RIP - Dick Hewitt

Passed away earlier this week aged 74 in Scarboro. BFC 1965 - 69 played in 4th division promotion team, 99 games and 20 goals.

 

RIP

 

Remember him well. RIP

 

Remember many good things about Dick. He came to us as a speedy left-winger from Bradford City, but turned in some of his best performances having been converted to wing-half. I remember the headline in The Guardian newspaper, 'Hewitt wins top marks at Oakwell' after his performance in the cup tie against the ultra-defensive Port Vale, in which Hewitt scored our equaliser. This was after Jackie Mudie's free-kick goal had been allowed to stand for Port Vale, even though the ref's whistle blew when the ball was in mid-air on its way to the goal - strange! I also recall that it was Hewitt's shot, in the abysmal 0-1 home defeat by Crewe, which knocked the cross-bar off the goal. It was a blinding shot from outside the area and Willie Mailey, the diminutive Crewe keeper, wasn't tall enough to catch it, but just managed to punch it, but straight on to the underside of the bar, which then fell on top of him. I had always thought that the ball might have gone in had it not knocked off the cross-bar and it should have been 1-1. Cue then the need for a carpenter to repair the damage, who duly appeared with dungarees, a small set of step-ladders, a hammer and some largish nails. Then cue a tannoy announcement, which told us that the ref would inspect the repair and decide whether or not the match could continue. He decided that it could, probably on the basis that, given the Reds' poor performance that day, it was very unlikely that the ball would go anywhere near the Crewe goal. It didn't. The game ended around 5.15 pm and was announced by the BBC as, 'Barnsley versus Crewe .... late kick-off.' If only they knew!

 

RIP Dick.

 

RIP.

 

Cultured wing half. RIP Dick Hewitt.

 

Another from mi yoof passes away, RIP Dickie.

 

RIP. He was my favourite player in the late 60s. My favourite goal of his was the last game of the 65/6 season at home v Southport. Kicking into the Ponty End he crossed from the left and somehow it went in the goal beating their "rookie" keeper, Albert Lord. We won 4-0 in front of one of the lowest league attendances at Oakwell, about 1600. I am surprised he only made 99 appearances. He was a whole hearted player and was probably at his best for the Reds. He went on to win a FA Trophy winners medal with Scarborough.

 

Albert was a bit of a figure of fun for the wags on the Ponty End. There weren't many of us there, obviously, but during the second half (in Cilla Black "Alfie" mode) the song "What's it all about.....Albert?" was sung at him a few times.

I don't know - there seemed to be a lot more humour in terrace chanting in those days. Now he would just get verbal abuse. Then it was a bit of fun.

 

I've just looked up the stats. No wonder I didn't see you there were 1915 in the ground. The scorers were Addy 2, Hewitt and Hobson. It was a Friday night. Only 1577 went the previous Tuesday when we beat Wrexham 3-0. Alex Ferguson's brother got 2 with Bob Earnshaw scoring the other. Happy times unless you were on the board at that time no crowd no money no saleable assets.

 

And people complain about the situation now.......

 

Dick was one of my favorite players back then but saying that all the team were my heros. He once came to a supporters club meeting in a wooden hut just up the hill above Grove Street school. He was a lovely fella. RIP Dick lad.

 

Dick’s family are our guests this weekend. We’ve a little obituary in the programme too. It would have been in last weekend’s but had already gone to print. But it gave us time to invite his family to the match I suppose.

His grandson told us that Dick named his house Oakwell, such was his love for the club.

 

George Ryder passed this week as well, ex Reds keeper

 

I was at that match & it still makes me chuckle all these years on

 

What an absolutely amazing story. It's a good job John Motson wasn't present. Remembering how excited he got once when seeing the penalty spot repainted on during a muddy match, I reckon he'd have had an aneurysm if he'd witnessed the goal being repaired by a carpenter!

 

If my memory serves me well , we were already relegated when we turned these performances in , frustrating , but it was great to see us win a couple of games , still get the same buzz now, as I did then

 

1577 in the old Oakwell, which held nearly 40,000, must have looked incredibly sparse.