MOSSLEY’S young footballers are benefiting from the experience and wisdom of having Nicky Clee as a team-mate and mentor.
The 39-year-old midfielder, a summer signing, explained becoming a guiding light has become a feature of his game.
“Over the last five or six years, it is something I have tried to do, and it has come naturally, and is something I enjoy doing,” he explained.
“In training or games if I see something, I will point it out to young players.
Clee added when he spoke to Mossley’s management team of David Fish and Alex Craddock in the summer, they reinforced the message they needed experience as it is a young squad which is why they signed him and Shane Killock.
He is happy to help and believes some of the young players have the potential to play at a higher level.
“I have been surprised by the quality in the squad. We have some really good players,” he said.
“Two players (Declan Evans and Devon Matthews) moved up to National League North in the summer, and I would not be surprised to see more move up.”
Clee was still playing in National League North at Bradford Park Avenue until the end of last season.
And the reason he left were for non-footballing reasons – he is a father of three – and could not justify the demands, especially the travelling as he juggled family life and a demanding job as a management accountant.
“I was going to stop playing, but I was not ready and still believed I had something to offer,” he continued.
“Mossley is a good fit as it is only 20 minutes from my home in Honley, and Shane lives only four doors from me so we can share the driving.”
Clee added he has no immediate plans to retire, but at his age he only takes one season at a time, pointing out he originally planned to retire aged 35.
“I am quite fit for an old boy, though it helps when you have Jordan Butterworth, Kane Hickman and Bailey Marsden in midfield,” he said.
“Kane does the running for two or three people, and it definitely helps having young players around you.
“The main thing is to enjoy my football, which I am doing, and then to finish the season as high as possible.”
Clee looks back on a 21-year career in non-league football which began when he joined Ossett Albion from local football in Huddersfield. He pointed out he had never been in the academy at a professional club.
And 17 of those years were spent at three clubs – Hyde United, Altrincham and Bradford Park Avenue.
The highest level he has played at in National League while at Altrincham, admitting that was a huge step up from National League North and took time to adjust.
Clee added the standard of non-league has improved markedly since he started out.
He said: “As there are more foreign players at the top, other players trickle down the pyramid.
“The quality of some of the players in National League North today is better than those in National League when I played in it.
“There are more full-time clubs in National League North today than there were in National League 15 years ago.
“And that has also impacted at Mossley’s level, and it came as a surprise the quality we have in our squad.”
Fish also praised the contribution Clee has made to the team.
“Nicky has made a big difference and we have started to see the best of him with his range of passes and the tempo he brings to the game,” he said.
“It is also great the way he speaks on the pitch and demands more from the players. He talks to the younger players and that takes pressure off Andy Keogh who previously had done that job by himself.”