Dad, 53, comes out of retirement to play in goal for son’s football team…but they lost 40-0

A DAD who stood in as a keeper for his lad’s footie team did not quite save the day — he let in 40 goals. But Adi Bunn, 53, insists he made 60-to-70 stops as his side crashed to defeat. The tour company boss was playing for Sawtry Reserves FC after his centre-back son Archie, […]

A DAD who stood in as a keeper for his lad’s footie team did not quite save the day — he let in 40 goals.

But Adi Bunn, 53, insists he made 60-to-70 stops as his side crashed to defeat.

The tour company boss was playing for Sawtry Reserves FC after his centre-back son Archie, 17, pulled out following his virus jab.

The team, in the fifth division of the Peterborough and District Football League, was also missing its keeper as he was at a university open day.

Sawtry could field only eight players, and that included manager Dave May.

But they refused to cancel the fixture with highfliers Peterborough Rangers — though by half-time they were 19-0 down.

The result on Saturday meant on average there was a goal every 2min 15sec.

Adi, from Huntingdon, Cambs, said: “We expected a spanking and that’s what we got. I lost count of the number I saved. Our physio said it could have been 60 or 70.

“I seemed to be on the floor or diving through the air all the time. By the end, I was feeling aches and pains. I lost track of the score.”

Yet Adi added: “If you lose 40-0 or 1-0, it doesn’t make much difference, you’ve still lost. Yet it hasn’t dented my confidence. We never gave up and avoided getting a £60 fine by refusing to play.

“With the extra players, Peterborough were able to just play through us.”

Boss Dave, 46, said: “We started with seven players for the first 20 minutes as one lad was late.

“But with about 20 minutes to go, two players were injured so we were down to six. It was one of those days when everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.”

And Dave added: “The only positives were that none of my players moaned, the sun was shining, and at least it didn’t get to 50.”

Sawtry’s opponents are top of their division in the 16th tier of the English game.

Player-manager Dwayne Rankin got 13 goals, Tiago Dias 11, Chris Brown seven and Cameron Guest six while Daniel Neto, Carlos Djalo and Morgan Bartle hit one each.

Dwayne said: “Fair play to them for keeping going.”

Adi’s son Archie said: “I love playing alongside dad — but I’m glad I wasn’t there to see him concede 40.”

In 2012, Wheel Power FC beat Nova 2010 58-0 in the Torbay Sunday League.