ALAN WHITE was a newly qualified teacher, just six years older than many of his pupils and every bit as hirsute, when appointed to Easington Colliery Second Modern school at the start of 1975-76.

The school was non-selective, in a way a bit like the new geography master. “You applied centrally,” he recalls. “You went where you were placed.”

Though relatively small, just 600 boys and girls, Easington – under PE master Stan Gelson – had the previous season been joint winners of the English Schools FA’s national competition for individual schools.

Appointed to teach geography, he was thus somewhat surprised to be given charge of the school team as well. Could history repeat itself?

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Cover of Easington School book, showing 1975-76 ESFA winning team

The extraordinary story of what happened next is recounted in Alan’s book – all proceeds to the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation – marking the 40th anniversary of another occasion when Easington once again dug deep.

He was a Hartlepool lad, had played Northern League football for Durham City, was dropped after a Durham Challenge Cup semi-final defeat to Ryhope CW – “a big surprise in those days” – and was never picked again.

“I’d never taken my coaching badges, or whatever they were in those days, never even refereed a game. Suddenly I was in charge of the school team that were joint national champions. I’ve still no idea why they asked me to do it.”

Four of the 1974-75 side – Hughie Hutton, Brian Lewins, John Defty and Bobby Manser – were still at the school and in the side. The rest of the 19-strong squad had to be picked from a nucleus of no more than 50 boys.

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STAR MAN: Alan White

Alan recalls his first session with them. “They were nice lads but I thought that the first thing I had to do was show them I had some ability, some credibility, that I was at least comfortable on the ball.

“I shouldn’t have worried. They were awesome players, far better than I was.”

Even to think about another national triumph, they’d first to win their Seaham-based league and then the Durham County competition for league winners, beating Heathfield 5-4 in the final.

After four national rounds, they beat the quaintly named Wilson Marriage school from Colchester in a semi-final replay, after a 3-3 draw in Essex. For some of the lads, it was the first time they’d spent a night away from home.

The book’s back cover has a wonderful shot of some of the 3,200 crowd, young and old. at the Easington Colliery ground. “At the end,” says the book, “they just erupted.”

THE final was against King Edward VII from Coalville, another mining community in Leicestershire. The hard-hewn colliery village in Co Durham had rarely known such excitement.

Hilda Burlison, 69, had knitted 100 blue-and-white rosettes – “I’m not really interested in football, but Bobby Manser’s my paper boy and told me all about it” she told the local paper – while newsagent Mike Baker had similarly festooned his shop. The window even had a Subbuteo re-working of the big match. Someone came in to tell him one of the Easington players was offside.

Ten coach loads travelled south for the final. Those left behind could read score updates in the paper shop window.

“The atmosphere in the village was amazing, immense,” says Alan. “There was still a lot of poverty in Easington, you could tell that, but it was forgotten that spring.

“It was just a school team, a little secondary modern, but gestures like Hilda’s spoke volumes for the kind of people who lived in Easington – genuinely kind, decent, selfless residents whose natural default position was to help their neighbours and contribute to the community.

“They were all Easington area lads and great ambassadors for the village and for Co Durham. Their disciplinary record both on and off the field was impeccable. There was no dissent, no diving, no bookings, no cynical fouls and no bad language. There wasn’t a soul in the village who didn’t know someone, or who wasn’t willing us to win.”

THE BBC had been to film the lads in training, the Sunday Times (no less) pitched up at the final on Ibstock Pennine Rovers ground in Leicestershire, Leicester City’s Filbert Street ground having been considered too shorn of grass to be suitable.

Chris Lightbown in the Sunday Times supposed that 17 of the 22 who started the game were “certain” to start their working lives down the pit. “The backgrounds of the two teams gave a reminder of where the game’s past and future lie, in the areas that have retained an identity of their own and show it through football,” he added.

Easington’s team was Alan James, Ian Burns, Martin Turner, Hughie Hutton, Bobby Manser, Paul Stubbs, Keith Stobbs, Barry Jones, Brendan Fox, Brian Lewins, John Defty.

Lewins put the visitors ahead from 20 yards, victory seemingly increasingly certain until, in the fifth minute of added time, King Edward equalised.

Even then, Easington weren’t finished. Straight from the kick-off, Defty – “a folk hero in Easington at the grand old age of 16” – smacked a 45-yarder against the underside of the bar, and to safety. The final whistle blew immediately afterwards, the trophy was again shared.

“There weren’t tears because they weren’t tearful boys but they were very down, very forlorn in the dressing room,” Alan recalls. “There was a reception so all the spectators got home before us.

“We’d won the toss to see who kept the trophy for the first six months and when we got home it was amazing. We took the cup around every club in the village and they were all on their feet, some literally jumping for joy. It was quite a way to mark my first year in teaching.”

HE became Easington’s deputy head, then head of Manor College in Hartlepool, played Over 40s League football until he was 57 – “470 games, they gave me an award” – and in retirement lives at Thrintoft, near Northallerton.

Though many Easington players were on associate forms with Football League clubs – John Defty became leading scorer in Sunderland’s Northern Intermediate League side – none made it in the professional game.

“It’s always been a mystery why they didn’t, they were just such naturally gifted players,” says Alan. “I can’t take any of the credit – the following season we didn’t even win our league.

“One year I had Richard Ord and Paul Kitson (both future Sunderland players) in the school team, but neither would have got a game in 1975-76. I maybe gave them a bit of self-esteem, a bit of confidence, but the skills were all their own.”

Most players from both 1974-75 and 1975-76 teams will be at a sell-out reunion at the Colliery club on March 3. “I’ve not seen any of them for 40 years,” says the geography master. “They’ll still be better than me.”

n Richly and nostalgically illustrated, Alan White’s story of the 1975-76 season costs £10 (plus £2) postage from the Easington Village newsagent’s or from Atkinson Print, 10/11 Lower Church Street, Hartlepool TS24 7DJ.