Report by Peter Stevenson

Three years ago, Robert Ursell landed on the sunny island of Cyprus, ready to help the country’s most historic club, AGBU Ararat, to a league and cup double, after guiding the England national team to victory over the small island in a European qualifier. It was his performance while wearing the three lions that convinced then Ararat coach, Ara Bedrossian to take a risk on the talented, Spanish-born Londoner.

Admittedly it was a trial-by-fire for Ursell who had not played futsal professionally in his career although there were experienced internationals in training that were able to help him fine-tune any weaknesses he had.

“It was difficult to come in to a team in the middle of the season, especially as every game from the time I came was against a team from the top 5. I contributed well towards the Cup win after the League was finished, but my time at Ararat was mainly an education,”

Although his contributions were not as frequent as he might have wanted during that six-month stint, it gave him a taste of the competitiveness that existed in the league, something which convinced him that he wanted to stay in Cyprus to aid in his improvement. Changes were afoot in Cyprus though with the Cyprus Football Association (CFA) deciding to limit the amount of foreign players at each team, even those from other EU countries. This unfortunately meant that Ursell was deemed to be surplus to requirements at Ararat, not before helping them qualify for the Futsal Cup’s main round. His new adventure led him to leave Cyprus’ capital and head to Limassol to play for newly promoted AEL, where he convinced the head coach to enlist the services of England teammate Doug Reed.

“I've always thrived on having a lot of responsibility in a team, and in AEL I knew I would have a lot more than at Ararat,”

The adventure was cut short when economic problems meant both players left the club in November, only two months into the season.

“They promised money they never had and once that became clear, we went for England games and didn’t return again that season,” he said.

Ursell returned to England where he was recruited by champions Helvecia, winning the league but also getting the opportunity to train with then Montesilvano captain and Italy international Marcio Forte. Ursell was even invited by Forte to go train with the then Futsal Cup winners which was a huge compliment and confirmation that he had the ability to succeed at the highest level if he wished.

“It was an honour to get compliments from the Italy captain. Unfortunately, I was unable to train with them at the time.”

In the summer of 2011, Ursell was recruited by SPE Strovolou along with two Georgian internationals, Giorgi Totladze and Rezo Devdariani, who Ursell had played with during his time at Ararat. The club had set its sights on finishing in the top four and going on a decent cup run, something it achieved thanks largely to the quality of its foreign players.

“With SPE we played some very attractive futsal at times and it was enjoyable. But I do feel with the quality we had we should have got better results against the top teams,” he said.

The club changed coaches in the summer, with the new man in charge, George Kyriacou deciding to change things up by reigning in a new era with new foreign players, meaning Ursell would have to look to find another team. His season at SPE had showcased his undoubted ability but also the vast improvement he had made in what many people considered his Achilles heal, his defending.

“It's true I really struggled with defending at Ararat, and it's not the best part of my game now. But I have improved a lot positionally and I don't feel like it's an issue now,” Ursell said.

He had two offers last summer, ultimately deciding to go with SPE’s main rivals for fourth the previous season City, as opposed to newly promoted Arion. Changes were afoot at City with one of Cyprus’ biggest clubs, Apoel looking to enter the futsal arena.

“It was exciting to know that I would get to play in front of passionate fans which always helps me to perform,” he explained.

It has been a topsy-turvy season for Apoel-City and Ursell so far, with the club being second at one stage but now falling out of the top four. The highlights so far have been his one-man demolition of championship hopefuls Parnassos in their own backyard and helping his new team to victory over his previous team, SPE with a 10-metre penalty. The lows have been the team’s inability to take advantage of good results against the bigger teams by dropping points to weaker opposition which led to the coach, Pampos Christophorou losing his job.

“It's very difficult to judge the season. It's been by far the most open since I've played in Cyprus. If we'd had a third foreigner from the start I think we could have really challenged for the title with the way everyone’s been dropping points. We have brought in Rezo now but we are four points off the top four. The next five games are season defining ones,” he said before Thursday night’s emphatic 9-3 victory over Parnassos.

The 2012-13 seasons has seen two firsts for Ursell, one positive and one negative. On January 31 of this year he scored his first ever hat-trick in a game against second placed Parnassos but unfortunately on December 7 2012 he was, wrongly as he claims, red carded for handball in the big Omonoia – Apoel derby match on of all days his birthday. Replays indicate that the ball didn’t hit his arm and he is adamant the ball struck his chest but unfortunately in big matches when crowd pressure plays its part, referees can make mistakes.

“As the ref gave me the red I told him I wanted an apology after he watches the video. He wasn't even in a position to see the incident,”

Despite his great form and vast improvement, he was dropped at international level, and subsequently informed the coach he would not play for him again. It was a bitter pill to swallow for someone who many consider as the best futsal player to come out of England.

One man who is in a prime position to pass judgment is current SPE Strovolou assistant coach, Periclies Antoniou who led Manchester Futsal Club to victory over Helvecia and Ursell in the 2011 English Cup final, but also got to see first-hand what he was capable of during his short spell at Ararat and as coach of Cardiff.
“Robert Ursell has always been a player I’ve enjoyed watching. Ever since having the pleasure of working with him at Ararat during prep for the 2010 UEFA Futsal Prelims, I’ve been a fan of his game. He’s a player that can create something out of nothing, and in futsal that is a terrific arsenal to have in a team’s locker,” he explained.

“I was up against him when I was head coach at Manchester Futsal Club in the FA Cup. Ursell has always been a big game player and its games like that where he really stands out and at times is capable of tearing teams to shreds alone. That’s one of the key reasons I signed him along with Doug Reed for Cardiff City for the FAW Cup, where he did exactly that. I’ve always found he plays very well alongside Doug so it was a joy to have them both on the same side under me,” he added.

“Even watching him now playing for APOEL, again as an opponent, is terrific. The experience he has gained in the Cypriot League has been great, and now I believe he is the best he has ever been. When I joined SPE Strovolou at the beginning of the season, his previous side, my first question was whether a deal had been agreed with Rob or not, and was gutted to hear we’d be letting him go,” he continued.

“I think that the likes of Ursell, Reed and Agon Rexha have mass experience and quality to offer the England National team. Great credit to Pete Sturgess for qualifying for the Main Round of the UEFA Euros, but I believe the exclusion of these players from the squad, only contributes to not reaching the full potential the England squad has. What players like Ursell have to offer can only be offered by very few. I know dozens of coaches who have and have not worked with him, who would echo my words after watching him play,” he concluded.






Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com