Two sons of footballers who’s own careers contained less-than-ordinary moments are currently carving out a name for themselves in League football and rank among the numerous young prospects of the English game.
They are George Moncur, son of former West Ham midfielder John Moncur and Josh Windass, son of multi-club journeyman footballer and Hull hero Dean Windass.
The senior Moncur began his career at Tottenham at a time when the club could boast the likes of Glenn Hoddle and Ossie Ardiles (while Micky Hazard and Ian Crook also began at the Spurs before moving elsewhere) and was loaned to various sides before joining Swindon Town in 1992, who won promotion to the Premier League for the first and only time the next year. Although they would finish bottom and became the last top flight side to concede 100 goals, it was not for want for trying – winning some praise for trying to play football, managing eye-catching draws against Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United.
The last of these saw Moncur infamously stamped on by Eric Cantona (the two swapped shirts in 1997 in what would be Cantona’s last-ever game for United), nevertheless he impressed in the Premier League and was Swindon’s Player of the Year. He would then move to West Ham where he stayed for nine years under Harry Redknapp and Glenn Roeder.
His son has followed along the same path by beginning at the Tottenham academy before signing for West Ham United, experiencing loan spells at AFC Wimbledon, Partick Thistle and finally Colchester United, for whom he signed on a permanent basis during last season. Moncur quickly became a key player in the heart of the Colchester midfield along with Alex Gilbey, as a young side under the management of former Ipswich and Wrexham player Tony Humes (who took over from Joe Dunne in September) struggled near the bottom of League One but were never uncompetitive in a fierce division. In March, however, with ten games left, they did look in trouble sitting in the dropzone.
Moncur played a starring role in Colchester’s ‘Great Escape’ of 2014-15, in which they won five and drew three from those final ten games. The 22-year-old scored the winner on the final day of the season over a promotion-chasing Preston North End, as Colchester left the bottom four behind. Indeed, he netted five times in those ten games to bring his tally to a total of eight in the League, making him the top scorer for the campaign ahead of Chris Porter and Gavin Massey. The midfield pair of Moncur and Gilbey typify the youthfulness of the current Colchester side, as the club has had a tougher time in League One during the last few seasons.
This is why fans are hopeful that they will be able to hold on to their best young players and move up in the division. Moncur himself has said he is staying after some early season speculation, and he has since been given the No.10 shirt for this season. They will need him if they are to ride out another go around in the third tier, and fans of a club that tasted two seasons of Championship life not that long ago must be expecting better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpzR76D7JL8
A club sandwiched geographically between Blackburn and Burnley, this season will be the tenth consecutive that Accrington Stanley has spent in the Football League, all of which so far has been in League Two and much of it under the oversight of John Coleman. The 52-year-old was in charge of the club from 1999 to 2012 and again since September 2014, making him in-all one of the longest-serving managers in the country. bar a brief absence. In those years, they have edged out a comfortable existence in the fourth tier and made the play-offs in 2010-11.
With Coleman returning to the club in September, Accrington’s form occasionally suggested a push towards the upper-echelons, but ultimately fizzled into a safe mid-table position. Given the small crowds (among the smallest in the Football League) and correspondingly limited resources, they have actually been holding their own pretty well.
One of last season’s stars, who holds the key to progress in 2015-16, is the 21-year-old Windass. While the career of his father is one of football’s more colourful, that of the son has been a somewhat simpler, yet still similar path. The midfielder began in non-league football with Harrogate Railway Athletic, before joining Stanley in 2013. It was last season under the returning Coleman that the younger Windass began to show his ability, though he only scored his first-ever League goal in February. He flourished in an attacking-midfield role to finish with six goals, the equal third highest scorer at the club.
Even more is expected of Windass this season, along with others like Andy Procter, Piero Mingoia, Seamus Conneely, Matt Crooks, Terry Gornell and Shay McCartan. Accrington fans will hope these players will hang around and form the basis of a side that might be able to challenge in a division that is far from predictable, yet indications are they will be competitive again this season.
As young prospects following in the footsteps of their fathers, Moncur and Windass are already making their own mark on football as talented players in their own right. Both are playing for clubs considered to be ‘treading’ in their respective divisions, meaning that game-winning performances have the potential to make a big difference.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
