King Alick

[Herbert Anchovy]

Earlier this year I was in holiday in Italy and we got talking to a Scottish family. Over a couple of beers myself and the man of the family got talking about football. He was a Hibs fan and when I told him I was a Donny fan he simply said ‘Alick Jeffrey’. This guy was mid 40’s so not around when he played, he’d no connection to Donny or the Rovers. When I asked him how he knew him he said he’s heard he was the greatest player to never play for England and was a shoe in to be a Busby Babe. Don’t know about anyone else but I find it incredible that King Alicks name is so well known with football fans who’ve no connection at all with Donny. Really wish I’d seen him play.

[Bentley Bullet]

I was in Ibiza in 1995 on holiday queueing up in a shop. The shopkeeper was obviously football-mad because he asked everyone he served where they were from,  and when they told him he responded with a famous footballer who played for their local team. "Bobby Charlton," he said to someone from Manchester. "Jimmy Greaves" to someone from Tottenham. "Roger Hunt" to someone from Liverpool.

When it was my turn to be served I thought that he'd struggle a bit here but when I told him I was from Donny he said Immediately "Alick Jeffrey"!

[Chris Black come back]

Had the same in a London taxi once. The driver was a West Ham fan and was immediately on to King Alick once I mentioned Rovers.

[BobG]

I was at the Vetch that night we drew with them on the way to winning League 2 or whatever it was called that season. I got chatting to some old native I'd never saeen before. It can't have taken him more than a couple of minutes to start talking about Alick and how staggeringly good he was. He had seen him play. As a kid I'd seen him too. I remember rocket shots, rocket passes, headers - like a rocket, and, the most skillful thing I've ever seen. Still got no idea how he did it. Running forwards with the ball, he flicked it up in the air, sideways and backwards, over the head of an opposing player to land at the feet of a Rovers player inside the opponent. Alick, meanwhile, carried on running forwards. The whole thing was totally bizarre. It was unreal. But he did it. It was on the main Stand side, just inside the half way line attacking the Town End.

The guy was unreal. No wonder people still talk about him. Jimmy Armfield did - he said on R5 that the young Wayne Rooney was the nearest thing he'd seen to another Alick Jeffrey. I heard him say it. Nearly crashed the car....

BobG

[phil old leake]

I’m living in Bangor N Ireland and unfortunately I only saw AJ play once in some kind of testimonial  he was a guest player or it might have been a game in his name can’t remember what.
I was talking to Dutch at the weekend and we were talking about him.  In this game he did the most amazing control and shot in one movement that I have ever seen

I mention him to work colleagues here and explain how good he was and the potential he had

They look at me like I’m mad

What value a player of that quality in this era and how sad that none of the genuine potential came to fruition due to an injury

It’s always nice to hear people refer to his quality

[graingrover]

I saw him since I was 10 yrs old when he was 16 ...I had no words for it in those days of course but the images remain .The feelings I got watching at that young  age remain too 
1 at what stage of the game will he score today
2 oh No ..Matt Busby wants him at Man U
3 omg he has broken his leg .

[Chris Black come back]

I was in Ibiza in 1995 on holiday queueing up in a shop. The shopkeeper was obviously football-mad because he asked everyone he served where they were from,  and when they told him he responded with a famous footballer who played for their local team. "Bobby Charlton," he said to someone from Manchester. "Jimmy Greaves" to someone from Tottenham. "Roger Hunt" to someone from Liverpool.

When it was my turn to be served I thought that he'd struggle a bit here but when I told him I was from Donny he said Immediately "Alick Jeffrey"!

Had Hayrettin left by ‘95?

[arkseyrover]

without a doubt the greatest and most skilful and naturally talented footballer I have ever seen and that includes all the prima donnas like Messi and Ronaldo and Maradonna etc. The only ones that got close for me were Best and Pele. Have lost count over the years how many conversations I've had in obscure places where, as others on here have said, Alicks name is immediately recognised and revered by people of different generations who have no linkage to Donny. What a player. What a loss. If only we could find another...…...

[Rosso Exile Deux]

Some years ago whilst out and about in SE Wales (where I live) my son had the hoops on. Got talking to an old boy who recognised the shirt.  Turned out he was originally from Swansea (BobG - maybe same guy?) and said that, by a long way, the two best players he'd ever seen were John Charles and Alick  - quite lauded company for our man.

[roversontheup]

I still carry a photo of a 4 or 5 year old me with my Dad and Alick Jeffrey. Keep it in my season ticket book and carry it to every match!

[Alickismyhero]

I feel honoured to carry Alick's name.

 I watched Alick play many times but only on his return to Donny, he was incredible.

In my last year at school we were lucky enough to make two cup finals. One of the games was down to play at Belle View but it was cancelled at the last moment, bang went that dream.

We lost both cup finals to Hatfield, Hatfield beat St Peters even with Kegan in their team to make the final.

My lasting memory from 53 years ago was when I was given my runners up medal by The King, Alick Jeffrey.

