"I had to moonwalk for them" - Bobby the Buck bids farewell to AFC Telford

After 17 years in the job, club mascot Bobby the Buck - portrayed by Steve Mott - will parade around the New Bucks Head for the final time at this afternoon's clash with Stamford.

Mott is stepping away after a recent health scare, but will continue to follow his beloved Telford as they chase promotion from the Southern Central Premier.

“I'm still going to come to games," Mott told Rich Worton for Bucks' matchday programme. "It'll be weird to sit down and watch it from start to finish as a fan. I haven't done that for 17 years.”

Reflecting on his early days as Bobby, Mott revealed it was not just a case of sticking his hand up and volunteering.

“I had to moonwalk for them and explain what I wanted to bring to the club," he said. "They wanted to be family-friendly, and I had to explain what I wanted to do.

"A day later, I got a phone call from Diane (Morris), and that was it.

"I got measured up in the summer, and they brought me out on December 22.”

So what about the big highlights?

"I’ve done away games, big FA Cup games, I've done them all," added Mott. "Bristol City (FA Cup second round in 2014/15) - I got there, and they gave me access to all areas - they said, 'Go anywhere, enjoy your day', and absolutely looked after me. It was brilliant.”

Perhaps the most-asked question of Mott when speaking about Bobby though is: Is it warm in there?

“Very," he said. "I ran a marathon in that suit (2011). I did it in seven hours, but I could have easily done it in five because I used to be really fit and enough of a good distance runner, but as soon as I got out onto the main roads, all the crowds along the marathon are just rows and rows of them, and I went straight to the crowds, high fiving the kids and mucking around."

Only two men in history know what being the Bucks’ matchday mascot is like.

With the much-loved Lez Dean - Benny the Buck's alter-ego from 2000 until 2007 - having passed away in 2020, Mott possesses a unique perspective.

“I think Lez came out on my 10th anniversary," said Mott. "He put the suit on for that and came and gave me a little plaque and stuff. It was nice. Uncle Benny!

"Lez was very supportive of me. He gave me tips, helped me out, and was a good guy.”

Mott's decision to step back has been brought on by breathing difficulties and the need to combat blood clots - making Bobby's retirement the most sensible course of action.

"I'm on reduced hours at work at the moment as an electrical engineer, and because my blood's really thin, I have to carry my own first aid kit around in case I were to cut myself," he said. “One of the side effects of this medication is that I really feel the cold, and that's where Bobby comes in quite well. I'm not cold in him; he’s really warm.”

But Mott departs with one unfulfilled ambition from his time with Bobby: “My dream was always to get to the FA Trophy final and to be a mascot at Wembley, and I've never done it. We were so close, got the semis, and I thought 'This is my year, I'm going to get to be mascot at Wembley'."

And for anyone interested in fitting the profile of Bobby, Mott spelt out the physical requirements: “Size seven feet, and fairly slim build because if you've got big legs, you’re not going to get those trousers on, and the head, if you got a big head, you’re not going to get a head on either. If you've got a small head, it will wobble around.”