Part 3 of CW's Football Patch
By colinwaldron
October 23 2005
ColinWaldron continues his series with Part III of his Football Patch!
Notes From The Football Field: St.Helens Style
Part 3: Town Trials
Being separate boys and girls schools; it was the 4th year before we were allowed to enter the girls school, even though we were located next to each other and our playgrounds divided by a huge brick wall! The wall had been there longer than any in
One day our entire class had been marched over to the girls school to learn the social art of dancing; and the teachers process of selection took place, matching girls with boys; height; weight, that sort of thing. I got lucky and was paired with the Head Girl; it was the start of a short but sweet romance and a gang of us used to frequent the Geraldo Club in St.Helens on a Friday night to see live bands. It was a dark place, were they couldn’t see how old you were when you got the drinks in and the carpet stuck to your shoes; but it was 1968 and the music was great.
All this clubbing the night before did nothing for my football and I was now playing with Ruskin Youth Club under 17 side in the St.Helens Juvenile Organised League. Our kit was the Wolves strip and I had the number 5 shirt! Tactics played a part and when we played at Sutton St.Annes; we would try and play downhill the 1st half, get in front, then kick the ball into the dam which ran alongside the pitch in the 2nd half. No flashy boards for added time in those matches!
I had left school with 5 CSEs, managed to avoid the black hole and had a job as Trainee Manager with St.Helens Co-op Society. The first 3 months was spent cutting, boning and carving sides of bacon in the main store and then I was out in the Brances as Assistant Manager; we closed at 12.30 on a Saturday, so it didn’t interfere with my football.
I had signed to play for Nalgo Reserves in the St.Helens Combination; I was 17 and this was my first taste of open age football. Nalgo 1st team played in the top division and were starting up a reserve side, who would play in the bottom division; they wanted a mix of young and “seasoned” players.
My mate Norm Tatlock was our goalkeeper and 6 inches taller and less around the waist and he would have made it professionally. Norm could make the simplest save seem world class. If Gordy Anders was the Geoff Hurst for style; then Norm was in the Gordon Banks mould; as for me, I was more like Maurice Setters!
I played in the reserves and also got a run in the 1st team as right back. I learned a lot from those “seasoned” players; mostly composure, time on the ball and to play the way I was facing. Four of us from our team had been selected for trials for the St.Helens under18 side. Trials were to be held at Penlake FC starting at 11.00 one Sunday morning in a wet October!
The Dance on the Saturday night was great; the Sunday morning wasn’t. The four of us were late for the trial match; buses never seemed to run at all on a Sunday and we all nursed sore heads, blurred eyes and delicate stomachs to add to our woes. We were eventually introduced into the trial game and as normal being right footed I was brought on as left back!
We won a corner on the right side and I was hanging back trying to control my digestive system when a shout came from the touchline; “you’re a big lad get up in that box”, by the time I arrived the corner had already been taken and over hit; I was just inside the box and the ball was heading straight for me! Unable to avoid it, I headed it straight back across the box and to my amazement it flew into the far corner of the net.
My head hurt and a fluke though it was, the powers that be were so impressed that I was selected at left back for the Town Team to play against Widnes at The Beechams Sports Ground 2 weeks later.
Norm got the keepers position and we swore this time there would be no night before partying. Scouts would be coming and our young minds were filled with dreams of which team we would sign for.
First of all though we had to win to impress; we didn’t and lost 4-1; it was back to the Co-op for me and an offer to sign for
Next time up, time with Town, the injuries and getting married
Colinwaldron