Although I just about remember being taken to matches in the late 60`s my passion for the Reds grew from the 70`s days of sitting on the wall next to the dugouts with my dad, uncle and grandad stood half way up the terrace next to the tunnel with hardly anyone stood between us. So here`s one for you my team picked from players predominantly playing in the 70`s for us: Springett Spud Gorry Macca Saunders Otowlakowski Doyle Pugh Millar Joicey Butler. anyone fancy a go?
Loved Les Lea - and what a lovely gentleman. Always willing to have a chat under the East Stand prior to games - he`s no edge to him and willingly chats about playing at Blackpool with Stanley Matthews and what it was like at Oakwell in the early 70`s. BigLil - I don`t remember too much of Winnie and Pat Howard in the early 70`s. I just about remember Winnie leaving for Chesterfield and my dad and uncle thinking it was a big move.
Springett Spud Howard (Pat) Macca Booth Barrowclough Pugh Otowlakowski Millar Joicey Butler Sub Winstanley
Alan Hill Spud Winnie Pat Howard Eric Brookes John Bettany Bobby Doyle Dick Hewitt Les Lea Tony Leighton Mick Butler Names I remember from the early days not necessarily the same era.
Mick Butler was a great little player for us. 7 stone wet through but he couldn't half bang em in. Smell of Bovril and a wagon wheel at half time, marvellous wasn't it,I should say
Winnie was very much in demand for relatively big money but we hung on to him until finally letting him go for a paltry £15,000 to those massives at Saltergate
I think he also had a serious knee injury that effectively stopped him playing at the highest level. He was certainly capable of doing so.
confession time..... around this time I was seeing more of.... Springetts Ellis Mobley Young Eustace McCalliog Ford Craig Fantham Pugh Witham I was easily led and I was seduced by the first division. Main memories were of Martin Chivers and Joe Royle, There... I feel better now. ...and before that I would catch a bus to Millmoor and watch second division.. John Galley Keith Pring Dave Chambers Frank Tiler main memory was watching Moore, Peters and Hurst soon after world cup win, . before that it was... Ironside Spud Parker Winnie George Kerr Bettany Earnshaw Dean Brookes maybe Tony Leighton but I was only kiddin' and I came back ...
Agree lovely man is Les , he lived a couple of houses away from my mother , Margaret his wife is lovely too , really looked out for my mother before she had to go into a care home , top people
Never knew you'd been a pork lover Mick. Can't remember seeing you in a stripey shirt when we used to play in the Dale Rec.
Still see Les now and again. He lives up Swaithe now and often walks around Ardsley. Played football with him for a couple of years. He was still brilliant even into his 40s. Funnily enough I also played one game with Mick Butler when he was banging them in for Worsbrough Bridge.
I used to play with les for Ardsley house on Sunday mornings. Al ways speaks when I see him pass my house. He lent me his scrap book once fascinating, he played with Stanley Mathews. He once showed me round the crem when he worked there. Don't know how that came about we used to drink in coach and horses, and must have arranged it while pissed.
From 74 to 78 I was a student based in Newcastle and a year out in that London so I missed out on the teams from those years. At school football never really caught my imagination although we did have the occasional Saturday afternoon at Belle View, Millmoor or Oakwell. Sadly I never saw Micky Butler etc play but I well remember my dad telling me about him. So for me the 70s comprise the following Springett Chambers Pugh McCarthy Saunders Little Millar Joicey Clarke Peachy Riley