wanted to get all the camera circus done and dusted then get on the road. As soon as we arrived at the stadium the excitement and hype had begun, the car park had even been decorated...

Whilst training there were loads of cameras filming us and wanting to interview players about the big occasion. I think my partner had every news channel recorded that day just so I could catch a glimpse of myself which was very minimal, if any haha. After training the spotlight had moved over to the stadium lounge and that's where the official press conference was being held for the management and staff. It was also where reporters could get interviews from the lads...

I've never witnessed anything like this before in my career as a footballer but for that hour I could get a slight insight into how it must be as a premiership player every week, it's madness!!! Don't get me wrong we enjoyed it but at the same time it can get very tedious, especially for the managers. Here's me and Dannie Bulman taking in a bit of the atmosphere...

and Sergio Torres being interviewed outside...

Once the media mayhem was over we got onto the team coach and headed for Manchester and as you can see the coach is covered in The Sun stickers as they were sponsoring us for the game...

The journey was fairly quick considering and I used the time to watch a film whilst also playing a bit of Mario Kart with a few of the lads on my Nintendo DS which can always get quite competitive! Whilst on route we were told we'd be heading straight to Old Trafford to go and have a look inside and get a feel for the place, this is when it really started to sink in. Here's us getting our first glimpse of the Theatre of Dreams...

Here's some pics of us all taking in the moment...

The Subs bench reminded me of something out of Formula 1 plus the Home seats were heated unlike the away ones which weren't.

Here's Sergio and Matt Tubbs posing for The Sun paper...

We were shown where all the Crawley fans and families would be sat and then someone asked the head security what was the expected attendance for the game. I was thinking he'd say about 30,000/40,000 and when he said full house the lads looked over and were thinking WOW! It was great to be stood on the pitch where Rooney scored that overhead kick last week and where Cantona chipped the keeper and did the famous staring at the crowd. It was quite a sureal experience trying to imagine we'll be playing on it with a full house in 2 days time was amazing.

After seeing the pitch we were then taken to the away dressing room so I thought I'd film the experience for you exactly as I did...

It was great to go into this dressing knowing that all the greatest players in the world have been there and then here's my shirt hung up ready for the game...

Here's some more from the away dressing room...

and Sergio being a typical tourist...

The hallway outside dressing room leading to the home changing room. I did ask if we could go down there but the computer said no!

The famous tunnel where the players line up before kick off...

For the hour that we were there the majority of the team were typical football fan tourists. It was great taking all the photos and filming but once we had finished we left the stadium and it was time to switch on and start preparing for the exciting game in 48 hours! We headed to our nice hotel just outside Manchester and set up shop. I roomed with Willie Gibson who's your typical Scottish fiery character type. He is so easy to wind up that I don't think he'll want to room with me again after what I put him through. There was also the usual traveling banter that goes on. On the Friday we trained in the morning and went for a walk in the afternoon just to have a stretch of the legs. Me and Scotty Shearer enjoyed taking in the sights...

That Friday evening you could see the lads were excited and maybe slightly nervous but enjoying the experience. A couple of the lads here having some grub...

Surprisingly, I didn't have any problems sleeping that night but woke up Saturday morning with a few butterflies in the stomach. However that didn't stop me filling my boots at breakfast. We noticed that day that Notts County were staying in the same hotel as they had their big FA Cup replay against Man City that Sunday. Paul Ince popped his head in and wished us good luck and I think our gaffer is good friends with him so they probably shared some tactical notes. We were given 2 matchday shirts for the occassion of which you can see me wearing before throwing on my suit...

We had Pre Match food around 2pm and the TV cameras were there to get footage of the lads preparing as you can see...

Once they'd got what they wanted it was time to have our team meeting and for the gaffer to announce the team. When I found out I was starting I couldn't wait to tell my family. I didn't expect to be in the starting 11 as I hadn't been for the last two FA Cup games but I was overwhelmed when I saw my name on the sheet. Now was the time to focus on the job at hand and we were briefed on the Man Utd team. The thought of playing against Obertan and Chicharito was amazing and it was a chance to test ourselves against World Class players and see how big the difference was!

On route to Old Trafford you could see fans everywhere but I don't think any of the lads expected to see the amount of people waiting to cheer us off the coach as we arrived...

