One v One: Russ Penn’s Q&A with Eastleigh striker James Constable

By Russ Penn
WITH over 600 career appearances to his name, free-scoring James Constable has been there and done it, experiencing the highs and lows of a proper lower league footballer. Russ Penn talks to the Eastleigh sriker…
So Jimmy, many people know you as ‘BEANO’. Why is that?
The nickname is something I picked up when I was at school; I had red hair and freckles. My freckles looked like baked beans and not the fact I was like the Beano character. It’s stuck ever since, even my family call me Beano. If I hear James, then I know I’m in trouble!
You left Oxford United after six seasons in the Football League to go to Eastleigh, relatively unknown at the time. What were your reasons?
Leaving Oxford was the hardest decision of my career – I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. I had a young family to think about. I knew my contract was coming to an end and I felt I was constantly batting questions from the media. I made it clear I wanted to stay, and they knew I was desperate to beat the goalscoring record as I was one behind Graham Atkinson’s 107. A one-year deal at 29 was no security, especially with the substantial pay cut, so reluctantly I started considering my future away from Oxford.
I had offers from Football League clubs, but nothing that excited me quite like the challenge at Eastleigh. [Chairman] Stewart Donald was a big factor in my signing with his drive and passion, plus I knew a lot of the players at the club. When I left Oxford though, I had to fight back the tears as I was leaving a big part of my life behind.
Who is the Toughest centre-half you have played against?
I hated playing against Darren Jones, of Newport County, while, although not the biggest, Chris Barker, then of Southend United, was always a good battle. Mark Creighton, of Oxford, aka ‘The Beast’ was a great friend off the pitch but brutal on it, but my toughest of all was Jamie Stuart, at Grays Athletic. I used to come off the pitch with scratches, pinches, cuts and bruises. He was a nightmare!?I never looked forward to our battles, but he always came to shake hands at the final whistle.
Do you have any regrets in football?
I remember going to speak to Bournemouth on deadline day when I was at Oxford – it was a whirlwind few hours. They were struggling in League One and Oxford were near the top of League Two. Lee Bradbury was in charge at the time, but for whatever reason the deal didn’t get done.  Since then they haven’t looked back. I look back and think what could have been.
England C have just lost to Slovakia in the ICT Final. What were your memories of the three caps you won?
I’m really proud of playing for England C. I have my first shirt and cap framed at home; Finland and Italy away, which I scored in, and Belgium at home. They were great occasions. The staff and the players were brilliant and made it a great experience.
Best mate in football?
I’ve got a few really good friends in football, but I have to mention my ‘Best Man’, Asa Hall, at Barrow. We have been mates since my time at Shrewsbury. He did a brilliant job at my wedding in the summer and we speak most days on the phone or while playing Call of Duty online!
Life after football?
I turned 33 in October and feel I need to have something in place for when I decide to hang up my boots. I have taken my coaching badges and a sports science qualification from college. I am open to ideas and plan on attending the PFA seminars in the coming months. It’s something which worries a lot of players in the latter years of their playing career, and I think more work needs to be done to help players while they are playing. We are in a bubble and we sometimes forget this doesn’t last forever.
Your best football tale?
The Thursday before we played York in the play-off final with Oxford, we travelled up to Wembley to familiarise ourselves with the stadium. As we were leaving through the tunnel under the ground the walls got tighter and tighter. We were all looking out onto solid brick walls until we heard a huge bang as the window came through. Everyone was in shock and didn’t know what had happened. It turns out the bus driver, Pete, had reversed into a pipe smashing the window. We just carried on and drove out the ground, but once we got round the corner [assistant manager] Micky Lewis  got on a box and smashed the remainder of the broken glass out the window. The air con was great on the way back! I think that helped settle everyone’s nerves, though, as we laughed about it all weekend.