MATT BLOOMFIELD: 500 NOT OUT

Emblazoned upon the back of Wycombe’s club mascot Bodger is the number 465. Younger fans often have a tendency to ask to what the number refers, and the answer is the number of goals scored by former Wycombe striker Tony ‘Bodger’ Horseman who is, unsurprisingly, the clubs all-time record goalscorer. He is also the Chairboys leading appearance maker with 749, and these are two records which are unlikely ever to be beaten.

Wycombe’s history can in some respects be split between the historic Isthmian league days and the past 25 plus years of league football, and if Horseman represents a pioneer of the amateur roots of Wycombe Wanderers, then Matt Bloomfield can be equally classed as one for the EFL days.

The midfielder is set to make his 500th first-team appearance in a Wycombe shirt this weekend, marking over fifteen years as a Wanderer. Many ask why he would stay at one club for so long, but perhaps this is a rare instance where the how is more interesting.

Lower league footballers tend to be given shorter contracts than those in the top divisions, ranging from anything between six months and three years. Subsequently, as managers change, budgets expand and contract, and sides are relegated or promoted as is par, players have a tendency to move on, one way or another. Bloomfield though has stayed put, being involved in three sides which were relegated, three which have been promoted, one which narrowly avoided relegation back to the aforementioned non-league, one which was seconds from winning at Wembley and one which held the English champions to a draw in a League Cup semi-final.

During all that, he has, as fans like to say, stayed loyal to Wycombe. There have been offers from other clubs although the details of who, what and when are known only by Bloomfield himself and a select few others. Had the right offer come along, he may well have departed Adams Park. Yet as he himself once stated, the longer he stayed, the harder it became to leave. It’s easy to laud his loyalty, yet this virtue is a two-way street. The club have stuck by him through injury lay-offs and dips in form, even if the latter of these two have been infrequent and minor. The reason they have done that though is down to the man himself.

When a fan goes to watch their team, they should expect one thing and one thing only. Each and every player should always give their all. They may not always play well, the tactics might not work, the opposition might be superior and lady luck may well be against you. All this is standard but there is nothing worse than when your side loses through a seeming lack of sheer effort. With Matt Bloomfield, commitment was a nailed-on certainty. ‘He loves to run’ the fans have been heard to chant and the dedication with which he has applied himself to every single performance is a key part of his on-field persona. Of course, he has ability, scoring many spectacular goals and providing countless assists, while his enthusiasm has never strayed too far – his red card against Bury in 2013 being the only one of his career. Better players may have come and gone at Wycombe in his time, but you’d do well to find one that works as hard or gives as much so regularly. It’s this reason why every Wycombe manager he has played under from Tony Adams to John Gorman to Paul Lambert to Peter Taylor to Gary Waddock to Gareth Ainsworth have included him in their plans to varying degrees.

There have been many highlights. His wonder goal at Rushden in 2005. Being the first ever recipient of the clubs ‘Player’s Player of the Year’ award in 2006. The through ball for JP Pittman to set up the first goal of Gary Waddock’s reign in 2009. Screaming in delight after heading home away at Tranmere to round-up a 3-0 away win after overcoming an injury (in one picture of that celebration, even a Rovers steward could be seen smiling) in 2010. Hugging the manager and swirling a scarf above his head on the dramatic final day escape of 2014. The handshake from Jose Mourinho after his testimonial the following season. Finding the net at the promotion part against Stevenage last May. Scoring a late equaliser at Plymouth earlier this season to give Wycombe’s campaign a minor kick-start after a honey-slow start. These are just a handful and there are many more, but one that really sticks out and sums Bloomfield up occurred during an otherwise forgettable draw at York in 2016. The home side were battling relegation and Wycombe’s poor form meant a play-off push was unlikely. City lead 1-0 and with two minutes remaining the ball looped up in the air. Bloomfield went in with a crowd of players and squeezed his header over the line for probably the scrappiest goal of his career. He had taken a kick to the arm in the process and felt the pain once the adrenaline of scoring had subsided. All three substitutions had been made and, with stoppages, there was five minutes to go. He opted to play through the pain to help his side in search of a winner that didn’t materialise. Later that night, a trip to A&E revealed the arm was fractured. In a world where footballers have a reputation for low pain thresholds and an inability to stay on their feet, Matthew James Bloomfield played the final few minutes of a professional game with a broken arm, for no other reason than not wanting to let his teammates down.

There have, of course, been bad times too. Injury lay-offs and relegations we’ve spoken of and some occurrences wherein fans have felt the offer of a new contract was due to sentimentality rather than ability (as if a club of Wycombe’s stature could ever afford such luxuries). He has sometimes been the scapegoat for fans on message boards and social media, most notably after the 2015 Play-Off final. Bloomfield was the man who lost possession allowing Southend to launch a last gasp attack and force an equaliser before winning the penalty shoot-out after Bloomfield had seen his spot-kick saved. ‘Why didn’t he just boot it out?’ many asked. Yet he was in the opposition half, surrounded by three players and with nobody to pass to. His options were at very best limited and no doubt had he booted it out and Southend scored from the re-start, those self-same fans would have questioned ‘Why did he boot it out?’ His tweet after the game simply read ‘Devastated. To all the fans and my teammates, sorry’. No apology was necessary, as many of the replies pointed out.

Yet Bloomfield has always come back to prove the few doubters wrong. Three years after the Wembley disappointment, he scored the goal at the end of season promotion party that saw Wycombe sign off from League Two with a win. Not a season has passed without him scoring a goal, and periods sitting in the stand when fully fit have been few and far between. Multiple managers with various financial resources don’t repeatedly offer an individual a new contract for any other reason than it has been earned.

Yet what of the man himself? You’d be hard pressed to find a nicer bloke than Matt Bloomfield, not just in football but anywhere. He doesn’t just put in the yards on the pitch but will regularly play a part in community events embodying what every club wants from its playing squad. He’ll greet you before being greeted, he’ll talk to anyone who wants to chat. His persona is devoid of arrogance or ego, which again is a key facet in his longevity and popularity.

After his 500th professional appearance at Peterborough (the first of which was for his boyhood club Ipswich Town), defender Joe Jacobson commented that if there was anyone in football to try and emulate, it was Bloomfield. There’s a lot in that. If there is any player to be a role model for youngsters it’s a down to earth, hard-working player who has remained loyal, earnt the respect of all whom he has come across and managed to have a career spanning over 15 years and 500 (and counting) professional games in the most unforgiving of industries.

One day he will retire with coaching or media interests being areas he has opened up potential avenues into. His place as a Wycombe legend though is already assured and if Bodger the mascot is ever retired, maybe he’ll be replaced with one called Blooms.

Nobody would complain.

words Phil Slatter, D3D4 Wycombe Wanderers correspondent