Wednesday, 27 July 2011
New Book coming soon!
Sorry for the lack of activity on "The Football Adventurer". Pre-season gave me the chance to swap football grounds for the keyboard and I am now pleased to tell you that my new book "Airships, Engines and the FA Cup" should be available from Saturday 6th August. Many thanks to everyone who has shown such amazing support. Stay tuned to find out where you can pick up a copy. Cheers - Brian:-)
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
Saltergate’s final secret’s
In October 2010 Southend United became the 7th club to visit Chesterfield’s brand new B2 Net stadium. The Shrimpers’ recent good form (soon to end!) – as well as the chance to tick off a new ground – meant that a healthy contingent of Southend supporters made the pilgrimage to Derbyshire.
But what of the past? The Spirites’ recently vacated home, the Recreation Ground otherwise known as Saltergate, is still standing just a couple of miles down the road, so a few of us decided to make an early start and pay a final visit to the ground that had been Chesterfield’s home for 139 years.
As you can imagine, in such a long period of time the ground has hosted some great matches as well as serving as a home to a fair few excellent footballers. Indeed, one of my most memorable away trips with Southend came in 2006 when, inspired by a Freddy Eastwood hat trick, the Shrimpers won a topsy-turvy battle against Chesterfield’s brave ten men by the odd goal in seven
In recent years both West Ham United and Manchester City came a cropper at Saltergate in cup-ties. Going back a little further to 1981, Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers were thrashed there by three goals to nil in the Anglo/Scottish cup, a competition that ran for six seasons between 1975 and 1981. Competing clubs came from North and South of the border. Chesterfield went on to win the competition that year with a 2-1 aggregate win over Notts County in the final. As the final winners of the competition the Cup remains with the Spirites to this day!
On the pitch, Chesterfield’s most famous player was undoubtedly goalkeeper Gordon Banks. Although Banks made only 23 appearances for the Spirites (all during the 1958/59 season), he would move up the leagues to make 293 appearances for Leicester City and 194 games for Stoke City. Banks gained 73 England caps including of course the 1966 World Cup finals, where Banks featured in all of the host nation’s matches as they went on to beat West Germany 4-2 in the final.
But for all the goals scored, and despite thousands of fans who have flocked to Saltergate, today the old place lies in dereliction awaiting its fate.
We entered the stadium via a broken down turnstile door. Strangely, from beyond the covered home terrace stood in front of us came a ghostly echo from the pitch the other side. A game between Chesterfield’s legendary spirits of the past perhaps? At closer inspection we were surprised to discover the ground was still being used by local school children as part of the club’s community trust scheme.
The kids are put through their paces by the club’s community officer Andy Morris, a familiar name in these parts. He scored 56 goals in 225 appearances for Chesterfield during a ten-year spell. Affectionately known to the supporters as “Bruno”, Morris joined the club from Rotherham in 1988 for just £500 and a bag of footballs! He became a cult figure thanks to his bustling style. In 1997, Andy Morris and his fellow Spirites became household names when the club reached the semi-final of the FA Cup. Having put out Bury, Scarborough, Bristol City, Bolton Wanderers, Nottingham Forest and Wrexham, Chesterfield faced Premiership Middlesborough at Old Trafford, with a place at Wembley at stake.
Andy Morris takes time out to tell me about his FA Cup goal.
The game turned out to be an epic with Andy Morris having an eventful afternoon. Following a free flowing move down the right flank, the ball arrived at Morris’ feet just a couple of yards from goal. He sent the whole of Chesterfield (and a large percentage of the country) into delirium by firing the third division club into the lead. Soon after Morris looked sure to add to his tally when sent clear on goal. Boro’ goalkeeper Ben Roberts hauled Morris down for a penalty, but amazingly despite the apparent professional foul Roberts wasn’t sent off! Sean Dyche scored from the spot but the Premiership side hit back to lead 3-2. Chesterfield took the game to a replay with a goal in the final minute of extra time from Jamie Hewitt, but further controversy shrouded the game when the Spirites’ Jonathan Howard clearly scored a goal that would have given them a 3-1 lead with only 20 minutes to play. Once again the match officials missed the incident and waved play on. Middlesborough won the replay 3-0 at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough, and the more romantic football supporters amongst us cried, “Foul!”
Andy Morris still feels bitter about the decisions. Although I tried to soften the blow by explaining they had made FA Cup folk law, he told me they would have rather been remembered as the first Chesterfield team to reach the cup final as opposed to the team that was cruelly robbed!
We made our way around the ground, documenting everything as our cameras busily clicked away: the stand, the uncovered terrace, even the gents toilets! Like the visitors’ terrace, the ‘loos’ have no cover. When the weather was hot the smell used to be awful, and when it bucketed down you could find yourself ankle deep in what can only be described as “acid rain.”
