LEROY Griffiths admits to a time when he had a ‘who’s the daddy attitude’ to life on the football pitch.
However, the former QPR striker says it is now time to be a father figure for real to the exciting young strike force around him at Harrow Borough.
Recruited by Dave Anderson over the summer, the veteran, with a reputation for goal-scoring and giving referees grief in equal measure, claims he has been given a new lease of life by being around hungry young strikers trying to steal his shirt.
And the 36-year-old knows it is time for him to be the sort of mentor to the likes of Simeon Akinola, Shaun Lucien and new arrival Chris Benjamin, he never had growing up in the football world.
He said: “The strikers and midfielders are amazing down here.
“There is a lot of talent and ability easily good enough to play league football and if I can help them on their way then great.
“I want everyone here to be better than me because most of them have the ability now to be better. All they need is that right person to push them in the right direction – I never had that help because I was already a man by the time I made it, where these are kids.
“I’ve been there and hopefully I can give them that little bit of advice I never had at that age.”
Part of the new leaf apparently is a pledge by Griffiths to stay out of the way of referees and concentrate on playing his part in the strikers finding the net, so turning Borough from perennial relegation strugglers to candidates at the other end of the table – starting with Saturday’s league curtain-raiser at home to Billericay.
He said: “I’ve given up trying to referee games because I want these youngsters to learn not to do what I did. There was a time when I tried to boss things and do things like that and I just shot myself in the foot.
“My task is to get the strikers and midfielders working as a unit where we become unstoppable – I can’t wait for the season to start.”
Not that Griffiths is ready to step out of the limelight altogether, his recent double against a Crystal Palace XI demonstrating he still has an eye for goal.
Mentor he might be, but if the young pups want his shirt they are going to have to fight for it.
He added: “I’m really hungry. All these young kids are coming for my shirt. That sort of thing is trying to tell me it’s time to hang the boots up, but then you see I’m still showing I’m the boss and I’ve still got it in me.”
