JACK O’Connor, a lovely little feller from a different football age, died at the weekend. He was 87, known in his pitprop pomp as the Little Black Rat, a wholly affectionate nod to the colour of his hair and the cunning of his right wing trickery.

His 17-year-old granddaughter is Georgia O’Connor, a junior national champion at both taekwondo and boxing and tipped strongly for the 2020 Olympics in the latter.

Jackie lived in Ushaw Moor, near Durham, spent 24 years down the colliery there, was offered terms by Leeds United until his father insisted that he get his coalface time in. “In those days,” Jackie once told the column, “you did what your parents said.”

He made a couple of appearances for Hartlepool in 1948 (“small and nippy” says A Century of Poolies), spent nine North Eastern League years with Spennymoor United and seven with Consett. Both paid more than Hartlepool.

“It was a really hard game back then,” said Jackie. “You got knocked down but you got back up again. There was nee rollin’ about and pretendin’, like there is today.”

He’d also played cricket for Ushaw Moor – “grey trousers, cream shirt, football boots painted white.”

When the coalhouse door closed he worked for 28 years in the Durham University maintenance department, spent his retirement wood carving – soap carving when his hands weren’t too clever – and writing poetry.

Most of the time he still hoped that the bairns might come knocking, see if he fancied a kickabout in the front street.

He’d been diagnosed with stomach cancer four years ago, declined surgery after being advised of the risk, turned instead to a regimen of green tea.

“It’s all the rage in America. Until a few weeks ago it seemed to be working wonders,” says his son, John.. “He’d got to nearly 88. He’d had a good life, had Jack.”

ALF Hutchinson’s funeral at Darlington crematorium on Monday was enriched by a wonderful eulogy from Terry Simpson, a former colleague at Eryholme and Cockerton cricket clubs and in the DHSS.

“Alf always used common sense,” said Terry. “It’s a trait not all that familiar in the civil service.”

Long in Darlington but still a proud Yorkshireman, Alf – as the column observed a fortnight ago – continued to follow the county side around the country.

Terry said that his friend seemed to know almost everyone, recalled a visit to Trent Bridge a few years back when he’d been warmly greeted over cornflakes at the B&B by retired test match umpire Dickie Bird.

The B&B was perfectly serviceable but neither opulent nor obviously expensive. “You have to remember,” said Terry, “that Dickie’s a Yorkshireman, too.”

LAST Friday evening to Esh Winning v Willington, a bit fresh as the euphemists would suppose, Willington secretary Geoff Siddle particularly up for it because victory would mark their 1,000th Northern League win and because Crook Town, the old enemy, lurk on 990. Five other teams have already passed the 1,000 milestone. This one ends 1-1.

A LUNCHTIME drink in Richmond last week with Wendy Bowker, lifelong Liverpool fan and a driving force behind celebrated Boro-born artist Mackenzie Thorpe. A few days earlier she’d been staying in her usual Liverpool hotel, unexpectedly upgraded to the penthouse suite in which Herr Klopp had spent the previous night. She’s still excited. “I can’t say that I slept with Jurgen Klopp, but it’s the closest I’m going to get.”

INDOMITABLE former Darlington footballer Ian Larnach, long fighting cancer and raising money for the yet-bigger battle, reports from the Quakers game at Chorley a couple of weeks back.

His son Paul, who lives over there, sponsored the away team (as apparently you can). Ian, also in attendance, enjoyed the hospitality room beneath the stand – “like going back to Feethams in the old days” – and particularly a “fantastic” Lancashire hotpot at half-time.

Then they had to pick the visitors’ man of the match – Gary Brown, outstanding all game, says Ian.

That was a bit of a family connection, too. In his 1970s days at Crook Town, Ian played alongside Gary’s late father – and joined him on that unforgettable tour of India.

LAST week’s note on Big Ron Atkinson reminded Terry Farley, Elderly President of the Bishop Auckland Referees Society, of his first appearance in the Football League middle – in which Atkinson was making one of his record number of appearances for Oxford United. “To be honest I didn’t have a very good game,” recalls Terry, though he did gain a “man of the match” nomination on the voting slips given to the crowd. It was from his ever-loyal wife Marina.

AND finally... 

The only footballer to have played for both Liverpool and Everton, Manchester United and Manchester City (Backtrack, February 9) is Peter Beardsley. Paul Dobson first with the answer.

Today back to those Northern League millennials. Readers are invited to suggest the five teams, all still members, who’ve won more than 1,000 games in the world’s second oldest league.

Grand gesture, the column returns next week.