The children finished their coaching session, and Morris agreed to give us a guided tour of the underbelly of the main stand, taking in the board, dressing and boot rooms. It was here that much of the filming for ‘The Damned United’ was shot. The movie somewhat controversially told the story of Brian Clough’s 44-day stint as manager of Leeds United. Saltergate was used as it was believed to look similar to Derby County’s now demolished Baseball ground, where Clough had led the Rams to the football league championship. As we enter the boardroom I was surprised to find the club’s trophies still there, all wrapped in newspaper ready for a move to Chesterfield’s new home. “They’ve not built a trophy cabinet at the new ground!” Morris explained.
The rusty old grandstand.
Before we left, I asked our hero of the hour to sign one of the 71-year-old seats from the main stand. He wrote “Andy Morris - FA Cup semi-final goal scorer” It remains one of my more unusual football artifacts!
Across town at the B2 Net Stadium, Chesterfield and Southend played out an entertaining match with the home side grabbing a late winner mainly thanks to a howling decision from the linesman. Those of us in the visiting stand holler our discontent at the ‘sleepy’ official. The only similarity between today and the Spirites’ cup semi final heartbreak seemingly being that neither the officials, nor for that matter the men in suits who appoint them, really care!
But let’s talk no more about those we choose to curse. This is an ode to Saltergate, for 139 years the home of football in Chesterfield. Sadly, by the time you read this story, memories of Saltergate will be just that, Memories!
Another ground that offered spectators that unique “real” match day experience will have vanished. The more romantic supporters will have lost another footballing church as the modern, somewhat less than beautiful game caters for a new breed of football follower.
Phil Cox and I on the crumbling terraces.
Bad smell or acid rain - The outdoor gents toilet.
Alfie finds the net at Saltergate.
THE GRIZZLY TALE OF THOMAS BALL
The weekend of 10th and 11th November 1923 is one that stands alone in the history of English football.
On Saturday 10th November, Aston Villa won a First Division encounter against highly regarded Notts County at Meadow Lane by a single goal. The win allowed Villa to climb above their East Midlands hosts into 3rd place. Amongst their number was 24-year-old Thomas Edgar Ball, who, along with his Villa team, produced a resolute rearguard action to keep the Notts’ attack at bay.
Villa’s 1-0 victory is clearly recorded in football’s record books. However, the events of the next thirty hours or more remain unclear.
Reports seem to have been clouded as to the exact date through the passage of time but during the late evening of either Saturday 10th or Sunday 11th November, Ball, who had joined Aston Villa three years earlier from a colliery team in the north east (some suggest from Newcastle United) was visited at his home in Perry Barr, Birmingham by landlord and former policeman George Stagg.
Despite being a neighbour, Stagg had argued with Ball on several occasions over the footballer’s dog and chickens “trespassing” on his land. To think – in 2010 many top-flight players own racehorses, but in 1923 it was chickens!
On arriving at Thomas Ball’s home, Stagg shot the Aston Villa defender dead. Once again, mystery shrouds this tale of events. Some say that Ball was returning from walking his dog when an argument with Stagg ensued. The former policeman fired a shotgun to scare Ball but when the footballer tried to grab the weapon Stagg shot him twice. George Stagg was then reported to have helped Thomas Ball to his home in Brick Kiln Lane, but he died before help arrived.
Again this is disputed. Ball’s wife Beatrice, of whom it is said she spent the early evening with her husband at the Church Tavern in Perry Barr, claimed that after hearing a shot she rushed out of the house to find her husband staggering along the road bleeding profusely. Mrs Ball reported a second shot was fired, that passed over her head.
What is clear is that George Stagg was arrested and charged with the murder of Thomas Ball at West Bromwich police station. At his trial, forty-five year-old Stagg was found guilty of killing the footballer and sentenced to be hanged.
Yet again mystery surrounds the case. Some say that George Stagg’s life was spared when his death penalty was “reduced” to a life sentence and that he died on February 1st 1966 at the Highcroft Mental Hospital in Birmingham. Others suggest Stagg was hung in Stafford soon after his trial.
Thomas Ball made 77 first team appearances for Aston Villa without once troubling opposing goalkeepers. He was buried at St Johns Church, Perry Barr, where his grave is decorated with stone footballs.
Ball’s shocked team-mates recovered from the devastating death of their colleague to finish 6th in the First Division, with Huddersfield Town winning the Championship. Villa would also reach the FA Cup final before going down 2-0 to Newcastle United at Wembley. At the time of writing this tale, Thomas Ball remains the only English professional footballer known to have been murdered.
August 2010, and a trip to see Southend United at Wolverhampton Wanderers gave me the chance to stop off at St Johns Church to visit Thomas Ball’s grave. On finding Ball’s final resting place, we discover a man maintaining the monument.
The gentleman is Jeff Hilliar, Jeff heard the tale of Thomas Ball many years ago and set about learning more about our tragic hero. On finding the grave, he discovered it to be in a desperate state. Mr Hilliar set about restoring it. Today, football followers from all over the country visit Thomas Ball’s grave, it is St Johns main attraction. Jeff Hilliar tells visitors the tale of Ball’s final day in such detail you could almost believe he was there!
