In July, full back Lewis Hudson was appointed club captain. This weekend “Huddy” has the opportunity of leading out Hereford against his former side. Simon Wright considers just why Paul Caddis entrusted him with the captain’s armband.
Our Coventry-born defender only joined us at the back end of last season. He is still to peak career-wise so the choice first felt rather surprising. But then I took some time out to list why he might have chosen and my initial impression changed.
He was 25 when he got the job in July, he’s 26 now – is the role ageing him already? But seriously, Huddy is far from a rookie. He has played adult football since he was 17. The defender has played well north of 200 games. Around 70 for Coventry United in the mud and guts of step 5. 80+ for Step 3 Redditch including featuring in 52 of 54 games for the Reds in his final season and pretty much a full set in Step 2 between Rushall and Hereford. That’s impressive consistency, taking the no football period of covid into account.
He’s rarely injured, which is important. Lowers the chances of the skipper being marooned on the sidelines. He’s been there over the years and received numerous Player of the match, month and year awards. He’s used to interviews and podcasts. Just how familiar was self-evident in his first interview in the role. See and hear his clear focus and steely-eyed determination. He’s articulate and people listen. Instinctively you feel you wouldn’t argue with him.
Huddy works for Caddis’s old Celtic Boss Gordon Strachan’s family business and no doubt Cadds received a glowing suitability reference from the plain-speaking fellow Scot. Lewis follows both Coventry City and Celtic, two of Strachans former clubs.
Hudson is less likely to be poached thus suggesting he might be sticking around. Our new Captain is already at the biggest part time non-league club for many miles around. Given his burgeoning coaching career, his declared ambition since he was a teenager, surely unlikely that he would take any full-time football offers.
He has a senior leadership position in the Gordon Strachan football Foundation, the biggest football academy in Coventry. He completed his UEFA B licence qualification at the end of 2020. Part of his job is to manage the Hinckley FC U18’s. They play at the same level as the Hereford Community U18s so he is the direct equivalent of Zeke Vivian. Not easy organising a group of teenagers and maintaining relationships with their parents while staying within the increasing complex safeguarding regulations. Really not easy. I’ve observed Zeke looking frazzled on a number of occasions. One logistical pain for Lewis is that U18s matches and training need to be on different evening to his Hereford training nights. He’s almost a night worker..
Huddy is a proven leader, an experienced player and a persuasive individual. That’s why Caddis selected him.
*This is an amended version of an article that first appeared in Talking Bull – Issue 143