When I was a lad!

[not on facebook]

Mr Sheffield drinks in cantley hawthorne  Club

[phil o sophical]

Well whatever it is he drinks he looks very well on it

[ravenrover]

Jossey Lane Junior school, Grundy Shield finalists 1962-63 season, whupped in the final by Sprotborough Richmond Hill 0-6 and guess who was in goals!!!!! Jimmy Golze captain and Kevin Johnson who went to Wednesday and other lower league clubs, and one of the finest but neshest mid fielders I ever played with, then and years later at Scawsby Rangers, Steve Wagstaffe.
Later in 63 went on to play in whatever the junior shcools cricket cup was and lost that one as well
Then went to Don Valley and played with the oval ball for 5 years.

[drfc1951]

Iplayed right half for Rossington and had to mark Kevin Johnson,gave me a bit of a runaround but he didnt score.We lost 2-1.

[PDX_Rover]

I played for Edenthorpe Boys, starting as an 8 year old in 1976 through to 1978. They then became Ridgewood Colts. Later on I played for Hatfield Chace in their U16s and U17s. We were shite the first season, but the second season, we won everything - the League, the Doncaster Cup and the Goole and Thorne Cup. In that team were Mark Atkins, who was head and shoulders (literally and figuratively) above everyone else and went on to win a Premier League medal with Blackburn, and Richie Passmore (who never did pass more, and I think went to play at Scunny, although could be wrong). Good bunch of lads.

I played for Our Lady of Sorrows on Mere Lane as a nipper too, and later on for Hawthorne in Cantley. Went to St. Peters and later McAuley but never played for the school team. Instead, my Saturday mornings were taken up with band rehearsals and learning Sabbath covers.

I do recall many a ruck with Wilbys - they used to come onto the bottom field at St. Pete's and our lads would be down to meet them. The teachers would come tearing down in their Volvos to come break it up.

[BobG]

Did anyone else on here ever play for the Tech college when they got a bit older? In the time I played they had 3 teams: TechA, Tech B and Tech Villa. I played for Villa. Must have been around 72-74 time. Once got 'spoken to' by a Hull City Scout. Cooo! He must have been typical of that lot though. I was bloody rubbish.

Cheers

BobG

[Chris Black come back]

Lee Cowling, son of Dave. Played for Ellers and Hall Cross. Best player you could ever hope to see. Brilliant, gifted touch, a young Coppinger. Went to Forest youth set up but never made it. Probably too good for the scabby bas**rds.

[Dr Fundlekrotch]

Forest youth set up is not good. Presumably it never has been. I coach in Newark and 6 of my 11 boys have been at Forest grass roots. 3 have left due to disillusionment, 1 has been stolen by Lincoln City and another is thinking of leaving. Interesting to note that Rovers have been along to the Newark league recently and are spreading their scouting net this far. They may yet steal some from Forest, who are viewed locally as a right shambles at youth level.

[Chris Black come back]

I imagine Forest will only get worse as their money-crazed owners shovel millions into the accounts of largely late 20's Premier League hasbeens/neverweres and 'promising' Kuwaiti teens who have miraculously made it into the Forest youth set up. Despite being w**k.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Clean forgot about this till I just Googled the lad's name.

When I was in the 6th form at Meccy Grammar, I played (stretching the meaning of the term, granted) in the togger First Team. There was a kid in the 5th year played in the same team, called Kev Eley. I knew he ended up playing a couple of hundred league matches for Rotherham and Chesterfield. I'd forgotten that he played for Rotherham as a 16 year old, while he was still in the Meccy School team. In fact he still is the youngest lad ever to play for Royherham. All came back to me. He played for Rotherham on the Tuesday night, then played for us at Meccy Grammar the day after.

Funny thing was, there were 3 or 4 players in that team who I thought were better players than Kev. But he was 'kin nails. Maybe that was the difference.

[ch-ch rover]

Shame on you BobG you forgot to mention Tech Imps 68 -74

[BobG]

Shit! You're dead right Ch-Ch! How did I forget them? Specially as one of my mates played for 'em. Doh!

How long ago was 74 exactly.....?!

Cheers

Bobg

[Belle-Vue-Ghost]

I played for Balby Carr, 97 - 2000 I think were the exact years. We had a good side and a certain Andy Butler (now of Walsall) at centre half for us. Great years they were

[Al4475]

Don't think anyone from our players in my year group at school (Danum 1987-93) made it as a pro - I think one or two from the younger years did but we had some good players who perhaps could've made a go of it if given a chance or were that way inclined to follow that path.

At University however I was lucky enough to play behind and train alongside some very competent players who got semi-pro playing careers and management roles.