Jeff’s turn of events (which I believe to be the closest to the truth), along with tales from Birmingham folk law will ensure that English footballs first known martyr will never be forgotten.
Jeff Hilliar takes time to tell Alfie and I the Thomas Ball story.
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
BARRIE DELF-SOUTHEND LEGEND
Imagine the telephone ringing. It’s the manager of your local team and he’s in real trouble. He asks you the question every lad the world over dreams of being asked: “Can you play for us today?”
I know what you’re thinking. It’ll never happen. Why would a professional football club phone someone almost completely out of the blue offering them a game in the first team? But way back in March 1983 it did!
In the depths of the Southend Borough Combination League, Barrie Delf was turning out as a centre forward for Leigh Ramblers 3rd team. In fairness he did have some experience as a goalkeeper. Some years earlier both Southend and Aston Villa had shown an interest in his custodian skills. But with no firm offer on the table Barrie returned to the Ramblers and the unglamorous park pitches of South-East Essex.
Monday 21st March 1983 seemed like any other day for Barrie Delf. He was working as a civil servant in Southend. He had played for Leigh Ramblers on the Saturday and was waiting for a telephone call telling him whether he was wanted by the 3rd or 4th team the following week. The phone duly rang, but it was not Leigh Ramblers at the other end of the line.
During the 1982/83 season Southend United had two well-established goalkeepers on their books in the shape of Mervyn Cawston and John Keeley. Both had a wealth of Football League experience. Both had picked up niggling injuries and the Shrimpers had little in the way of back up. With the transfer deadline passed and other clubs reluctant to lend them a keeper, Southend were in a spot of bother, but with the doctor's report informing manager Dave Smith that Cawston’s injury should clear up the club believed a new man between the sticks would not be required. To be on the safe side, Smith turned to Barrie Delf. He had remembered his trial from some years earlier and asked if he would like to sign on non-contract terms to cover the situation.
This was perfect for Barrie. Southend told him that he was unlikely to be needed, but that they would give him a few games in the reserves for helping out. Signing as a non-contract player also meant he could continue to work for the civil service.
As the week progressed the local newspaper reported that Mervyn Cawston’s thigh injury had shown little improvement and that manager Smith was considering handing the position to Delf. Barrie had given the match little thought – in fact, he didn’t even know who the Shrimpers were facing that weekend – but with the papers speculating on his unexpected appearance, he thought that he should do some homework.
Sheffield United were to be the visitors to Roots Hall that fateful Saturday afternoon. They were without question the biggest club in the Third Division at that time and would arrive in Southend with five straight wins under their belts. On the other hand the Shrimpers were floundering in mid-table with just one victory from their previous six games. It was turning into a story even “Roy of the Rovers” couldn’t have made up!
The morning of the match arrived and Barrie received an early telephone call from Roots Hall. Mervyn Cawston had not recovered from his injury and Barrie was to play… talk about being thrown in at the deep end!
Delf then had to make a phone call of his own. He had to inform Leigh Ramblers that he would be unavailable for their 4th team fixture that afternoon.
Barrie turned up at Roots Hall. It was then that he encountered the first hurdle of the day. He had little idea where the players’ car park was. He asked a man on the gates for directions, but discovered the steward had no idea who he was and was reluctant to let him in! Delf finally persuaded the gate man that he was Southend United’s goalkeeper, even if it was only for that day.
Barrie made his way to the home dressing room. He was introduced to the rest of the players – in most cases he had not met with his teammates before. Stricken keeper Mervyn Cawston offered some words of encouragement and asked if his young stand-in had any gloves? Delf showed him his somewhat worn and dirty gloves, which had only seen action in a few park matches. Cawston then presented him with a brand new pair that had been provided for him by his sponsors.
Delf sat in the changing room in a bit of a daze. Could this really be happening? What were the players thinking about having a “rookie” amongst them? What if it all went wrong, would the good people of Southend ever forgive him? I guess either way they’d never forget him!
Barrie’s mind was spinning, but he soon realised he was one of the first team when a group of local school children were shown in and along with the other players he was asked to sign autographs.
The teams ran out on to the Roots Hall pitch with Barrie still barely believing the events of the previous six days. But he was really here now, living out every football mad kid’s dream. He was determined not to let anyone down.
The match started quietly for Barrie. Sheffield United did not threaten his goal in the opening exchanges, but with former Southend favourite Colin Morris and high profile strike partner Terry Curran leading the Blades attack he knew he would need to be on his toes.
His first duel with the deadly Blades attack came midway through the opening half when Sheffield were awarded a penalty. Nobody had given Delf any information on the visitors’ dead ball specialists. He made up his own mind which way to dive for the kick, which was to be taken by ex-Shrimper Morris, and guessed wrong. The Blades had the lead.
