Jarrad Branthwaite, the Everton and England defender, did not need to be asked twice when invited to play in last Friday’s event at Eden Golf Club. Branthwaite joined his agent, the former Carlisle United captain David Reeves, in entering a team.
The 23-year-old spoke to the News & Star about the impact Wilkes had had on his career: a perspective many have echoed down the years.
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“I was very young, first going into Carlisle when I was eight or nine,” Branthwaite said.
“One of my main memories of David was the time we went to Budapest on an academy trip, and he organised it.
Jarrad Branthwaite chips onto the green (Image: Barbara Abbott)
“One thing we had to do there was sing a karaoke song, and I’ve still got a video on my phone of him singing – being the joy and life of the changing room, making a good atmosphere, and I think that just sums him up as a person.
“He wanted everyone to have a good time, he wanted everyone to enjoy what they were doing, whether it be playing football, which is what we were there for, but also off the pitch.
“It was about being friends to everyone, making sure everyone was fitting in and feeling comfortable. I think that was the type of person he was, and he had a massive impact on my career at Carlisle, whether that was just on the coaching side, or someone to speak to.”
Branthwaite was one of many at Eden Golf Club sharing in these memories, before, during and after their rounds on the course. “The amount of people that have turned up, from all ages, shows the impact he had,” he said.
Jarrad Branthwaite with Derek Walsh from the Carlisle United former players' association, who organised the game (Image: Barbara Abbott)
“It shows how much of a good guy he was, and how much of a good memory he leaves.”
Mick Wadsworth, the title-winning former Carlisle United director of coaching, knew Wilkes from a very young age in their native Barnsley. They later worked together at Carlisle when Wilkes was overseeing that wonderful flowering of local talent at Brunton Park in the 1990s.
Wilkes, the youth team coach, died two years ago in sudden circumstances. His passing is still raw but the golf day enables his memory to be placed on a pedestal for a day.
Mick Wadsworth speaks to the golfers about David Wilkes before they head out onto the course (Image: Barbara Abbott)
“It's meaningful on two fronts, really,” Wadsworth said. “A, to keep Dave's memory and legacy alive in all the work and the wonderful work he did for Carlisle United at youth level – all the players that he had a hand in bringing through is a phenomenal number. And top players, right through the divisions, from Premier League and international players down to senior non-league. That is incredible.
“And B, the sadness of his passing mustn’t be forgotten, and that leads onto the work we’re doing for charities – raising money for men’s mental health charities. It’s very important that we do that.
“All the players who have come to this event have a debt of immense value – because he just had a wonderful way with young players. He had a gentle, understanding approach to his discipline but you knew there was a line that the players couldn't cross.
Mick Wadsworth and son Greg, centre, are joined by David Wilkes' cousin Neil, left (Image: Barbara Abbott)
“It’s just so sad to have lost him. It’s still raw because, for me, he’s not just a colleague, he’s a family friend. I knew David since he was six years old.
“That we are able to raise money for Andy’s Man Club [the men’s mental health charity] is very important.”
Mick Wadsworth on the tee (Image: Barbara Abbott)
David Reeves, the crowd-pleasing striker who captained Carlisle to the 1994/95 Division Three title and a first Wembley appearance that season, said his own abiding memories of Wilkes from that time were warm – and he knew how important it was to support the golf day too.
“I got back off holiday last night, got up at six this morning to drive three hours up here, and couldn’t have done it for a nicer man,” said Reeves before the golf got under way.
“What happened with his passing...I still feel really emotional about it.
“Supporting mental health, especially in men, is just so important. Every penny we can make and give that to that charity all helps, because if you can save one life, it's all worth it.”
David Reeves in action (Image: Barbara Abbott)
Reeves remembered Wilkes fondly. “He was so dry. You’d just see him walking around and he’d burst out in song or tell you a joke.
“He was that type of person – a pleasure to be around.”
Another golfer who knew Wilkes from a very early stage in their footballing lives was the former Sheffield Wednesday and England striker David Hirst. He knew Wilkes in their respective playing days at Barnsley. Hirst, too, had no hesitation in supporting the golf day.
“I remember David as a great lad,” Hirst said. “In my time as a young lad at Barnsley, I'd have been around about 15 or 16 and Dave was in and around the first team there. He was a great guy, a fantastic footballer – very genuine, very honest. He was a very good-looking young man too, which I’m sure helped him around the town! But a great lad, very encouraging.
John Beresford, centre, and David Hirst, right (Image: Barbara Abbott)
“He played with a freedom. He was a talented, skilful player, with a little bit of pace. He wasn’t the tallest, but whenever he went out he'd give his best for the team he was playing for – and anyone who worked with him will have learned something.
“It’s sad the way certain things finish up. We talk a lot about mental health these days and, as Mick rightly said, the reason we're here is to get guys talking to each other and understanding we all have problems.
“We can't all tie it up inside. Sometimes you need somebody to talk to, a friend, a colleague, a golf round with a stranger. Things come out, and that's what it needs.
Mick Wadsworth, left, and Derek Walsh, right, with the winning team (Image: Barbara Abbott)
“Nobody goes through life without bumps and peaks and troughs. And this is why an event like today is special, because we understand. As soon as I heard about this event, I was delighted to jump in my car and come up.
“This is the sort of event David would flourish in. He would be around people. And if this helps keep his legacy going, then it’s very much worth it.”
Other football stars at the event included the former Newcastle United defender John Beresford, while ex-Carlisle United players also to take part included Billy Rafferty, Paul Gorman, Mark Boyd, Mike Jack, Jonny Allan and Lee Hoolickin. John Halpin, from the former players’ association that organised the day, also played, while Derek Walsh was also there along with fellow organiser Colin Carter.
John Halpin in action on the course (Image: Barbara Abbott)
The event saw a raffle that benefited from a host of prizes. They included a signed Northampton Saints shirt and rugby ball via Robbie Smith, vodka and whisky donated by Bargain Booze in central Harraby, a Pioneer voucher, and a two-night stay in the Stormont Hotel donated by Eamonn Elliott, the former Carlisle youth player from Wilkes’ time at the Blues.
Signed Carlisle United balls came via the Carlisle United Community Sports Trust, while Carlisle Golf Centre helped with prizes for the day’s competition. Reeves was also said to have made a “sizeable donation” to the fundraising.
Prizewinners from the golf included Mike Jack, who won nearest the pin, while the winning team from the respective four-balls out on the course was Hirst, Beresford, Ian Robinson and Peter Grieves.
In second place was the team that included Hoolickin and Boyd, while Reeves, Branthwaite, Dan Wilson and Ron Welch came third.
Proceeds from the day were to be donated to Andy’s Man Club and the Carlisle United Community Sports Trust.
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David Wilkes (Image: Barbara Abbott)