Never Forgotten. Club News #FlowersOfManchester February 6th, 1958. Continue reading on the official site...
My grandma would chat to Mark Jones at a bus stop in Wombwell every week, always said he was a true gentleman.
Absolute tradegy. As an employee at Doncaster Rovers on matchdays, my Dad got to know several Rovers players. Such was their generosity, Dad and Mam used to invite four single players over to ours, for a full roast on a Sunday. One was a big Scotsman, centre forward Arthur Adey and three were Irish lads namely winger Chris Giles, Inside left Kit Lawlor and goalkeeper Harry Gregg. After we'd let dinner go down, we used to go to a grassed area on our road with the players, who organised a game involving the kids of the village. When Rovers played Barnsley, Kit took me into the away team dressing room and I remember Tommy Taylor coming up to me and saying " ey up young ' un " as he shook my hand. To a little kid as I was then, he looked to be an absolute giant. If I remember correctly, Tommy won everything in the air that day on the way to a credible 1-1 draw. He played well, but there is no doubt that Barnsley's star man was a small tousled haired winger by the name of Arthur Kaye. He turned the Donny defence inside out on that particular day and really impressed me.
It always makes me a little sad to read posts like this. As a young man I feel like I've missed the real glory days of the beautiful game, with fans mingling on the open terrace, walking round the ground at half time, watching players that were local celebrities but not overpaid primadonnas, with the smell of pipe smoke and Bovril in the air. It sounds far less commercial and more of an experience
It was just as you described GC. The players used to ride down to Belle Vue on the same trolleybus used by the fans , with their boots in a brown paper carrier bag. Home fans used to walk from Donny town centre down Bennethorpe en route chatting to opposition fans. I used to wait outside the Earl of Doncaster pub with other young lads, whilst my Dad had his pre-match pint. I always remember Donny beating Birmingham City 3-1and my Dads mate Rovers player Kit Lawlor scored two against legendary England goalkeeper Gil Merrick. In those days, fans weren't segregated and I found myself sitting in the main stand next to a husband and wife who I learned were from Scunthorpe. As the players ran out, Birminghams full back Jeff Hall turned and waved to the couple next to me. Turned out he was their son. I had confided that I was a programme collector and they asked for my address. Every week, after that game, Jeff used to mail me a programme either from St Andrews or from where he had been playing away. In 1955, he won the first of his 17 caps for the full England team, so I then started to recieve a programme for the International games he played in as well.Tragically, in 1959 he contracted Polio and died at the age of 29 years old. His sibling and his parents launched a publicity drive to have the Salk vaccine widely available and it was through that initiative, that the death rate from the disease was greatly reduced. To mark the 50 th year anniversary following his death, a commemorative clock was commissioned and remains in position atop the main Stand at St. Andrews.
Still brings a lump to my throat as well SD. Jeff was a great lad. He went to all that trouble to religiously mail programmes to a young kid that his parents had met at a game. My memories are also tinged with sadness when I think about Harry Gregg. My Dads full time job was as the boss of the telephone exchange in Doncaster. One of his staff, a beautiful looking girl called Mavis Markham used to sit next to me in the main Stand at Belle Vue. Turned out her main reason for attending , was her interest in Rovers keeper Greggy, who after my Dad introduced them,she married in 1957, the year Harry got his move to Man Utd. Harry became a true friend to my Dad and I will never forget answering the phone to him in 1961 , when he called to let my Dad know he had lost Mavis to cancer. As a family, we were all distraught to recieve that news, she was a lovely lass and Harry was devastated. Can't remember the year, but I recall meeting Harry's nephew Steve Lomas when the Reds played Man City at Maine Road.
