Hockey goalkeepers may not be mad, but they are getting on at Old Wulfrunians

The 53-year-old is looking to bring through the next generation of keepers with some of the club's number more than 60 years old.

And he claims it is the 'safest position on the pitch', having played it for more than three decades.

Pearson said: “Believe it or not, I am one of the youngest at the club, I’m 53.

“So, we want some young blood coming in to take over my role playing in goal – which is the safest position on the pitch, not the maddest.”

He added: “The guy who’s in the seconds, but was in the firsts (Matt Horton), I think he's approaching 50.

“And then the third and fourth team keepers are quite old, so the one’s in his 60s (Steve Rowland) and the other one is late 50s (Ian Dillworth).

“It's the same as in football, really. It's a unique position, you know, and you have unique personalities playing in that position. 

“A lot of people say that goalkeepers are mad. I say in hockey they're the most sensible because you've got all the protection in the world to stop you getting injured. 

“So, if you get hit by the ball hard, it tends not to hurt or to hurt a little but if you're playing out of goal. If you get hit on the head by the ball, you tend to end up in hospital.”

Pearson’s side have a unique challenge when it comes to recruitment, often catching players at the start or end of their careers.

“I think we've been kind of in the same league for maybe four or five years and it's taken a bit of time to get ourselves promoted," he said. “The problem we have as a club, because we're fed by the grammar school: young players come to us, they get better, they get into the first team and then they go to university.  

“It's a bit like being a lower Premier League team, you get good players and then they go off somewhere else.  

“But we got promoted. We were champions, last season, of the league. And we had a few of those good university players who have since gone to uni.”

Old Wulfs are on the lookout for young players, however they are not short on talent, with England Over-65s Masters World Cup gold medal winner Billy Jawanda starting for the third team.

“At this level, you know the grassroots level you can carry on for quite a long time," said Pearson. "I mean, we've always had an outlook of quite a lot of veteran players.  

“We've got one guy who's just won the World Cup with the over-65s in South Africa, so it's nice to have a world champion in our ranks.”

Pearson added: “We want to get more young players, generally, into the club, but especially for this goalkeeping position. 

“So, we provide all the kits for goalkeepers, all the training. Everything they could want, and so we're happy to train somebody up into that position. 

“And because we do play at the different levels, you can start with no pressure and ease your way into it, so it’d be great to see people coming along and trying it out.”