Felix Bastians

By Phil Tooley

This article originally appeared in the Dagenham & Redbridge Matchday Magazine

German Felix Bastians (19) has made a superb impact in his three games on loan at Chesterfield. The Nottingham Forest man supplied Jack Lester and Adam Rooney with goals ammunition in his first 13 minutes as a Spireite in the 4-0 win at Wrexham. Two games and five goals for the team later, he looks to offer a great option in that troublesome left sided midfield role.

Felix moved to England when he was 16 after playing as a youngster with home Town team Wattenscheid and then Bochum and Borussia Dortmund, where his Father, Werner, a former International sprinter, was Club Doctor.

Whilst at Dortmund, Felix played alongside Turkish player Nuri Sahin, who's currently on loan at Feyenoord. He's the youngest ever player and scorer in both the Bundesliga and for Turkey, Germany the Nation he scored against!

His favourite team though is Shalke 04, one of the World's best supported teams, "It's amazing there with 60,000 supporters every week. In Germany the youth teams normally play early on a Saturday morning so I had time to be able to go and watch the first team when I was a youngster."

Age group International recognition has already come Felix's way, "I started playing for Germany at the U17 level and I've played at each of the age group levels ever since up to U19, it's been a great experience."

On to Forest, ex Blades man John Pemberton was the youth coach that persuaded him to move to England, and he became the twice European Champions third youngest ever player after Gary Mills and Craig Westcarr when he played in the Football League Trophy in a 3-2 loss at Woking.

"I didn't have a clue and when I found out," he said of the age thing, "I felt really honoured, it's a great club and to be the third youngest ever player is an honour. It was great to play, I was grateful that Gary Megson gave me the chance when I'd just turned 17."

The match though was less memorable, "It was a horrible pitch, horrible stadium and they just booted it forwards all through the game but I set our two goals up, so all in all, even though we lost, it was a good experience."

Later that monthhe made his league debut in front of 17983, Forest 1 Bradford 0, he came on as a sub for David Johnson. Also playing were Jack Lester & Ian Breckin. "That was amazing. We were 1-0 up when I came on with 10 or 15 minutes to go. To be fair, you can't do too much in that time but I had a good run from the halfway line."

On ex Chesterfield skipper Breckin, "He's a great guy, I played reserve team football with Ian this season because he was injured at the start of the season and wasn't breaking into the first team. His attitude is spot on, even in the reserves, he leads by example and really is someone to look up to."

"I had a couple more games as sub and I came on against Chester in the FA Cup after 50 minutes and then, against Port Vale, I got my first start and we did really well."

"Most times I played for Forest I was on the left wing but I started in a cup game earlier this season on the right of midfield, it's not really my position but I'm happy to play anywhere, I can't complain though. Many of my appearances for Forest came in the last 5 or 10 minutes of games, that's not really enough time to show what you can do, so I'm happy enough to be playing at Chesterfield at the moment."

Whilst at Forest he suffered a nasty injury, "I broke my ankle in the last game of 2006-07 pre-season and then I flew back to Germany to get it sorted out. I did all of my recovery back home and played my first game back in just eight weeks, that's quite rapid."

He then went on to Northwich Victoria, "I remember the first game, I started on the bench and we were 2-0 down when I came on and we won 3-2 and I set up two of the goals. I started the next game against Brighton in the FA Cup and we lost 8-0, it was horrendous, absolutely horrendous, we got battered all over. It was only 2-0 at half time and we'd had three decent chances to score, but we then just got battered. It was just horrible." George Santos on bench for Brighton in the mauling.

Six games for The Vics, five losses but, "I was just happy to go out and play first team football. I was a bit disappointed that I had to go to the Conference to get it but it was a start and, at that time, I just needed to get away from Forest because I wasn't getting any support, so I just needed the first team football under my belt."

He then moved on to Halifax Town, a much better spell, "It was really good at Halifax. Chris Wilder was the manager and they played really good football, they had a lot of good, young players, some of them coming back from injuries they suffered at other clubs, it was a really good team."

He joined an ex Spireite at The Shay, Dutchman Gus Uhlenbeek, "He was great fun to be honest, a funny man, a funny old man and a really good player, I got on with him really well."

Loan No.3 last season was at League One side Gillingham, a disastrous debut but better followed, "I got a phone call on Thursday afternoon asking me to go on loan to Gillingham. They were already up at Carlisle so I had to travel by myself on the Friday, my back was in bits after taking six hours to drive up there and the manager asked how I felt, I told him I was pretty knackered but he told me I was going straight in to the team."

"It was 1-0 until the 81^st minute and then we conceded four goals in the next few minutes, we didn't deserve to lose 5-0, but the next game was good, we beat Brentford 2-1."

He then scored against Rotherham United, Gills lost 3-2 but one report described his goal as 'a moment of brilliance.' Surely a description he'll agree with, "I think I'll say no, I don't agree! No, I think it's the best goal I've scored so far. I cut inside onto my right foot and it went straight into the top corner, it was really good."

His first taste of Saltergate came in a key 1-0 Gillingham win, which was also his last game for them. "I'm sorry about the result at Chesterfield but I was playing for Gillingham at the time! After that I was recalled to Forest by Colin Calderwood but I only got 15 minutes in two games, I'd rather have stayed at Gillingham and played their last three games and get more football in, though it was good to be back at Forest on the one hand, playing in front of 25,000, they were big games, then on the bench in the first leg of the play offs at Yeovil, that was a good experience."

This season he started a Carling Cup game at Chester, a 0-0 draw that Forest won on penalties, but did he take one? "I wasn't on the pitch at the end, I'd been subbed after 70 or 80 minutes, but I would have taken one. Germans never miss in penalty shoot-outs!"

Sub in the big game with Leeds United, "It was a massive game, I came on and nearly scored, I hit the outside of the post just after I came on, then we conceded a sloppy goal. We didn't deserve to lose that game, we were genuinely unlucky."

Two great midfielders at Forest for Felix to observe, Neil Lennon and Sammy Clingan. "I shared rooms with Neil Lennon in pre-season and he talked to me a lot and it really helped as he's got so much experience and so much advice for the younger players. He's tough on us, shouting on the pitch, but he does it to drive you on. Sammy's been great for Forest, a great player, loves a moan though."

Felix, who played in Steve Blatherwick's testimonial game here in July, wears squad number 13, why? "I just like the number. No one in England likes it, it's unlucky over here but it doesn't bother me, I wore it at Halifax and did really well there, I have it at Forest so I just thought I'd take it here."

It's by no means unlucky that we have the affable left winger here at Saltergate, let's hope he extends his stay beyond the original one month that Lee Richardson signed him for.

Phil Tooley