Paul Cadwell - was at Celtic and Villa among others as a kid and went to the USA to coach Chicago Fire - where I think he still is head of their development centre.

Jody Bolt - manages or did manage Exmouth Town and Exmouth Amateurs having managed on the Non-League circuit down south for yonks.

Twins Jonny and Christian Whelan - both currently play for Sacre Coeur School Old Boys (in Liverpool I think) having had careers in Wales and Scotland - TNS, Bangor, Queen's Park and Berwick among their teams. I think that Jonny played in the European Champions League or Uefa Cup against Bayern Munich over two legs for one of his Welsh Teams.

Hugh McAllister was a goalkeeper who (I think) was capped for NI U-21s while at University and has done the rounds in Ireland finishing recently at Portrush.

Dave Rouse, also a goalkeeper was on Stockport and Bury's books, and worked at Man Utd for 8 years - he played a couple of times in the league for Macclesfield Town.

James Shutt, another goalkeeper, started out at Bradford, but played relatively locally for Guiseley and Ossett - he was highly rated in the Semi-Pro Game.

One that tickled me in the dark days following us was seeing current(?) Mickleover Sports Joint Manager and former Heanor Town Joint Manager, Craig Hopkins, turn out against DRFC for Kettering and Hednesford!

I used to train and play with these guys - very good players. There were others too whose names escape me - A couple that got game time for Chesterfield, Northwich, Runcorn, Kingstonian and a number of the Greater Manchester Clubs like Hyde and Ashton.

Interesting really that these guys played at University and could've had fully blown pro careers if they'd not chosen the Uni/Career route. Caddy (Paul Cadwell) especially was an awesome player and had he not liked the beer and smoked quite so much at Uni would've made it! He was an England Schoolboy Player and Lou Macari was a big fan apparently. So much so he approached Caddy while he was on a Teaching Experience - remembered from having him at Celtic and told him to get himself fit and he'd have him in the Stoke First team in 3 months - Caddy never bothered! LOL!

[The Red Baron]

Sad to say I've never played with/ against anyone who went on to achieve eminence in football (cricket is a different story). However, when I was at 6th Form College in Solihull there was a lad who was easily the best footballer in the whole place. Sadly we could never get him to play in the First XI as he was rather occupied doing other things- his name? Jeremy Bates.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Ah master Bates, for a while out only hope in tennis. You must have been posh then !!

Got me thinking about my years of playing Sunday football, had the privilege of playing with or against some good ex-pros.
Played with Kevin Olney at local park, went on to play for Rovers.
Played with and against Dave Speedie at school
Played with Stan Brookes for Alverley FC for a a season
Played with Rob McLuckie after retired injured from Rovers 1975 ish
Played against Colin Methven ex of Wigan who ran Horizon Windows FC
Played against Jack Lewis, playing for Benbow after he finished with Rovers.
Played against Les Packer...who remembers him?
Played against Graeme Cawthorne for Ivanhoe before he played for Yorkshire main? and then Rovers
Played against Colin Douglas when he was at Hatfield.

My all time favourite, played with Kev Johnson ex of Sheff Wed, Huddersfield and Halifax. Those of a certain age will remember a 1-1 draw at Halifax when Alan Warboys had a tremendous game only for that fat ponse with the headband rip us apart in second half.

10 years on, I get to play with him in Sunday Morning Friendly league and he turns up with massive beer gut, chain smoking and I thought what a waster. From playing against Pele (Santos) for Wednesday to playing for Warmsworth, it didn't seem right. After half a dozen games he was taking the piss and running rings round everyone and making the rest of us better players by his encouragement to do the simple things.

All the above (Apart from Les Packer) had things in common. Time and space.

[BillyStubbsTears]

DonnyBaz

Time and space.

I used to play cricket with a bloke who had been in Yorkshire's second XI for 3 or 4 seasons. It was a joy watching him bat. He would pick the ball so early, but leave his shot selection so late. His brain was working twice as fast as anyone else's but it allowed him to look languid and unhurried. Compared to a plodder like me who decided what shot to play before I'd picked the ball, then looked rushed and panicked as I changed my shot at the last minute.

[JamieM]

My claim to fame is knocking a 4 off Tim Bresnan when he played for Donny! Knocked my stumps flying not too long after however and went on to get a century ...

Also played for Ridgewood football team with a certain David Poppleton who went on and played for Everton and Lincoln if I remember rightly.

[ravenrover]

Playing with Phill Robinson at Broddie, he just stood in the centre circle "gimme the ball to feet" and sprayed it all around the pitch, wonderfull