Its that kind of memory you take to the grave.

 "The King gave me my medal"

[Colin C No.3]

In 1987 when Rovers could best be described as being in the doldrums, Dave McKay was our manager & we’d just won a scrappy night home game 1-0.

Courtesy of my big bruv, we had sponsored the game that evening which as such, allowed us access to the sponsors bar underneath the main stand (no sign of any covert ‘project arson’ persons speaking into their lapels at that time!), however, I digress.

Alick Jeffrey, was there in his ambassadorial role for the club, surrounded in that sloped roof, congested area, by those who had seen him play in his hey day & the ‘nippers’ who had been ‘instructed’ by their dads to stand by the ‘great man’ to have their photos taken with him.

I dutifully queued up & remember saying to him, through lips as dry as Richardson’s heart (but that’s a tale for another time) “Excuse me Alick, I was privileged to have seen you playing out there, on that BelleVue pitch toward the latter stages of your career, I only wish I’d have been born earlier! Please may I have your autograph on tonight’s programme?”

He smiled & duly obliged.

As I turned away a bloke took my arm & said “I got his autograph when he was the ‘real Alick Jeffrey’, “.

I didn’t respond at the time (much to my chagrin), but at what point did he ever stop becoming’ ‘the real’ Alick Jeffrey?

True, he could no longer trap, run, dribble & score breathtaking goals, but does a man, a man like Alick Jeffrey, become any less a person because age has defined he can no longer fulfill those skills?

Whoever you were my ‘friend’, I hope you are somewhere reading this & reflecting on what legacy you have left behind in this life. I hope for your sake you’re not in hearing distance when after someone has offered you (& justly) a kind word only to hear someone else say “Ah yes, but I knew him when he was the ‘real’.......

[roversdude]

I think the only time I saw him play was in a testimonial game that someone referred to but the aurora surrounding the man persisted. This extended to his time as a landlord

[silent majority]

I saw him play when he made his return to Belle Vue and the memories still burn brightly. The image of him in that white shirt with the red collar trim is as clear today as it was then. He had a hell of a strike on him, something I remember quite vividly.

[Filo]

I think the only time I saw him play was in a testimonial game that someone referred to but the aurora surrounding the man persisted. This extended to his time as a landlord

He never got rid of the Indians in The Fox in Stainy like he said he was going to do 😀😀

[Bollinger]

My brother tells the tale of being on a bus near the Salutation. Alick, carrying his shopping a few years after he retired was over the road near the old NCB offices.

He said every man, woman and child stood up and crossed to the window for a better look. Everybody on that bus from Bawtry knew exactly who he was even though he'd been out of the headlines for a long time. I'm pretty sure he might well be the only player in DRFC history known by everyone in the local community. (Charlie Williams..I know... but his fame came after his footballing days)

[BobG]

Roversdude - you've just reminded me of another occasion I watched Alick. Thank you. It's worth remembering.  Alick was past it. Long retired. Fat. Immobile. A tank in white shorts. He was the star attraction at the Plant works ground. Some sort of charity do I think. Big crowd. And Alick played for the DRFC side against the Plant side. In that Rovers side were Stan Anderson, Peter Kitchen, Big Brendan and most of the rest of the first team. So this fat bugger stood there in the centre circle, imperiously demanding the ball off every bloke on the park whilst orchestrating the movement of pretty much all of his lot. Imagine! Telling Stan Anderson, a guy who played for all three of the big North East clubs for God's sake (did he captain them all too?), to rush off down thattaway And then Alick would swing his leg and a guided missile would speed its way into the stride of whoever he had decided was worthy of his favour. He couldn't run. He couldn't move hardly. But he ran that game from beginning to end that day.

Alick was an utter genius. But in contrast to others who have compared Alick to some fantastic players I'm choosing another stellar player as thee only one I can think of to rival him: Johann Cruyff. Alick would have bulldozed Besty out of the way for all Besty's immense talent and persistence. He would probably have bulldozed Cruyff too: but Cruyff had the talent and the vision of all the other exceptionals mentioned in this thread, but he had one other thing too: Cruyff had imagination. And, for me importantly, that imagination raises him above the herd, and, close to Alick because Cruyff's imagination was light years ahead of Alick's. That makes Cruyff an extra special man, an extra special player. So it's Alick first and Cruyff second for me.

