End of an Era as Matt Tanton departs

 

All good things come to an end, and after eight seasons with the club, club captain Matt Tanton has decided to move on. Tants made 201 appearances, scoring six and is the last of the “Epsom” crowd to move on.

Back in the 2017/18 season we signed Daryl Cooper-Smith from Epsom & Ewell, and he said a couple of his mates might also make the move. Come pre-season, seven more had made the move, including a player we had always thought of as one of the best defenders in the division, the young Matt Tanton.

Tants made his debut on 12th August 2017 in a Combined Counties fixture at home against Camberley Town. Unfortunately it wasn’t the best of debuts as we went down 3-1 on that day. For a while it looked as though the Matt Tanton we had signed from Epsom & Ewell had been cloned by a less capable player.  Thankfully the clone soon passed and the player we signed came to the fore.

During his time with us Matt has been one of the most reliable players we have had at either Step 4 or Step 5. If you were selecting a fantasy team you would have him in your side as he is a guaranteed 7/10 every week.

Matt has pace to burn, a great left foot and is a superb defender. He has been involved in much of the good that the club has done in recent year. As an opposition player, you just have to hope you catch him when he comes back from skiing.

A key part of the side that finished 3rd and then 2nd in the Combined Counties before our eventual promotion to the Isthmian League. Matt was also instrumental in the cup finals of the 2018/19 season (the Walton Casuals defeat and the CB Hounslow win).

I will just end by saying, that as a man, and a leader I could not have wished for a better person to be club captain..

Tants you have been a credit to yourself and the club. You leave a massive hole to be filled, both on and off the pitch. We wish you all the very best moving forward, and after your years of service you will always be very welcome back at the club.