Willy put it well talking about Lee as an all round good chap and family guy.

I could tell you more about his qualities as a player having witnessed him score classics like his third at Bay Olympic this year (see here for story and video) and the rediculous with his ar$e against Tuakau a couple of years ago.

I could also mention his crossing having personally benefitted countless times from Lee's supply of quality ball over the years.

His website write ups aren't bad either reminding me of a young Charles Dickens writing in the Snug of the Queens Head pub on a stormy Skegness afternoon in 1972.

But what I want to remind everybody of here and now, before he buggers off, is that...

Lee Du Maurier is the most successful coach Pukekohe AFC has ever had!

(probably)

Lee coached the men's First Team for one season in 2005 and led us to win two cups. Not sure anybody can beat that.

So, how did he do it?

Lee would probably be modest and say it was because he had the fantastic support from Fin and Russell Whiter.

He would also say he had Paul Bricklebank, the best striker I've seen at the club and also the person Lee delegated as fitness coach and who ran all the training sessions.

He could say it was because the rest of the squad was chock full of talent and character, most in their prime including the likes of Andy H, Jimmy Mac, Matt, Karl, Jay, Steve Upfold (yes, you newbies, he did used to play and he was bloody good!), James, Gwyn, Roy, Clive, Geno, Mikey S (RIP), Simo, John C, Trent, Harny, etc.

All that was true but even with all that it would not make the side automatically successful.

Lee did at least a couple of things that were different that I believe helped knit all the characters together and create a formidable team.

First, he picked his team and gave each their responsibilities two weeks before the season started, not half an hour before each game.

Second, he encouraged you and the rest of the team to play to each others strengths, not to try and play to the style of the last game he saw on telly.

In other words he just instilled the trust and faith between the players that was needed to get us out of trouble. And believe me we got in trouble a lot. I think there must have been a dozen games that season we came from behind to win, including the first final.

The faith the manager had in you though was sometimes hard to see when you were about to take a penalty and look over to him and see him there with his back to the game in a haze of smoke from the 5 cigies he was smoking, too worried to watch.

So, we won two cups. And one of my regrets is that I don't believe Lee's efforts to make that happen were fully appreciated by all at the prizegiving night at the Gun Club straight after we had won the Tom McNabb.

Everyone had had their say, the cups were there on the table. Maybe it was because Steve had yet again put the evening schedule beyond the old folks bedtime, but it just ended.

I remember sitting there telling myself "get up, get everyone’s attention, say something!". But it was only a week after following similar impulses while drunk after winning a cup I decided to walk home which led me to be tangled up in barbed wire in a ditch no more than 400 metres from where I was sitting.

So I sat there and said nout. And everybody else did.

So, to make up for it, this is what I was going to say (or at least how it went in my head!)...

"Excuse me ladies and gentlemen, just one more thing before we're finished. I've got another slide show for you." Duck to dodge various projectiles.

"Just kidding. If you want to give me your glasses, don't throw them, fill them with Guinness and pass them to me later. Thank you."

"Last week the First Team completed some unfinished business for ourselves by winning the Counties Cup." Show Counties Cup. Loud hussahs from the team.

"But this, like everything else this season was thanks to our management and coaches, Russ, Fin and most of all, the boss, Lee Du Maurier." Big cheer.

"So to show our thanks, me and the lads met up this afternoon and got you this." Give Lee the Tom McNabb Cup.

Whole club on their feet giving Lee a standing ovation.

Everyone buys me a pint.

Someone drives me home.