The goal kicked Southend into life. Top goal scorer Steve Phillips tore into the Sheffield defence claiming the match ball with a stylish hat trick. The visitors’ day worsened when talisman Terry Curran was sent off after inciting the Sheffield United supporters after a clash with the young keeper. Delf had clawed the ball back from the goal line following a mad scramble, Curran had tried to kick both the ball and keeper into the back of the net as the Blades went in search of a way back into the game. The Sheffield player had tried to hoodwink the referee by rousing the Blades fans into believing he had scored. In the madness that followed, Curran was given his marching orders and with him went any chance Sheffield United had of winning the match. To this day Delf is unable to tell whether the ball had crossed the goal line or not.
Southend won the game 3-1, the local press and Shrimpers manager Dave Smith heaped praise on the young custodian. But he would never play for Southend United’s first team again. The following week he was back in the Southend Borough Combination League with Leigh Ramblers’ 3rd team.
The name Barrie Delf had not gone unnoticed. Former Southend player Peter Taylor invited him to play between the sticks for the club he now managed, Dartford. From there he returned across the Thames to Essex, joining Grays Athletic before returning to the Southend Borough Combination League with Second Division Little Theatre Club FC.
At Little Theatre Delf served the club as a central defender during their promotion to Division One; his long, accurate passes forward setting up a number of goals for a young striker by the name of Jeeves!
Barrie Delf in action for Grays Athletic.
THERE’S ONLY ONE CLIFF JACKSON
So my childhood dreams of being a professional footballer deserted me. Instead I’ve spent almost my entire career in the somewhat less glamorous surroundings of the print industry. My day to day regime of no thrills and in some cases little reward is a far cry from the champagne lifestyle of the Premiership or even the Conference League, but I have had the privilege of working beside some great characters.
Despite the fact that Cliff didn’t play for one of the country’s ‘glamour clubs’, one would expect that he and the family led a pretty good lifestyle. But back in the 60s, footballers didn’t earn the fortunes of the stars of today. Sure he did OK, but like for many other journeyman players of the time, the game did not make him a fortune.
Cliff Jackson was born in Swindon, Wiltshire on the 3rd September 1941. As a teenager he played for Swindon Schools and was capped by England Schoolboys when they met their Scottish counterparts at Sheffield Wednesday in 1957.
Cliff signed a professional contract at Swindon Town in September 1958. Chelsea had wanted the talented youngster but his parents were not keen on him moving away to London at such a young age. Later that month he made his League debut for the Robins, scoring a goal during a 2-2 home draw with Bradford City. Although he made only one further appearance that season, the early 1960s saw him emerge as one of manager Bertie Head’s great discoveries. Jackson went on to make 91 Football League appearances at Swindon netting 28 goals, before moving to Second Division Plymouth Argyle in 1963.
In a three-year stint at Plymouth, Cliff made 69 appearances scoring a further 19 times. He developed a love for Devon that would see him return there later in his career. But while at Argyle, he became a firm favourite with the Home Park crowd.
Son Steve was born during 1963 and does not remember his father’s days at Plymouth; but the next move provided his earliest memories of life as the son of a professional footballer.
Bertie Head had worked wonders at Swindon Town and it hadn’t gone un-noticed. In South London, Crystal Palace were a club on the up. Head was appointed manager and immediately signed a number of his former Swindon fledglings including Don Rogers and Cliff Jackson.
Palace had become quite a fashionable club. They played entertaining football and were on the brink of promotion to the First Division.
Steve recalls, ‘Dad was Palace’s top goal scorer during the 68-69 promotion season’. The team played in front of big crowds and Steve was often at Cliff’s side, not only on a match day but also at club events. “We went to one or two posh functions rubbing shoulders with some of the country’s top footballers. I even got photographed with Dad in the London Soccer Annual!” he adds.
Steve also recalls a day at legendary Palace goalkeeper John Jackson’s house. “We were at John’s house for a barbeque or something, I can only have been about 3 or 4. I was probably messing about and managed to fall into his garden pond – a unique claim to fame you might say!”
Despite being very young, watching his dad in the First Division was a fantastic experience, although in truth, Steve felt that he didn’t really appreciate what he was witnessing until he was older. Cliff was playing against the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and West Ham with players such as George Best and Bobby Moore. It was a golden era for football.
Cliff made 100 Football League appearances for Crystal Palace scoring 26 goals, 17 of which came during that Second Division promotion season. But with a regular first team spot becoming harder to nail down, Cliff decided to move on.
Being a First Division player, one would have expected Cliff to perhaps move down a division for regular football. Despite there being a few interested parties his heart was set on a move to Devon, not back to Plymouth, but rather surprisingly to Fourth Division Torquay United.
Undoubtedly, Cliff would have taken a big cut in wages making such a drop down the divisions. Today players would find other forms of income such as sponsorship, TV work or through the newspaper columns. The Jacksons made up the shortfall by investing in a number of caravans, which they let out to holidaymakers.
