‘I can’t go to Asda’ - Steve Bracknall reflects on sudden rise to fame amid Royal Oak cup disappointment
Viral assistant manager Steve Bracknall admits the dust still hasn’t settled after his side’s defeat to fierce rivals The Nags Head last weekend.
Bracknall and manager Paul Sampson’s Royal Oak FC side fell to a narrow 2-1 defeat against Brian Marshall’s Nags Head, in front of a sell-out crowd of 2,000 plus spectators.
Dubbed ‘the biggest Sunday League match in history’, this fictional quarter-final showdown had all the spice and emotion you would expect from a rivalry that has been heating up for a number of years before reaching boiling point at the The Home of Football Stadium in Dronfield.
“I don’t feel like the dust has settled, I feel like I’m in the middle of a blizzard,” said Bracknell via the show ‘Call Yourself A Fan?’ which is sponsored by Coral.
“I’ve got emotions to manage, players to pick up. They [The Nags Head] are our arch nemesis. For some context, that’s Madrid beating Barcelona, or Villa beating Birmingham. I’m deflated.
“But I’ve got to go into that dressing room and pick them up. Tommy’s been on the ale for three days as he missed two penalties in ninety minutes. He’s not the most mobile but he uses his chest. It’s hard and we’re hurt. We need some time to reflect and lick our wounds.”
The match was streamed via The Steve Bracknall Podcast YouTube channel, with BBC Radio Sheffield doing a commentary on the game.
Bracknall is the creation of Sheffield comedian Chris McClure, whose other claim to fame is being the face on the cover of the Arctic Monkeys’ debut album ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not’.
His brother, Jon McClure is the singer and front man of the Sheffield band Reverend and the Makers, and is also now the chairman of Sheffield FC.
Bracknall has built up a following of 750,000 followers on TikTok, 655,000 on Instagram and even has a BBC Podcast Game’s Gone which is constantly growing in popularity.
When discussing the best and worst parts of his job, Bracknall said: “The best parts are the camaraderie. When we go back into the pub and the owners do sausage and chips, or if we’ve won four-nil I’ll get them a bargain bucket.
“The worst part is chasing money. Constantly chasing money, especially now we live in a cashless society. Hence why I’ve recently introduced a SumUp machine, which didn’t go down too well but now there’s no excuse!”
When discussing his new found fame, Bracknall told former Premier League midfielders Jimmy Bullard and David Dunn: “I can’t go to Asda! I might upgrade to Waitrose at this point. I’m head of PR and marketing.
“I used to film my clips and then one day I accused my left-back of smelling like a brewery and my life changed overnight, it’s great. I’m assistant manager, head of PR and marketing, it’s a one-stop shop!”
The full episode of Call Yourself a Fan is available to watch in full on YouTube and Spotify for Video, while cutdown and highlights from the show will feature on Facebook, Instagram and X. The new episode with Dunn, Bullard and Bracknall will be available to watch on Friday 10th April.