We dropped our bags off in the dressing room and then went out to the pitch which was totally different from when we visited two days ago. The grass was cut perfectly whereas before it looked too long. Crawley fans had started to enter and they were shouting loud and proud even that early before the game. Once in the dressing room we prepared like it was another league game with the same CD playing and the same routine of getting changed. We went out to warm up and the reception from home and away fans was brilliant. All the players had a smile on their face and made sure they enjoyed having a ping on the Old Trafford turf. I made sure I struck a ball in the goal to at least say I've scored there! I felt good warming up and couldn't wait for the game to start. Looking around, the stadium must of been about half full as we were heading back inside after our warm up and that seemed amazing. Little could we imagine what was to come. As we were standing in the tunnel lined up with the United players I looked at them thinking what great players I'm about to play against. My mates let me know that I should appreciate every moment of the day and give it my all as they'd give anything to be in my shoes...and then came the moment when we walked out onto the pitch. I remember just looking around thinking, WOW! I remember them playing Rocky music as we entered and I thought that it fitted the occasion perfectly whilst getting my adrenalin pumping. You could hear the 9000+ Crawley fans as soon as we walked out and it was a great feeling from the amazing support. The first thing I did was find my family in the crowd and give them a wave. I was lucky to spot them whilst warming up earlier so knew where they would be. My partner, 2 kids, mum, sister and 4 mates came to watch which was priceless and a moment that I wanted them to share with me. Unfortunately there was one important person missing, my dad. He couldn't make it as he was away in New Zealand which was sad but I made sure it was recorded on Sky for him! Some of the other players had plenty more family and friends than I had attending. One or two of them had 100+ there!

So on to the game and what a game it was for Crawley Town. I think the majority of neutrals were expecting to witness a thrashing but the lads done themselves proud. We didn't change our strategy of how we play every week and we gave it our all and I'm sure even most United fans would agree with me in saying we at least deserved a draw! I think the first 45 minutes United had the better of the game and I believe that was due to the team not knowing what to expect but once we went in at half time we realised that there isn't much difference and we could actually get a result there. Well the second half we were brilliant and did everything but score. Yes I've had many of my mates hammer me for my left foot shot, you can't even imagine how many times I've gone over it in my head thinking 'what if', but my missus said to me I should count myself lucky to even be playing in that game...but I still keep thinking! Man Utd brought Rooney on a half time and I think that was a sign of respect from Sir Alex Ferguson. It was mad seeing one of the best players in the world waiting on the half way line to play against us! Every now and then when someone went down injured I'd look to my left and think "ha that's Wayne Rooney". It was great to play against these premiership players and give them a run for their money. When the attendance was announced at 74,778 I looked at the score board where it was showing it and I just looked around taking in the atmosphere. Unfortunately our journey was to end there, I guess bowing out at Old Trafford isn't a bad place to do it but we were so close. Our performance earnt a standing ovation from both Crawley and United fans and the lads could hold their heads high for what they had achieved. I want to take this chance to thank everyone that made the journey north and the team appreciated all the effort put in. It was a day that we'll all never forget and maybe not witness too many times but at least we can say we were there. It was great to be able to get Rooneys shirt to cap the experience, It's definitely a shirt I'll be holding on to and I'm sure the first thing he did when he got home was frame mine above his bed ;0)

After the game I was able to take my eldest daughter down onto the pitch which I don't think she was too bothered about haha. I then took my family to a local TGI's in Manchester with fellow teammate Scott Shearer and his family where we ate the place out of food. We had all booked a hotel for the night so that we could really make the most of the day up there. I had to try on the shirt before I went to bed...

My phone that night was on fire and I decided to not reply to anyone until the next morning...

Thank you to everyone that sent there support on twitter I hope I managed to reply to all of you. The next morning I was reminded by my daughter that I still had nail varnish on from when she painted them before i left for Manchester for good luck! I wonder if I'm the only player to of worn nail varnish at Old Trafford???

I think I'll keep that on the down low ha. We had breakfast and then started to make the trip home whilst taking a pit stop to buy every paper available to see if I was in it, I had a pleasant surprise...

It was madness, I made sure I kept every picture and write up and my partner has made a separate scrap book for it. There's been some great pics on the internet of the team and I'm thinking of getting this on blown up and put on my wall...

What an occasion! I think everyone that's been round my house since the game has either tried on Rooneys shirt or had a picture with it. I feel extremely honored and lucky to have had the experience and the memories will stay with me forever. I hope that the Premiership players appreciate every day that they are playing at that level as I'm sure every Crawley Town player would give anything to be them. If there's any young aspiring fooballers wondering what it felt like my answer is amazing but know that if they ever get the chance to do the same don't be scared as we proved if you play without fear you could achieve anything!

Our main focus has and always will be the League and getting promoted but this was a great example of myself as a player appreciating why the FA Cup is so special...