It was the Torquay years that Steve remembers most of all. “I think Dad found the drop in standard a bit frustrating.” He recalls a match at Plainmoor when Cliff received the ball on the halfway line. “Dad had nobody to pass to so he simply turned and gave it back to the Torquay keeper. The crowd howled their disapproval, one particular spectator becoming quite animated. Little did the fan realise he was sitting directly in front of my mum who gave him an ear bashing!”
Steve recalls another incident involving his mum. “During pre-season, the players were out on a road run. Mum was driving back from the town, and seeing a group of the lads, she pulled over to say hello. The players all jumped in the car and asked her to drop them further along the route, thus getting them out of a few miles of gruelling running. She had not noticed that Dad was not amongst that particular group. He was forced to complete the run. I don’t think he was too impressed that the other lads had skived training thanks to Mum’s help!”
Between 1969 and 1974 Cliff Jackson made 114 league appearances for Torquay, scoring 13 goals.
But all in all Torquay United was a good little club. Steve enjoyed going to Plainmoor but he insists, “I didn’t feel special having a dad who played League football – to me it was just the job he did.” However despite it being ‘just a job’ Steve admits that seeing his father score a goal gave him a tremendous buzz.
After Torquay, Cliff briefly joined non-league Cambridge City. On retirement from the game he worked in community sports projects and had a spell living in Spain. Today the family have settled in Essex. Despite recent ill health, Cliff tries to keep up with his former teams.
The game might not have offered Cliff Jackson and his family the riches of the modern day professionals, but ask any football fan up and down the country and they’ll tell you, playing League football, whether it be Torquay or Tottenham, is worth more than gold!
Balls & Bails
As a youngster, I would long for the weekends during the football season. My beloved Southend used to play most home fixtures on a Friday night leaving Saturday free for Dad and I to take in another match somewhere in the area. Ipswich, Norwich, Colchester and Orient were the regular venues for our “bonus day”; but at the beginning and end of the season we would mostly be at New Writtle Street, Chelmsford.
New Writtle Street was wonderful. Chelmsford City and Essex County Cricket Club were next door to each other and the prospect of watching both on the same day was too much to resist. Saturday would start at 11am when Essex’s County Championship matches got underway. After watching the likes of England all rounder Graham Gooch smash the visitors’ pace attack to the four corners of the ground, we would take a break from cricket and pop next door. At 2:55pm we would take our place on the Woolsley Road end to watch City.
Although City were only a Southern League team, they had some fabulous players and crowds were often well over 1000. My favourite was goalkeeper Willie Carrick, who had played out some of his early years at Manchester United. Carrick had a great rapport with the City faithful, who would sing “We’ve got the biggest Willie in the league”. I even seem to recall him scoring a penalty against Dorchester in one of his final matches for the club.
In attack City had Frank Bishop, a regular goal scorer and quite a character, it always surprised me that he never played in the Football League.
Regular visitors to New Writtle Street included the likes of Cheltenham Town, who progressed into the Football League; but the game everyone looked forward to was Dartford. Both were seen as “big” clubs by Southern League standards and both had aspirations of playing in the Football League, however it never happened – the tag of under-achievers attached itself and in truth never seems to have gone away.
The Stadium at New Writtle Street was in its day one of the finest outside of the League. In the early 70s, 16000 packed in for an FA Cup tie with First Division Ipswich Town. During my regular City visits I can often remember crowds of over 2000 for Cup-ties and almost 5000 for a friendly against Aston Villa.
A way beyond both the grounds is the railway viaduct. A haunting noise would filter across as the big diesel locomotives pulled freight trucks over it. To this day the noise reminds me of those sporting days with Dad, particularly as he is no longer with us but was a railway engine driver himself.
Sadly the Stadium’s future always seemed to be in doubt and eventually City moved out, sharing with Maldon Town and Billericay before returning to Chelmsford and playing at Melbourne Park.
At 4:45pm the referee would bring proceedings at the Stadium to a close. Dad and I would return to the cricket for the final session of the day. I often remember the kids at my school boasting about their day at Highbury, White Hart Lane or Upton Park and mocking my visits to less glamorous surroundings, but football and cricket on the same day…. unbeatable!
FESTIVE FOOTBALL
Christmas has always been a busy time of year for football players and supporters alike. With so many games crammed close together it can be the make or break of a club’s season.
Eye witnesses talk of the soldiers sharing drinks and cigars as well as playing a football match with as many as a hundred players in each team joining in the historic ‘kick-about’, another tale of football bringing people together in the wake of political madness.
Unfortunately many senior officers were so incensed by the actions of their troops that they ordered any repeat would result in soldiers being shot for fraternising with the enemy.
Until the late 1950s English League football still took place on Christmas Day. The final fixtures took place in 1959 when Blackburn Rovers beat Blackpool 1-0 in the First Division and Coventry City defeated Wrexham in a Third Division thriller that ended 5-3.
