But on the last day of June he got a phone call from MA asking him to come training and have a chat. MA told him he was interested in signing him but it would take a few days to sort out. Smith then said he did not like the way MA did not look him in the eye when they spoke. Anyway he trained with us for a few days.
I will quote from the book for a while now.
"Just as I was leaving training,Martin called me over to say he was having an early morning meeting with the chairman. I told him I already knew him as he had previously tried to sign me.Martin said he was aware of that fact and, tomorrow morning, he wanted us to go through a role-play in front of the chairman-although the chairman was not to know it was pre-planned.
I thought this was a little strange but who was I to argue?
We were due to train early the next day as it was going to be very hot,so I was instructed to knock the office door at 8.30 a.m, despite knowing full well he was in a meeting with the chairman. Our conversation was going to go like this:
Me: Gaffer,can I have a quick word?
MA: Sorry Ben-I am in a meeting with the chairman.(points at PB) have you met him?
Me: Yes, we met a few years ago.
MA: Mr chairman, Ben is a very intelligent boy who is studying for a degree, plus he lives very locally in Worcester. I would love him to come and play for us.
That was the level of dress rehearsal Martin and I went through!
The next day I went through the rigmarole of the role-play and to be fair,it went exactly as MA had predicted.
The first thing PB asked me was why I had turned him down to join Hereford. I told him I knew Graham Turner well and wanted to play for someone who knew how I played. PB said MA was keen to sign me and what sort of money did I want, I proposed £1,000 a week, PB didn't agree to it then and there but he did not baulk at it either."
Anyway we then took Michael Pook on trial and signed him instead, Ben Smith ended up playing for Evans in the conference at Crawley.
Was MA barking?
