The Guernsey FC club captain made his 400th appearance for the Green Lions in the 3-0 win over Eastbourne United on Saturday, joining Matt Loaring in reaching the milestone, though the defender admitted afterwards that he is not one to make a fuss over such achievements.
‘I mean, it’s a lot of games, but I’m not really one for big personal milestones, really, I never have been,’ said Dodd.
‘But when I was sat there this morning once the team came out and looked back on it, and when you think of the 14 years or whatever it’s been going, it’s been quite a story over the years, so it’s a pretty proud moment.'
Dodd revealed that looking back to when he first pulled on a Guernsey FC shirt, he could never have imagined reaching 400 appearances for the club.
‘No, definitely not, and not with the state of my knees,’ he said breaking into a smile.
‘You don’t really think about it. I was younger then and you just want to play football and that’s what this club was set up for, to challenge at the highest level we can.
‘I didn’t even ever think I’d get to 400 and be playing at 37 now, but here I am.’
At full time on Saturday manager Tony Vance paid tribute to his captain.
‘400 games is huge, and huge respect for him for that. That’s a lot of games at this level. I think I said it before, it’s not only the games, it’s the travel, it’s what you give up and credit to him that he’s still going and great that he got a clean sheet today – and he should have scored actually,’ said Vance.
Guernsey FC’s FA Vase campaign in the 2012-13 season, when they made the semi-finals, is something Dodd said he looks back on as a highlight during his journey with the club.
‘I was probably in my sort of prime years then and when we had that ridiculous schedule, it really was a special moment for the club,’ he said.
When Guernsey FC’s Development squad launched during the Spirit Cup in the summer Dodd made a few appearances for the new team and said that he has enjoyed passing on his experience to a new generation of players.
‘As you come to the end of your career, you think about that next step and it would be selfish not to sort of pass on any experience and knowledge I’ve learnt,’ he said.
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