TALKING to Mark Jermyn after a recent training session, his love for Dorchester Town was laid bare in one fell swoop: “It would break my heart if I didn’t finish my career here.”

The inspirational skipper has been a loyal servant at the Avenue Stadium for almost 11 years and his commitment to the cause is being honoured with a richly-deserved testimonial against a Portsmouth XI next Tuesday night (7.30pm).

However, the end is far from nigh for the 30-year-old, who believes he has plenty more to give.

Averaging 45 games a season during his lengthy stint with the county town outfit, Jermyn, who has donned the Magpies’ colours on no fewer than 498 occasions, could become the club’s leading appearance holder in five years – overtaking Trevor Townsend’s tally of 720 outings.

The combative midfielder had a noticeable glint in his eye when issued with such a challenge.

“I’ll play as well as I can for as long as I can,” said Jermyn. “I have a good level of fitness so I’d like to think I won’t be going anywhere for at least a couple of years.

“I haven’t heard any rumours they want to show me the door just yet.”

And if he were ever shipped out, the ex-Torquay United man would be devastated.

He said: “It would break my heart if I didn’t finish my career here. I don’t want to go anywhere else and I will stay as long as the club wants and needs me.

“When I was coming up to seven or eight years at the club I wondered whether I would get to my testimonial as there was a big transitional period under Shaun Brooks.

“I knew I was hanging on by my fingernails and there were other clubs asking me to play for them but I didn’t want to go.

“I’ve got to this stage, I’m really lucky to be here, the club has given me a testimonial and Ashley Vickers has given me the captaincy. Part of me thinks I’m lucky but another part of me thinks I’ve deserved it as I stuck by it and paid my dues.

“At the moment I couldn’t be happier.”

Jermyn arrived at the Avenue Stadium back in 2000 following his release from the Gulls.

And it didn’t take long for the then 19-year-old to force his way into the starting XI.

He added: “I had a trial with Salisbury and then a trial with Dorchester. Dorchester offered me something but Salisbury said I wasn’t for them so I ended up coming to Dorchester.

“In order to get into the first team though, you had to work your way up because we had some very good players.

“I remember going into the reserve team and playing four or five games. I scored a hat-trick in one, which is very rare for me, and the next week I was with the first team.”

After establishing himself in the county town ranks, and suffering relegation in his first campaign, Jermyn played a major role as the Magpies bagged the Southern League Cup and Southern League Challenge Trophy in 2002, before lifting the Southern League Eastern Division title the following season.

The joy did not end there as Dorchester became a Conference club for the very first time the very next year – defeating Tiverton Town at Exeter City’s St James Park in the Southern League Premier Division play-off final.

Other fond memories came in the FA Cup, including first round ventures to Wigan Athletic in 2000 and Oxford United eight years later, as well as mouth-watering derbies with fierce rivals Weymouth.

However, the latter encounters also brought their fair share of pain.

Jermyn said: “One of my fondest recent memories is the Oxford game,” where Ryan Moss had a late winner controversially ruled out, “and even now I’m adamant we won that game.

“I know Mossy and he wouldn’t lie about something like that, even now he says he headed it in. We were absolutely robbed that day.

“I’ve been very fortunate to play with the likes of Chris Waddle and Neville Southall at Torquay, as they were amazing players, but Matty Holmes on the day of the play-off final was by far the best I have ever player with. He was like a one-man band.

“Playing Weymouth at our place (Boxing Day 2004) and beating them 4-1 was also a great day.

“Prior to the game there was a write-up in the Echo with Steve Johnson saying he wouldn’t have any Dorchester players in his team. So to thrash them like we did was fantastic.

“I scored that day and Matt Groves got a hat-trick. It was great to be a part of games like that and it’s a pity what has happened down there because they are a big club and I hope they get back to where they should be.

“I would love to play in those games again with a few thousand people watching.

“I do though remember when we got absolutely hammered by them (8-0, December 2003) but that day they were incredible and arguably the best team I have ever played against.

“It was though probably the lowest point of my career.

“I haven’t won as much as I would have wanted but I’ve had a great career and a great time at Dorchester.

“People ask if I regret not being a professional but I don’t as I’ve met some great people. If I wasn’t playing at Dorchester I would play with my mates as I love football. I’m one of the fortunate ones who gets paid a bit of money to play.”

And Jermyn is not ruling out further success, saying: “I’m a supporter as much as I am a player. I love the club and I love everything it has done for me.

“I just wish we could not be looking over our shoulders in the league and move towards the play-offs.

“I’d also love to do well in the FA Cup again. It can be done, you only need to look at the likes of Havant & Waterlooville and Crawley Town. I’m sure I’ll get one more taste of that before I finish.

“I feel really settled now and I’m really looking forward to this season. I know every season everyone says that but by and large the last few seasons I was able to predict where we would finish. There’s a good atmosphere this year and I really do see us doing well.”