Cheers

BobG

[richtherover]

Too many memories of the great man to list here but a few that stand out -
The opposition crowd groaning when they heard he was in our team line up and not injured.
A goal from a bicycle kick direct from a Gilfillan corner against Bradford City, circa 1967.
A 40 yard rocket away at York City, F. A. Cup. 1968. Stupendous.
Terrorising the Liverpool defence, (and hitting the post), in the Cup again, 1969.
It was like having Maradona in our side.
When I was a publican in London, late 80's, I went to Donny with a few of the locals, (all Arsenal fans), to watch Rovers play Arsenal in the League Cup. On discovering I was a publican, he asked me if I would "look after the boozer" for a couple of hours while he went shopping with the wife. No problem. So I found myself running the Black Bull with all the domino players and market traders for the afternoon. What an experience!
I was just honoured that he had trusted me to do that. He fed us all and laid on a taxi to the ground for the game. We were all invited back afterwards but I had another pub to run so had to catch the last train south.
I only saw him play when he came back from dreadful injuries and he was unbelievable. How good could he have been and how much would he have been worth today?
I'm honoured to have seen him play in the red and white of Rovers and sad that injuries prevented him from becoming an all time great, although he will always be a hero to me both as a player and a man.
RTID

[Donnywolf]

My first authentic glimpse of King Alick came when he made his second coming in a Reserve game at Belle Vue ( v Crewe A I think it was).

Loads of people were outside Players entrance before the game and the door opened and there he stood. I was in awe and others must have been because despite hoping to see him most did not seem to recognise him for a few seconds

My other great memory was the already mention overhead kick above v Bradford City.

[idler]

Three goals that I remember well were a shot from near the half way line to beat Torquay 1-0 at home. Exeter City frustrating us and then their goalie getting the mickey taken for wearing a bright red cap. He took a goal kick or kicked it from the area and his hat fell off. He bent down to pick it up and Alick thumped it into his net from distance, 1-0. The third when we beat Park Avenue 4-1. We scored three in the last ten minutes. A ball came over to Alick near the corner of the six yard box. A step forward and it would have been a bullet header. He instead moved back a bit, took it on his chest and as it dropped powered it on the volley into the top far corner. Fantastic speed of thought and execution.
He also scored a great individual goal away at Park Avenue in the FA Cup when they were top of the league. He dribbled through their penalty area getting pushed and kicked around the ankles before slotting it home. He said later that some Bradord players were taunting him and saying "Come on Golden Boy, show us what you can do" etc. I think that he scored two rthat day as we won 3-1. After the game a Park Avenue fan shouted see you in division 3 next year and neither side went up.
 

[bigdonnybob]

Can anyone remember the two occasions when we had a penalty awarded against us and Alick went up to the goalkeeper and had a word in his ear, both times the keeper saved. In a later game, Alick wasnt playing, so Laurie Sheffield went up and had the word  with the 'keeper, again, a save.

[idler]

I can't remember him having a word but remember him pointing where he was going to put it and the keeper going that way and saving.
With his power you expected him to just blast it in the corner.

[Herbert Anchovy]

Can anyone remember the two occasions when we had a penalty awarded against us and Alick went up to the goalkeeper and had a word in his ear, both times the keeper saved. In a later game, Alick wasnt playing, so Laurie Sheffield went up and had the word  with the 'keeper, again, a save.

One of those occasions was away at Peterborough in 1966. It was such an unusual thing to happen that it was reported on Grandstand and in the Sunday papers the following day!

[arkseyrover]

Does anyone know how such a gifted lad from Rawmarsh (Rotherham) ended up with little old Donny? I know in those days we were a fairly well established tier 2/top end tier 3 club with good support and there wasn't the elite clubs snapping up the young talent but how did his journey bring him to Belle Vue. Has anyone got any background on who scouted him and brought him to us?

[graingrover]

These anecdotes of memories are worthy of being compiled into an archive if you are reading this John Coyle or anyone else involved with the Rovers History records .

[idler]

Does anyone know how such a gifted lad from Rawmarsh (Rotherham) ended up with little old Donny? I know in those days we were a fairly well established tier 2/top end tier 3 club with good support and there wasn't the elite clubs snapping up the young talent but how did his journey bring him to Belle Vue. Has anyone got any background on who scouted him and brought him to us?

Wasn't it because he thought Peter Doherty was a great player and could learn from him?

[arkseyrover]

thanks idler. Have never been sure how we ended up with such a diamond. Just wish it could happen again.

[drfchound]

Unlikely though arksey as the so called big clubs just sign up any kid who can kick a ball in the right direction these days.

[ZiggerZagger]

Jimmy Greaves was once asked, what was the best thing that ever happened to you as an England player.
He replied Alick Jeffrey broke his leg.
Reporter said who?
Alick Jeffrey, the greatest player England never had

Jackie Milburn- The boy has everything. He is by far, the best youngster I have ever seen.

Nobby Stiles- Everyone knew he was special.

Stanley Mathews, on watching for the first time- The boy is a genius.

Mat Busby, had Alick on trial for a week when he was only 17. He was amazed and told him he would come for him soon. Alas, his next game for England U23 changed everything.

[drfchound]

We all know how good Alick was and even when he came back after his Aussie trip he was the best player on the pitch every week.
Almost every week he would do something that was outstanding, you know, like Copps does.
It got me thinking, that 64/65 season when he bagged those 36 goals in 46 games, he was still only 24/25 years old so with his scoring prowess and enduring strength and skill, why do we think that no bigger club came along and signed him up.
In the modern game I think it would have happened.