An interview with…former goalkeeper Peter Hucker
Peter in his playing days at Queens Park Rangers
Hello Peter, thank you so much for taking part in this interview. What was it like to play in an FA Cup Final? Did it go by as quickly as some players say?
Back then, playing at Wembley was a privilege reserved for a few players. Nowadays any Tom, Dick or Harry plays there!
There is not the same respect towards the FA Cup either. I remember enjoying every minute from the final whistle of the Semi Final all the way to the final whistle of the Replay. (The 1982 FA Cup Final went to replay and Tottenham won the replay).
Who would you say are the best players that have have played with and against?
The best player that I played with was Stan Bowles and Glenn Hoddle was the best player that I played against. There were so many great players then.
What was the best save that you made in your career?
There were too many! I think that every save is a great save.
When did you start playing as a goalkeeper? Did you ever play outfield?
I started playing as a goalkeeper in the playground from about the age of 9 and I only played outfield during training. I think I’m still the top goalscorer from five a side too!
Would you say that goalkeepers get a raw deal as their mistakes are always remembered?
All goalkeepers make mistakes but the best ones make the fewest. I don’t think that the best goalkeepers get a raw deal, no.
Who was the best manager that you played under?
Terry Venables, by a million miles (and I had a few!)
What would you say was the best moment of your career?
The best moment of my career was being the Man of the Match in the FA Cup Final.
Peter with the ball in the 1982 FA Cup Final between Queens Park Rangers and
Tottenham Hotspur. Peter was awarded the Man of the Match award for his performance
What was it like playing on the synthetic pitch at Loftus Road when it was there in the 1980s? Did you always wear tracksuit bottoms to prevent carpet burns?
It was extremely painful. Basically the pitch was like a thin carpet on concrete. The burns were the worst. As a goalkeeper there was no way you could play without tracksuit bottoms and you would go through a pair every couple of games!
You played for my team Aldershot shortly before they went out of business. What was it like having to play under those circumstances?
It was a nightmare.
It must have been great for Aldershot when they were drawn against West Ham in the FA Cup in 1991. The game went to a replay after a goalless draw. That must have been a great result for the players?
Yes it was great for the players especially as we had given up home advantage for extra revenue. To play twice at Upton Park was great both for those who hadn’t played at that level and also in the financial sense.
Aldershot FC finally folded in 1992 and a new club emerged a few months later further down in the lower echelons of the non-league pyramid using the name Aldershot Town. That must have been nice for you to see after all he fans had to go through?
The club always had backers waiting in the wings and it was just a matter of how long it would take them to recover their position in the pyramid.
There were a lot of fantastic English goalkeepers when you were playing such as Peter Shilton, Ray Clemence and Phil Parkes. Which of them would you say was the best?
It was probably Peter Shilton but Phil Parkes taught me everything that I needed to know. There really wasn’t much between them and they all had their strengths and faults.
Since retiring you set up a Soccer School, how is that going? Have any of the players turned professional?
The Soccer Schools are still going although I have cut back as I want to retire soon. I have been running them for 26 years now.
Josh Pask has just left West Ham for Coventry City and Kayne Ramsey broke into Southampton’ first team last season.
At junior level there are too many players to mention. Unlike most grassroots teams / schools I don’t hold onto the best players to prove something.
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