From cleaning toilets at Charlton to an FA Cup clash: Mark Ricketts crosses paths with Scott Parker once again

Not for the first time, Boreham Wood captain Mark Ricketts and Bournemouth boss Scott Parker’s paths will cross when the pair meet in the FA Cup this weekend.

Ricketts, now 37, started his career at Charlton but, while he was cleaning toilets as part of his apprenticeship, Parker was thriving in the club’s first-team.

Parker would go on to play for Chelsea and England, and he has followed his glittering playing career by moving into management. As for Ricketts, his career has taken a different path as, after leaving Charlton in 2006, he has had spells at non-league sides Ebbsfleet United, Woking and now Boreham Wood.

“Charlton gave me a real grounding for my football going forwards, especially back in those days,” Ricketts tells Standard Sport.

“You would do jobs in the youth team - cleaning toilets, cleaning out the cafeteria after the team has gone home, putting goals away - and it was a lot of work to earn the respect of the first-team.

“I was there with Scott. I played a couple of reserve games with him and trained with him at times. Then a few years after I left Charlton, I ended up at Woking with Harry Arter, Scott’s brother-in-law.

“We played together for a season and Scott came down to watch a few of the games. He was an unbelievable player and at the time, he was the main man at Charlton.

“Moving on from there it has maybe gone slightly downhill for me from what I would have liked! But it’s still been a pretty special career for myself.”

Ricketts has enjoyed success in his career, winning the FA Trophy with Ebbsfleet and the Conference South with Woking, but this FA Cup run is in his eyes the highlight.

Non-league Boreham Wood are into the fourth round and are dreaming of a scalp against Championship promotion