Former Norwich City and AFC Bournemouth defender Kevin Bond has spoken fondly of his seven years spent in Norfolk at the start of his career.
Speaking in AFC Bournemouth’s MATCHDAY programme, which will be available for fans to buy around the ground ahead of kick-off on Saturday’s game at Vitality Stadium, Bond said that he loved his time with Norwich, where he made over 150 senior appearances.
“It’s brilliant to see them back in the Premier League. It is a fantastic football club and I loved my time there,” he said. “I came through at the same time as players like Kevin Reeves, Justin Fashanu and Mark Barham. We were all youngsters and trying to make our way in the game.”
But Kevin wasn’t the only Bond involved with Norwich in the late 1970s, as his father, John Bond, was in charge of the club from 1973 to 1980 (Kevin played for City from 1974 to 1981, having begun his youth career at Bournemouth, where John had been the manager).
“To be honest, when dad got the manager’s job at Norwich, Bournemouth were happy for me to leave,” Kevin recalls, “so I left and finished my apprenticeship there.
“There was a big turnaround in culture at Norwich when my dad took over. He completely changed the whole philosophy.
“I know he’s my dad, but I think he deserves a lot of credit for changing it and for what they have gone on to do. Lots of people can take a lot of credit for it but I think he started it all.”
To read the full interview with Kevin Bond, which goes into further detail on his playing and managing careers, as well as his relationship with his father, pick up a copy of MATCHDAY, the programme on sale at Vitality Stadium ahead of Norwich City’s game against AFC Bournemouth on Saturday.
