Former Exeter City midfielder David Noble reveals he and Arsenal teammate and former Cardiff City striker Jay Bothroyd once came to blows over a coat peg - Devon Live
Thursday 9th November 2017
Former Exeter City midfielder David Noble has revealed how he and ex-Arsenal teammate Jay Bothroyd once came to blows over a coat peg.
The duo were in the Gunners' youth team and, with the likes of Graham Stack, Jermaine Pennant, Steve Sidwell and Rohan Ricketts in the same side, there were plenty of characters about.
Speaking to the podcast The Magic Sponge , Noble explained how the pair once fell out over who would hang their clothes where.
He said: “Everyone was a winner – there were fisticuffs every other day, people arguing left, right and centre.
“We had Fulham away, I’d taken my top off, put it on a peg, and gone out to look at the pitch.
“As I’ve come back in, Jay’s clothes are on the peg – I’ve gone ‘I’m sitting there, Jay’, took his off and put mine on.
“He’s come over, took mine off and put his on – now everyone’s looking and it’s becoming a scene.
“We’re arguing and he’s huge, he was six foot five at 17 or 18, and we’re squaring up over whose tracksuit is going on which peg.
“I’ve just gone ‘bomp,’ a little headbutt in his mouth, he’s gone back, people have gone in the way, but his arms are seven foot long and people are in the way but he’s swung it around them and clumped me in the ear.
“When I say I could not hear out my ear for about three weeks. Don Givens, who was the manager at the time, had to take me next door, where I got changed with just me and him, this was before a youth team game and everyone else was getting changed in there.
“We’ve gone out a little bit frosty, then it was fine, we won 1-0, Jay was on fire and I played well – I can’t hear, unless someone on the left-wing was calling me, I couldn’t hear them.
“Jay would be the first to tell you he could go missing in those games or just not try as hard but he’s flying about in this game, putting people under pressure, running here, tackling there, jumping up and winning headers, the lot.
“After the game, Don Givens said to me, ‘I’m not saying nut him every game, but get him going!’”
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