On Saturday afternoon, Robbie Dale scored twice as the non-league Blyth Spartans narrowly lost their 3rd Round FA Cup tie against former Premier League side Birmingham City, a team four full divisions above them. While his second was as good as any goal you’ll see on NBC Sports, come Sunday morning Dale was back opening up the family pub, as he does every weekend.
In an American Idol / X Factor / Keeping Up With The Kardashians era, where fame and money seem to count for more than achievement, Robbie Dale is an anomaly. Because despite having more footballing talent in his little toe than you or I have combined, Dale isn’t a professional; he’s a bartender. And that’s just how he likes it.
Don’t for a second think the 30-year old Dale hasn’t turned professional for want of skill or ability: he scored a hat-trick on his debut for Blyth, was their top scorer in four of the last eight seasons (despite playing in midfield as often as a striker) and the two goals he netted on Saturday took his 2014-15 FA Cup tally to eight in as many games. What's more, despite regularly playing on pitches with less grass than the moon, he still has the touch and technique to score sensational individual goals like these:
No, he’s had plenty of opportunities to move up the footballing ranks, it’s simply that Dale likes his life as it is: “I’ve been offered trials all over the place, but none of them seemed right. I’m happy with life as a barman and a part-time footballer. People might not understand that, but I am.”
So hats off to Robbie Dale for bucking the modern-day scourge of fame for its own sake. Why not follow him on Twitter? Despite having achieved the square root of f*ck all, Kim Kardashian has 27 million followers; Dale barely has a thousand.
Let’s address that injustice. You can follow @DaleRobbie here.