Christmas Day fixtures in Scotland continued until as recently as 1976, although many clubs switched matches to the 24th, 26th and 27th December due to reluctance to play and bad weather conditions. However two fixtures survived as Clydebank drew 2-2 with St Mirren and Alloa Athletic defeated Cowdenbeath by the odd goal in three.
In December 1983 Brentford attempted to move their Boxing Day fixture with Wimbledon back twenty-four hours in order to attract more spectators. Many supporters of both clubs stated that they would not attend a Christmas Day fixture so it was moved back another day to Christmas Eve. Wimbledon triumphed 4-3 in front of more than 6,000 fans.
My team Southend United played no fewer than twenty-two matches on the 25th December between 1920 and 1957. In 1931 Southend played Exeter City on Christmas Day before travelling west for the return fixture 24 hours later. This is quite incredible when you consider the mileage and the lack of transport methods available to the clubs. Exeter won both matches with around 22,000 supporters witnessing the two fixtures.
Without doubt the players of both Southend and Exeter would not have seen too much of families and loved ones over the festive period of 1931 due to travelling etc. It makes me sick to the stomach to think that today’s Premiership overpaid underachievers want a mid-winter break to save them from burning out. What with the money they are paid we fans should be able to demand that they play football every day of the year!
On Boxing Day 1963 a total of 66 goals were scored in the First Division. The results were as follows:
Blackpool 1 Chelsea 5
Burnley 6 Manchester United 1
Fulham 10 Ipswich Town 1
Leicester City 2 Everton 0
Liverpool 6 Stoke City 1
Nottingham Forest 3 Sheffield United 3
West Bromwich Albion 4 Tottenham Hotspur 4
Sheffield Wednesday 3 Bolton Wanderers 0
Wolverhampton Wanderers 3 Aston Villa 3
West Ham United 2 Blackburn Rovers 8
If this particular sequence of results were not strange enough, the return matches played two days later were quite extraordinary.
West Ham, who had lost 2-8 at home to Blackburn, travelled north and won 3-1, while Manchester United beat Burnley 5-1 at Old Trafford only 48 hours after the Clarets had walloped them 6-1! Christmas had clearly taken its toll on Ipswich, who lost by double figures at Fulham. However by the time they met on the 28th December the hangovers had gone and Town won 4-2!
Monday, 2 May 2011
If you know your history.
If it’s a historical football adventure you want in England’s capital city, then forget Upton Park, White Hart Lane and Stamford Bridge, take a trip to Forest Gate in the Heart of London’s east end.
Less than a mile from West Ham United’s home, you will find the Old Spotted Dog, a pub that dates back to King Henry VIII times. The watering hole is currently closed, but protected as a listed building; some say it is the oldest non-religious building in London.
Behind the pub, you will find the entrance to the Old Spotted Dog football ground, home to Clapton Football Club. The ground has been Clapton’s home since 1888 and is the oldest senior football ground in London.
The club played their first match at “The Dog” against the Old Carthusians, WM H Long, the author of Clapton’s Jubilee Celebration book of 1928 recalled the match in his scriptures of the time.
Presently Clapton are struggling towards the foot of the Essex Senior League playing in front of pitiful crowds. However, do not be fooled by league tables or appearances, this ground is steeped with history and you will always be warmly received. Take the time to visit one of football’s most historic venues, and a particular favourite of mine.
Here are a selection of pictures from my more recent visits to The Spotted Dog.
2 shots of the entrance to the Old Spotted Dog
Stanley Scores a goal - The keeper is Arsenal player Jay Emmanuel-Thomas
Ed and I with a piece of Clapton history.
My son Alfie about to score a goal on the historic ground
A great shot of the terraces behind the goal.
My view from the terrace.
Clapton FC 2010/2011 season.
Alfie finds a friend and enjoy's a kick-about by the ground entrance.
Match action at the Dog versus Bowers & Pitsea FC.
The Old Spotted Dog Pub - Dating back to King Henry VIII times.
Monday, 25 April 2011
The Jacques Cousteau derby!
Monday 25th April 2011 and a bumper crowd of 1163 turned up at Park Lane, home of Canvey Island FC for a local derby match that is unique not only to the Island or the county of Essex but to the country as a whole.
Ryman Premier League Gulls and Island rivals Concord Rangers who play merely a mile away are the only senior football clubs on Canvey. Although little love is lost between them, they share the distinction of this being the only local derby fixture in the country where both teams’ play below sea level!
Extra spice was added to the fixture what with both clubs chasing a play-off place, and as Concord had won the previous fixture at their Thames Road ground back in February, Canvey were keen to even the score.
For the record, the match was held up for ten minutes due to crowd congestion. Once underway the visitors totally dominated the game. Canvey were not helped by being reduced to nine men by referee Mr Yeo. Nevertheless, Concord Rangers were well worth their victory by four goals to nil.
Here is The Football Adventurers picture gallery of the day’s events.
My son Stanley & I under the sea!
