As Clevedon Town and Callum Kingdon walked off the pitch at The Everyone Active Stadium on Halloween after leading his side to victory in the first round of the Buildbase FA Vase against Whitchurch United, the captain knew he was one game away from making 200 appearances for The Seasiders.
And, despite waiting five weeks to reach the milestone, Kingdom helped his side to the third round of the competition with a 4-3 win against Bitton.
Kingdon, who began his career with Clevedon in 2015, made his debut on the 5 December against Shepton Mallet, which ended in another seven-goal thriller but this time on the end of a 4-3 defeat to the visitors.
"It's better to get it on a win, because obviously the first game was a loss. To get the 200th game with a win is a step as well," said Kingdon.
"For me it's all about playing football, I am in it to win it and I want to promote the club the best as I can. The club have been amazing to me, they have backed me from day one and they have asked me to come and play for them since day one and to be voted as captain means a lot to me."
At the end of his first season Kingdom had made 21 appearances, before going on to make 41, 42 and 44 in the 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19 campaigns.
Kingdom played in 35 further games during the 2019/20 season and is currently on 17 games for the 2020-21 season.
He signed from Winterbourne United and his debut against The Mallet was the start of 38 consecutive appearances, including a first victory in his seventh game at home to Hallen on February 13, 2016.
In total, Kingdom has picked up 79 wins, 25 draws and 96 defeats in his 200 games for the club.
First-team coach Alex White said: "It’s a brilliant achievement for Callum and we’re all really pleased for him to reach this milestone.
"He’s a club man, he’s the captain, he get’s what we’re about on and off the pitch and sets a fantastic example to everyone.
"You can always gauge the popularity of a player by chatting to supporters. They love him here, as do the management team.
"He’ll never let you down, both in terms of performances or if something needs sorting off the pitch. He carries our core values and beliefs and sets an example to new and younger players too."
His presence on the team has seen him only miss eight matches, which ended in three wins, one draw and four defeats during his absence, in five years.
Kingdon's longest run of consecutive appearances is 66 between November 14, 2018, when he was rested and an unused substitute in a Somerset Premier Cup match against Bridgwater Town up to September 15, 2020 when he was out injured for the Roman Glass St George game.
Despite reaching 200 matches, Kingdom has only scored three goals in five years, all of them headers.
The first effort came in a 3-2 defeat at Wellington in the Somerset Premier Cup tie on February 21, 2018 before he added a further two in two games the following season.
During a 2-0 win at Cribbs on August 25, 2018 the skipper met Harry Smith's inswinger towards the near post and timed his run perfectly to power a header past home keeper Ben Reed to give Clevedon a lead.
And Kingdom claimed his third goal in a 3-0 win over Crediton United in an FA Cup tie on September 1 when Smith floated the ball into the box, Glen Hayer rose to head the ball against the bar and, with the home side appealing for a foul, Kingdon reacted quickest to head into the net and put Clevedon ahead.
Kingdon has played against 46 different teams for Clevedon with the most being 12 against Cribbs, against whom he has helped his side to five wins, two draws and five losses.
In second place on 11 games are Bitton (three wins, three draws, five losses) and Bridgwater Town (five wins, two draws, four defeats) and Kingdon's biggest win was the 9-0 success over Sherborne town at The Everyone Active Stadium on October 1. The heaviest defeat suffered was also at home, a 6-1 loss to Street last season.
"With respect to Cal, I think he’s got better every single year. He came in as a boy and he’s developed not just into a man but a leader as well," added Smith.
"He’s incredibly consistent and in my honest opinion is having his best ever season with us this year, so he’s very much on his way up the footballing ladder."
Despite Kingdon admitting it was a surprise to reach 200 games with the club, he says it is still taking time to sink in and there is no better place for him reach to the landmark.
"No one expects to make 200 appearances for the same club do they? They expect to go higher or go places. Staying at Clevedon has been a progression in myself and learning the game myself," Kingdon added.
"I am very pleased to get it with Clevedon Town. To be honest, there is no other club I would rather have it with."
*With thanks to Paul Davis and Steve Small for their time to look through the records to find the number of games Callum Kingdon has played in.
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