Book chronicles Crook Town's colourful history (From The Northern Echo)

Book chronicles Crook Town's colourful history

5:05pm Thursday 5th January 2012 in Backtrack By Mike Amos

Michael Manuel’s new book chronicles the colourful history of one of the country’s most successful grassroots football clubs.

IT’S Monday, January 2, the moning after the New Year’s Day Rockfest at Crook Town FC’s clubhouse. Club chairman Kieron Bennett finds himself between a rock and a hard place – a little bit femmer, as they say.

Now it’s all set to kick off again, Crook v Team Northumbria, STL Northern League division two. “I doubt if the crowd will be as big,” says the chairman. “It was jumping in here last night.”

History boys: Crook Town, Amateur Cup winners 1901

Town are among the greats of grassroots football – five FA Amateur Cup wins, four between 1954-64 – and among the pioneers. It was they who played Barcelona as early as 1913, who attracted the Manchester City of Lee, Bell and Summerbee officially to switch on the floodlights in 1968, who toured India in 1976, attracting half a million spectators to six games.

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Forty-five minutes before the start, only one person’s in the clubhouse, joined shortly afterwards by Andrew Shaw – an FA Council member and director of the Blue Square Conference – and by his mate Sid Blain, who’s a director of Barrow.

“I’ve just seen your picture in the chip shop,” says Andrew, a reference to a framed Eating Owt column which thought the grub good but considered it a bit mean to charge extra for a drop of sauce.

“They still do,” says Andrew.

Sid’s wearing five layers on top of his shirt – “Four’s a minimum requirement in the North-East,” he says – and, long story, wants to know if there’s still a Walter Willson’s in Shildon. There isn’t, nor anywhere else. Times change.

Crook are mid-table, never seem quite able to escape the second division, have an average gate of fewer than 100 and deserve very many more.

Much better days, and some black ones, too, are recalled in club historian Michael Manuel’s latest, quite wonderful, photo album. It’s just published.

CROOK lad and very proud of it, Michael Manuel went to his first match in 1949, saw all four Wembley finals, has barely missed a game since. “I can remember players coming black from the pit, not even time to have a bath before the match,” he recalls.

His collection of Crook memorabilia overflows a room of his house, previously translated into DVDs and other books. A proposed Encyclopaedia of Crook may prove too expensive.

This one had to be rushed to be out in time for Christmas. ”It was more of a rush job than I wanted it to be,” says the recently retired hairdresser. “I spotted five spelling mistakes after it was printed. I don’t like that sort of thing.”

Always in black and amber, The Crook Town AFC Chronicle 1889- 2011 traces the club’s history from the first official game, a Durham Challenge Cup tie against Etherley, recalls the first Amateur Cup final victory – 1901, against Kings Lynn – pictures the throngs, the gongs, the snow.

It always seemed to have been snowing. “Maybe they didn’t worry so much about health and safety in those days,” says Michael, “but no one seemed any worse for it.”

Crook’s record crowd watched the 1952 Amateur Cup quarter-final with Walton and Hersham, the Millfield gate put at between 17,000- 20,000, though they’d long since lost count. Safe to say that that might also have raised eyebrows 60 years later.

Several images play on the town’s incorrigible name. A Wembley cartoon shows two masked figures holding a Crook Town banner – “It might only be a gimmick,” says a neighbour, “but I’d watch your pockets all the same” – a photograph recalls an FA Vase match against West Midlands Police.

Crook fans wore tights over their heads and carried a bag marked “Swag”. That was a gimmick, too.

Harder times have wholly failed to erode Michael’s loyalty, though he’d unavoidably missed the Rockfest.

At the last one, he admits, he’d got a bit carried away and was dancing on the table.

“They put me out, me nearly 70 as well.”

Voted the Northern League’s favourite ground, the Millfield remains wholly familiar, though questions hover over its future.

Michael – “traditionalist and dreamer” – very much hopes that it’ll see plenty more first foots yet.

THE game kicks off at 1pm, Crook’s defence standing round – as my old Aunty Betty used to observe – like one o’- clock half struck.

After 12 minutes they’re three down, a particularly fraught time for veteran goalkeeper Marc Riches, a chap so nice that he even takes off his goalie glove before shaking hands. An embarrassment of Riches, nonetheless.

“Come on Crook, pull yourselves together,” shouts a clearly well brought up little lad and, just as it seems like curtains, they do.

Two goals early in the second half suggest revival, the crowd vociferous.

They’re denied a decent penalty shout, win one a minute later, miss it.

The university side spectacularly miss a penalty too – “Looks like he was trying to put it ower the back fence,” someone says. Learning curve.

Thereafter the conversation turns to cricket and things. There’s also a chap whose daughter lived in the same street in Azerbaijan as Tony Adams. “Last time she saw him in the supermarket he was playing hell about the price of baked beans,” he says.

IT ends in a 3-2 defeat. “Ah never thowt aa’d see the bloody day,” says a Crook fan of lesser browtins up, though whether a reference to the game or to the detritus of the Rockfest is unclear.

Though by no means lifting like it had been a few hours earlier, the clubhouse has attracted the postmatch faithful. Michael Manuel, ever-optimistic, is off home for his dinner. He’ll be back, sure as eggs, next time.

• Michael Manuel’s richly illustrated book costs £5.95 and is available from The Hive, Hope Street News and Bridge Street News in Crook. He can be contacted on 01388-762683.