My Early Life

Robert Earnshaw, nicknamed ‘Earnie’ was born in Mufulira in Zambia, Africa on April 6th 1981. His start to life wasn’t an easy one with him being the only member of his family to have to been delivered by emergency caesarean. At 8 months old Robert suffered a horrific accident, which could have killed him. Rob says
‘I was playing with my brother and sisters on the bed when I some how fell off the bed and crashed to the floor, landing face and head first.’

Robert’s mother Rita recalls
‘It was one of the worst feelings I have ever felt because he was only a baby and due to the accident he had to have regular visits to the hospital for 6 months and could only take mainly liquid foods because his mouth and gums were so badly damaged’.

Robert’s father David Earnshaw originally from Yorkshire, England was working and living in Zambia as a coal mine manager when he met Robert’s mother Rita.

In 1985 the family moved to another city Ndola. Here they stayed for around two years.

In 1987 aged 6 Robert and the family including his brother and three sisters all moved to Malawi a country bordering Zambia, where Robert’s father took charge of another coal mine and the family lived in Kaziwiziwi a coal-mining village. Monday to Friday Robert and his older sister Joanne went to St.Andrews boarding school in Lilongwe, as this was a six-hour drive from the village they used to have to fly to and from school. Rob remembers
‘We used to get on the plane on a Monday stay at school for the week and then fly back home on the Friday. It’s crazy when I think back at it now flying to school, but at the time is was normal to me, although we had to go to that particular school as it was the only school that my Dad felt provided a good education.’

‘I’ve got lots of good memories from being at that school one that stands out in my mind is the time when I lost one of my school books and my friends teased me saying that the teachers as punishment would put me in with the crocodile, which happened to be our school pet that was kept on the premises!’

After roughly a year Rita and the children moved to Mzuzu to be closer to a nearby school. With David continuing work in the mine, he would commute the two-hour drive to be with the family at weekends.

Robert attended Viphya School for the remainder of their stay in Malawi where he learnt to speak the language of Chichewa native to Malawi as well speaking Bemba the language of Zambia and English.
‘I can’t believe I spoke three different languages by the time I was 8 years old’.

In early 1990 Robert’s father fell ill with typhoid fever and sadly passed away in May of that year. Rita decided to move in September 1990 to the U.K where her sister was living in Caerphilly, Wales. It was here she brought up Robert and brother David and sisters Sharon, Joanne and Diane.

‘It was the first time I’d been away from Africa’ Rob remembers.
‘It was a completely different world. It was much colder and everyone spoke English and although I could speak basic English I had to learn a lot, but when you’re kid you just get on with it’.

Robert started school in Caerphilly at St. Helens Primary and later moved on to Cardinal Newman Secondary School.

It was at St. Helens Primary that Robert started to take part in athletics and rugby although he confesses he wasn’t very good at either. It was at secondary school that he began to take more of an interest in athletics and gymnastics as well as playing a couple of games of rugby. As his secondary school was a rugby union playing school there wasn’t a lot of organised football matches.

‘Break times and lunch times were my time to play football and maybe why I improved so much as all we did was play football when we could. Sometimes I didn’t have food at lunch so I could spend the whole hour playing football and during these times is where I got nicknamed Earnie’.

Robert started playing for Llanbradach under 12’s and was in the B team. He then played for Mornington Meadows under 14’s and then finally playing for GE Wales, which was the old Caerphilly team at under 15’s and 16’s. While playing for GE Wales is where the somersault started at about 14 years old.

‘I always loved players celebrations and wanted my own signature celebration so without practice I decided (going into a game) that today I’m going to somersault when I score so that day I scored and the somersault was born’.

‘People to this day still ask me how I went from playing for Llanbradach B team at 12 years old to playing for Cardiff City when I was just 16. I can’t say I really have an answer other than I loved playing football and kept practising. When I played for GE Wales the coaches gave me a lot of support and guidance and I scored 80 goals in one season and 60 in another.’

‘I was lucky enough that I was spotted by the Cardiff Youth Manager Gavin Tait who’s team just happened to be playing at the same time on the next pitch to my GE Wales team. Luckily he’d seen one of my goals and asked if I’d go training. The training session was in fact the last chance for anyone to impress as he only had a couple spaces left for the Youth Team.’ ‘So I really do consider myself to be lucky to have been chosen’.