By James Burch
Making over 250 appearances for Clitheroe, Adam Gardner will always be regarded as a club legend and a home game doesn’t go by without the mention of the local lad at Shawbridge. Helping his side in 2004 to a historic FA Vase run and winning the North-West counties league for the Blues in the same year. Gardner is the definition of a club legend. He met up with media reporter James Burch to speak about his amazing years playing for the side.
Before signing for Clitheroe, Gardner found himself playing in local leagues in Blackburn. He also played for Mill Hill St Peters in the West Lancashire league for a few seasons in his late teens. He played a few games for the reserve team at the Blues a few years before signing for the first team, under the management of Dave Burgess.
The 38 year old spoke of he it came about signing for the club that is now in his heart forever as he said; “I’d already played for Dave Burgess a few years before he got the first team managers job in 2000, Dave appointed Lee Schulper as his assistant, Lee managed my local Sunday league team and asked if I’d join them, my best mate Kris Richens had signed the year so it was a pretty easy decision.”
Scoring only two goals in his entire time at the club, Gardner does have a funny story about his prowess in front of goal as he said; “I was briefly top goal-scorer one season for about half an hour as I open our account for the season with a goal against Skemersdale. Although I didn’t score too many I was up there every season with assists, Lee Cryer still thanks me to this day for the number of goals I created for him.”
As mentioned earlier, one of Clitheroe’s greatest moments of recent years was the FA Vase run in 2004 that led Clitheroe up to the Semi-Finals of the competition. Gardner commented on his triumph saying; “The best game for me was away at Chippenham in the QF of the FA Vase, there was a massive crowd and we were big underdogs to progress, we defended brilliantly all game and Kris Richens was unbelievable in goal, if ever there was a triumph for team spirit this was it. We won the North-West Counties league in 2004 with a dramatic late win at Nantwich which was unbelievable but the FA Vase run that year and particularly the Chippenham away game stick out.”
He went on to say; “I loved every minute of playing for Clitheroe, there’s something very special about the club and like me many of the players who have been there move on but don’t get the same feeling that Shawbridge gives you. I was very lucky to join at the same time as some great lads with much more experience than me like Lee Cryer, Mark Stewart and we manage to keep the nucleus of the team together for 4/5 years which we a key factor in us winning the league.”

Some may say that Clitheroe are in the position they are in today because of Gardner as was the club captain that got the Blues promoted to the Evo-Stik First Division North. The midfielder said; “Dave Burgess and Lee Sculpher were vital in me joining the club and Lee in particular is probably the most tactical aware manager I’ve played for. In hindsight when I look back someone like Keith Lord stands out to me, not necessarily influential on me as a player but his passion for the club made me really understand what playing for Clitheroe was all about, we weren’t the best paid players in the league by some way but the group of lads genuinely cared deeply about the club, the fans and the people behind the scenes. To this day Clitheroe is still my club.”

Clitheroe usually gather an attendance of 200 fans at Shawbridge but that hasn’t stopped Gardner from raving about his love for the supporters at the club as he spoke about the fans and his former team mates in the side; “We have the best fans in the league by a mile particularly the nutters who always travelled to support us away from Shawbridge. I like to think I had a decent relationship with them as I always gave 100% and for me that’s the minimum they deserved.

Adding; “The dressing room and coach was something else, in fact, I miss all that more than anything else, everyone got on and I’m still in touch with some of the lads till this day. There were some really loud characters in the dressing room and some lads who were much quieter but we all just blended. The coaches on the way back from games unreal at times and the stories aren’t for print.”

Now married with a son, the club hero still plays 5-a-side football in Blackburn and attends circuit training in Blackburn along with many former Blues players including Richard Fogarty and Jay Jones. Also being a season ticket holder at Blackburn Rovers, Gardener said; “I came over in Pre-season to watch against the Blackburn Rovers X1 as my nephew Connor Mahoney was playing for Rovers. As its 10 years since we won the league we’ve mentioned the title winning team perhaps sponsoring a game and getting over to show Simon and lads our support but these things never get organised.”

Finishing off the interview, the midfield man spoke of the current ‘class of 2014’ saying; “If I’m honest I’m not sure, the problem with this level of football there’s always a team or two splashing the cash which makes it very difficult for clubs like Clitheroe, they been on a decent run lately and Simon a good lad with a lot of connections so with a fair wind maybe a playoff spot is possible, then who knows.”

It was fitting that Gardner signed off his email with ‘CFC till I die’ and I’m sure I will be joined by everyone at the club by saying that Adam Gardner is always welcome at Shawbridge.