CommunityAd catch up with goalscorer and former Brickie Martin Buglione.
With the Nordic powerhouse Erling Haaland recently setting a new Premier League record finding the net an incredible 34 times at the time of writing*, CommunityAd thought we would pay homage to one of England’s most prolific non-league strikers and a former Brickie, Martin Buglione.
Affectionately known as Bugsy throughout his footballing career, the striker’s incredible tally of 158 goals in 288 games during two separate spells at Margate sits amongst Martin Buglione’s finest achievements across a footballing career that spanned a phenomenal 21 years and included 21 different clubs.
Starting his career at Enfield as a 16-year-old, Bugsy would spend the next six years at various clubs including Boreham Wood, Dagenham and Tonbridge Angels before venturing down to Margate in 1990.
In his first season for The Gate, Buglione netted 6 but it was his perseverance and desire to progress that saw him score an incredible 56 goals over the next two seasons. This impressive feat garnered attention from several different clubs and Buglione made the move up north as he got signed up by professional Scottish club St Johnstone.
The striker spent just half a season at St Johnstone, registering 6 goals in 19 games before moving back down to the South East and signing for Sittingbourne for £10,000 in January 1994, scoring on his debut and finding the net 9 times in a swift Swale spell. Martin would return back to Margate in the summer of 1995.
A career that he looks back on with great memories, Martin grew up admiring “the master, Diego Maradona,” but throughout his career enjoyed playing with and against some very special players.
“The best player in my professional career who I played with was fellow striker Paul Wright and against would have to be Ally McCoist, but I also played against Gazza in a testimonial and he was unreal.”
As well as playing tennis and being with the family at gatherings, Martin Buglione still lists football as one of his favourite hobbies and the star striker can still be seen banging them in for his newest club, England Veterans.
“The England Vets manager spotted me playing for an over 45s team in the National Cup and that’s how I first got involved. I scored two hat tricks in my first two games against Guernsey and Wales.”
The 52-year-old roofer by trade knows that the beautiful game is an entirely different beast altogether from when he came up the ranks as a teenager for Enfield, however his advice to youngsters looking to make it professional involves three key aspects: “My advice to young players would be to avoid alcohol, train hard and always believe in yourself.”
Bugsy believed in himself every step of the way and his goal scoring club record will forever be chalked in Margate’s history on the Thanet Isle. However, although his time in Swale was brief, it should be remembered that his spell at Sittingbourne helped kick start his incredible goal scoring record and his non-league legacy.