Andrew Warshaw speaks to Enfield Town’s resident statistician

*Queen Elizabeth II Stadium, home of Enfield Town FC*

It may not be the most glamorous role in football and not every club has one. But if you want to know about a team’s history – past and present – the go-to person is invariably their statistician.

Jim Cunneen has been doing the job at Enfield Town ever since the club was formed – following a long association with the original Enfield FC. Now aged 71, Jim can tell you almost everything you need to know about the borough’s biggest non-league club, down to the last detail.

“I’m one of the rare breed of people who get a lot of pleasure out of facts and figures,” says Jim, who lived in Enfield for much of his life before retiring to Gloucestershire where he helps run his local non-league team. “It keeps my mind active. Football and cricket have always been my relaxation.”

If there is anything about the Towners Jim doesn’t know, it’s frankly not worth knowing. Behind the scenes, he commands huge respect from everyone involved at the club. Jim told the Dispatch: “I first started supporting the old Enfield in 1957 when my father took me. I just got hooked and at one point I was chairman of the supporters’ club.

“When the two clubs split and the board and supporters went over to Town, I did as well because that was where my loyalties lay and I’ve been doing it effectively ever since. I’ve made so many friends.”

To do the job to the best of his ability, Jim gets a lot of support from long-time Town supporter and lifelong friend Martin Bentley and the current assistant kit man, Michael Bunyan. “I couldn’t do it without them because they supply me with so much match-day information. I’ve got everything going right back to the first day of Enfield Town’s inception.”

Anything anyone needs to do with the club, Jim can provide, whether it’s appearances, goalscorers (including oldest and youngest), disciplinary records, fastest-ever goal scored, fastest scored against, even down to who hit the post when and where.

“It’s an incredibly important role in terms of a club’s historical background. I even had one guy from California ring me up for loads of information. I’ve probably got about 15 to 20 spreadsheets which I constantly update. Each game takes me about two hours.

Unlike players who come and go, statisticians tend to stay on, and Jim is no different. “It’s not a job for everyone, but I love it. Without statisticians, football historians would know far less.

“There are far too many clubs right now living beyond their means. When the money men pull out, 100 years of history can disappear overnight. That’s why you need statisticians, to bring home to people the significance of their local community club.”

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