Welcome to a continuation on the regular series on The 94th Minute, called “Starting XI”. This is where I ask various people, who are fans of football, a number of questions to get to know them better! The majority of the questions will differ for each person, but the final question will always be:
“Who would be in your all-time, favourite starting XI?”
This is a question where anyone can be put into their starting eleven, whether they are famous footballers, football legends, past or unknown players who had an impact on their childhood, or even players they have played with or coached. Anyone is acceptable in their XI providing they give a reason for their inclusion!
The twenty-fourth instalment of the series is with Wingmakers Chat, a newly-created, unofficial fan site for all things involving the Cymru Premier side, Airbus UK Broughton. Created by Matthew Baldwin, Joe Sargent and Barry Andrews, all current students at University of Chester, they produce regular updates, news, live match commentary and post-match reports from the Flintshire-based side. In addition, they have recently started a podcast which will discuss all the happenings going on with The Wingmakers.
I wanted to know how the blog first got started, their opinions on Airbus’ Cymru Premier season so far, potential future interviewees for their website and podcast, and their all-time, favourite eleven players.
Q. Thank you very much for taking part in Starting XI gents! Firstly, how did ‘Wingmakers Chat’ all come about and be created?
Wingmakers Chat was created for a University project. Our challenge was to produce content for a sports club. We felt Airbus would be the best option, considering it is their first season back in the JD Cymru Premier and we share an interest in Welsh football.
Q. What has been the best things about the website and podcast so far?
Since we started up our website in November 2019, the best things have been being able to produce a couple of feature-based pieces of work with the Airbus first team and academy. The podcast was something we were eager to start, as it is allowing us the chance to voice our opinions, and for people to listen and interact.
Q. What do you make of Airbus UK Broughton’s season so far? Has it gone as expected?
For Airbus it has been a difficult season so far in terms of results. However, it was always going to be difficult in their first season back [in the top flight]. There have been a lot of encouraging signs with a lot of academy players coming in and making a big impact. Injuries and suspensions haven’t helped the team but I feel points will come more regularly in Phase Two.
Q. In your opinion, what has been the best moments of the season so far for either yourselves, or the blog as a whole?
For ourselves, it has been great so far to put our skills to use that we have learned at University. We have also been able to gain insight onto how club media works and experience producing content in a real-life environment.
Q. For those who are unaware of the Airbus squad, who would you recommend are the potential stars of the future for the Wingmakers, or players who you think are underrated?
There are a number of young Airbus players that have a bright future ahead of them in the game. Two that come to mind are George Peers and Owen Payne. Peers has added pace and skill to the forward line this season, and Payne has been a revelation at left back in recent weeks.
Q. Is there anyone within the Airbus squad or within Welsh football themselves, who you would like to interview for the podcast in the future?
In the Airbus set-up we would like to get the manager Steve O’Shaughnessy on the podcast and a couple of players. The specific players we would like to interview we are unsure of exactly. It would be interesting to hear different viewpoints on areas of the club.
Q. As you are involved in the media side of the Cymru Premier, is there anything you would improve to the media section of the Cymru Premier, or any improvements to the league as a whole?
One of the things we would suggest the media section of the league could improve is the type of content being produced. We feel more feature-based content and fan engagement could enhance the interest in Welsh football.
Q. What do you have planned for the future of ‘Wingmakers Chat’?
As explained earlier the website was a created as a University project. At the moment, we are unsure of what the future holds, but we are enjoying what we have been doing so far.
Q. Finally, which players would you choose for your all-time, favourite Starting XI, and why?
For our all time starting XI we have based it off the best players we have seen in our lifetime (2000 onwards).
Formation: 4-3-2-1
- Goalkeeper: Gigi Buffon
- Right-back: Dani Alves
- Centre-back: Carles Puyol
- Centre-back: Alessandro Nesta
- Left-back: Paolo Maldini
- Central midfield: Xavi
- Central midfield: Kaka
- Central midfield: Zinedine Zidane
- Right wing: Lionel Messi
- Forward: Thierry Henry
- Left wing: Cristiano Ronaldo
A massive thank you to Joe, Barry and Matt for answering my questions, and being great guests on the Starting XI series! They are producing lots of great blogs currently, and really help promote news and information on the ongoings at The Airfield. In addition, their team they have chosen is immense – the midfield is full of creativity and that forward line-up is terrifying for defenders.
To find out more about Wingmakers Chat, the links to their website and social media accounts can be found below:
- Website: https://wingmakerschat.wordpress.com/
- Podcast: Spotify
- Twitter: @wingmakerschat
- YouTube: Wingmakers Chat YT
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wingmakerschat/
To read or catch up on the previous Starting XI episodes, they can all be found at the following link HERE.
If there you have any feedback, comments or suggestions who I should interview next in the series, let me know either below in the comments box, tweet me @The94thMin or email me at the94thminute@gmail.com! It would be good to hear what you think about the series, and what have been your favourite episodes so far!
Finally, I am currently in the depths of doing a charity challenge of staying sober for the entirety of 2020! It’s not easy but I am hoping to raise a lot of money for the mental health charity, MIND. So if you would like to see how I am progressing in my challenge, or even be kind enough to add a donation, the link is here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/the94thmin2020
Diolch!
The 94th Minute 