The Canvey Island supporters ready for the big match.
The 1163 crowd builds up.
The teams arrive on the pitch.
Concord Rangers start the brighter.
Alfie & Stanley look for a better vantage point.
But my youngest Oliver sleeps through it!
Concord celebrate a 4-0 win with their supporters.
10 things you should know about Canvey Island. From Seasider Review, the official programme of Canvey Island FC (price £2)
UNCLE JACK
Jack Hinton (left) as my Dads best man.I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for Canvey Island Football Club, the reason being a man by the name of Jack Hinton.
Jack was my great uncle. He moved to Canvey from East London and in the late 1950s he joined Canvey Island Football Club as reserve team manager. He had been a useful footballer before the war, and even when hostilities broke out he still played whenever he could.
Unfortunately he suffered a severe injury in a motorcycle accident which ended his footballing career, so he turned to management and administration work within the Ilford & District league and also managed one of Leytonstone’s teams.
Now uncle Jack was a character. As children we used to go to his house in Urmond Road, Canvey and would spend long Saturday afternoons playing football or cricket in his garden while he and my father were at Park Lane. When they returned from football, Jack, a member of the magic circle, would put on a magic show for my me and my cousins. I remember one trick he performed on my Auntie Tessa. He put her arm into a contraption with a huge knife bolted to it, the knife would be draw down and would appear to slice through her arm. We would all gasp! But of course auntie Tessa still had her arm. To this day I don’t know how he did the trick and I’m not sure I want to know either!
It was during one of these magic shows that we found out the full extent of Jack’s war injury. The motorcycle accident had damaged his right leg, which led to it having to be amputated. Of course uncle Jack didn’t want us kids to know that his war wound was received working as a dispatch rider so he told us that he’d been run over by a German tank! I remember we all stood open mouthed as he told us – what a hero!
Jack progressed through Canvey Island FC and became club chairman. Along with several others he worked tirelessly for the club putting on the social activities and mucking in with maintenance on the ground. Reg Wellman, a good friend of Jack’s and a Park Lane regular, recalled a time when they were working together on the pitch. It was a cold wet day and the ground had become very boggy. Jack was working by the corner flag when his boots became stuck in the muddy pitch. As he pulled his leg up, the artificial limb came away and was stuck upright in the mud. Imagine the scene as Jack, hopping on his good leg, tried to pull the other out of the thick mud!
Taylor played for Canvey before being sold to Southend United for £100. When he left the Shrimpers for Crystal Palace the London club paid more than £100,000 for his services! He then went on to play for Tottenham and Orient before turning to management with Southend, Gillingham, Brighton, Leicester, Hull City, Crystal Palace, Wycombe Wanderers and recently Bradford City. He also famously took charge of the England national team for a fixture with Italy – his legacy, appointing David Beckham as England captain.
A packed house at Park Lane for the visit of Southend United in an FA Cup replay.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIi7BkKzcm4&feature=share
THE WONDERS OF WAKERING
Great Wakering Rovers are my local club. Despite my commitment to Southend I try to visit Burroughs Park whenever possible.
If ever you should visit the Rovers you are guaranteed a warm welcome. They boast a lovely little ground with a well-stocked clubhouse. But despite my own particular feel-good factor towards the club, I think it’s fair to say we didn’t get off to the best of starts!
My earliest memory of our paths crossing was back in early 1980. I was just starting out in junior football with Leigh Rangers. One of my first games was against the Great Wakering Colts. Although the game was only a friendly, extra spice was added when Sharon Batchelor, the unattainable ‘hottie’ from King Edmunds School class 1ct turned up on the touchline to watch her brother play against us. Despite my wholehearted efforts, which included playing with my shirt outside my shorts and socks rolled down to look the part, and indeed setting up a goal (albeit with a miskick) Sharon was unimpressed. In fact she took little or no notice of me for our remaining four and a half years at school!
My next meeting with the Rovers was equally unsuccessful. I was by now playing for Brooklyn Sports in the Second Division of the Southend & District League, and although only an average player, I did have a bit of pace. This particular Rovers team were struggling towards the bottom of the League and were mainly made up of the club’s elder statesmen. I remember looking at the ageing full back and rubbing my hands at the prospect of running him ragged. At the first opportunity I sped past the grey-haired defender close to the touchline only to be tripped over by one of the many vocal spectators who had arrived fresh from an early afternoon bevvy session in the pub. The rowdy crowd roared with laughter – and so, to my abject disgust, did the referee, who waved the game on!
Local men who had recently been demobbed from the army following the atrocities of the Great War founded Rovers in 1919. Work in the area was sparse, some found positions as farm hands and others at the local brick works. Football gave them something to rebuild their lives around. A sense of somewhere they belonged. They soon became one of the most successful teams in South East Essex football.
They would often draw big crowds to watch Southend & District League matches at Great Wakering Recreation Ground, particularly when teams from nearby Rochford or Shoebury were visiting.
Rovers’ senior teams played at ‘The Rec’ until 1988, when they started work on the adjacent Burroughs Park. The ground was formerly a plot of disused allotments. The club set about turning them into a football ground.
I remember playing in one of the earliest games on the new ground when Brooklyn visited Rovers 3rd team for a pre-season friendly match. We got changed in a portacabin in the North-West corner of the ground – the small room was full of building equipment and the Brooklyn lads bemoaned about the less than comfortable facilities. As the visiting team Brooklyn were asked to donated £10 to the Rovers with the money being set toward the development of the ground. It proved to be money well spent, as today Rovers boast one of the best grounds in Isthmian League football.
The move to Burroughs Park saw the club elevated from the District League to the Essex Olympian League and in 1992 they gained their senior status and joined the Essex Senior League. The club celebrated the achievement with a prestigious pre-season friendly match against a Leyton Orient XI. A crowd of around 500 saw the teams share the spoils with a 1-1 draw. Rovers next two home fixtures were equally as eventful. The next visitors were the newly merged Dagenham & Redbridge who boasted a number of England semi-professional internationals. Rovers proved to be no match for the Daggers who won by eight goals to nil. The goalfest continued a few days later when a Southend United XI and Rovers drew 5-5!
Rovers progressed through the Essex Senior League and became members of the Isthmian Football League and briefly the Southern League. During this period the club achieved little in the way of success although in 2007 they made it through to their first Essex Senior Cup Final.
Great Wakering reached the final following some notable victories. Both Thurrock and Dagenham & Redbridge were defeated at Burroughs Park while Aveley were dispatched unceremoniously in the semi final.
Around 1200 people, many from the village, flocked to Southend United’s Roots Hall Stadium to see Rovers take on AFC Hornchurch. Sadly the Rovers lost by the odd goal in three.
From a personal point of view Great Wakering Rovers Football Club have a special place in my heart. I have served them as a programme contributor, and worked in the commercial department as well as being a supporter and a player. Ok so my lonesome appearance in a green & white shirt was for Rovers Reserves in an Essex & Herts Border League fixture away at East Thurrock United. But I was called for as a second half substitute with Rovers trailing 0-5, and I’d like to think I made a difference as I set up a goal and we won the second half 1-0!
Much to my Dad’s disappointment my professional football career never really took off (at all!) However I did appear for a Charlton Athletic Legends XI in a charity match that took place at the Rovers Burroughs Park ground. Sadly Dad was long out of this world, so he never witnessed my one and only appearance for a Football League club.
In fact I was not the only person to benefit from Charlton’s lack of numbers that night. My best mate Ed is to say the least a big chap. His playing role these days is limited to appearing in goal for our ‘tour’ team. However, when offered the chance to anchor the Valliant’s midfield for one night, the big man stepped up to the plate and rolled back the years.
Ok, so the game didn’t go quite according to plan as we lost an eight-goal thriller, 7-1! But sit Ed and I in front of any televised Charlton Athletic match and the topic of conversation soon turns to the lack of creativity in the heart of their midfield!
The home of Great Wakering Rovers might well have given me my one and only appearance with a big club, but it also produced one of the most heart stopping moments too. The beauty of many grounds such as Burroughs Park is that the kids can run about and from almost any vantage point you can keep an eye on them. During one particular match my eldest son Alfie slipped out of sight. In a blind panic I searched the ground but to no avail. The club even put out an announcement over the tannoy. By now I had most of the crowd (112) looking for him. After some ten minutes a lady found Alfie hiding under one of the seats in the grandstand.
It’s a brisk Tuesday evening in early September 2008 and the Rovers have a home league fixture with local rivals Tilbury. Wakering have made a poor start to the season, however, they seem to have something of an Indian sign over the Dockers so hope springs eternal.
The committee give up their time working tirelessly behind the scenes so that the ground and clubhouse look smart and are well stocked. Programmes are kept as up to date as club stalwart Nobby Johnson can possibly make them. Meanwhile the staff in the tea bar are busy producing the best food in Essex non-League football.
On the pitch the players duly compliment the hard working backroom team by picking up their first League victory of the season, beating Tilbury by two goals to nil. Only 106 spectators have made the effort to venture along.
In many cases up and down the country, the vast majority of the British football supporting public treat non-League football with apathy. Strangely the very same apathetic fans will be found heading the queue for tickets should their local team pull out a plum FA Cup tie. Great Wakering is little different. In a village of some 6,000 people only an average of 100 make it along on a match day.
For all the hard work that has gone into organising the Tilbury fixture the huge spaces on the terraces and in the stand make you wonder if it’s all been worth it. But really, if it’s an honest football match you want, with 100% committed players, a programme and a pint for around a tenner, for me the likes of Rovers win over Premiership prima donnas every time.
Action from Burroughs Park
A chance for me to pull on a Rovers shirt with former Birmingham City, West Ham, Liverpool and England legend Julian Dicks.
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