Oval memories by book or by Crook

11:30am Friday 22nd February 2008

ANOTHER 50-year anniversary, another golden goose. It's five decades today since Crook Town beat Corinthian Casuals at the Oval and if that's a case of what goes around comes around - as they may almost observe at the Oval - the bonus is that the elliptical route leads also to the Big Book of Football Champions.

Like North-East amateur football, the Big Book had its heyday in the 1950s. It listed no publisher, no price and no matter. Probably it was about ten bob and top of every boy's Christmas wish list.

The 1958 edition, presently on the desk, has a picture of the Oval match, Bert Stewart scoring a replay penalty for Crook with the great grimpen gas holder glowering behind.

It had Eddie Hopkinson, Wheatley Hill lad, in goal for England and Derek Kevan of Ripon at centre-forward. It was when keepers had cheesecutters, when trainers had magic sponges not aerodynamic soles, when Lev Yashin could be known as the Black Octopus without fear of race relations rebuke or a petition from thousands of eight-armed cephalopods.

The Big Book also had a splendid picture of Darlington goalkeeper Joe Turner, face first in the Stamford Bridge clarts, after Chelsea's FA Cup equaliser. Mud in your eye, Joe probably didn't think it splendid at all.

The "amateur" section noted that Bishop Auckland's hold on the FA Amateur Cup had finally been released. "The signs are that they will have difficulty in regaining their ascendancy," the book noted, and never had truer word been written.

There was still Crook Town, though, and there was still Mike Tracey. Then a law student from Blackburn, Mike played in both semi-finals for the strictly corinthian Casuals, scoring in the 2-2 draw at Crook in front of 6,000 spectators.

Crook won the replay 2-1, Essex and England cricketer Doug Insole scoring for the Casuals, Stewart and Cyril Gowland for the Co Durham side. The Casuals' official match report (for which thanks to John Phelan) found consolation.

"It is a great tribute to the defence that the normally freescoring Crook forward line was unable to score a good goal in three hours' play against us."

That same day, precisely fifty years ago, former York City centre-forward Arthur Bottom scored twice on his debut for Newcastle United - "the best buy of the season," the Echo observed - Hartlepools earned a 1-1 draw at Hull thanks to a "wonderful" display by Ryhopeborn goalkeeper Jim Dyson and Stockton, then North Eastern League amateurs, joined Crook in the quarter-finals.

It was the following season, however, before Crook triumphed at Wembley - in no small part due to two goals from the recently-signed inside left, a Lancashire lad called Mike Tracey.

Now 73 and a father of 12 - "to my terrible shame, some of the boys are Arsenal fans" - he's long retired to a smallholding in Donegal.

He can see the sea from his sitting room and well remembers those happy days in Crook's amber and black.

"There was no question of illegal payments at Corinthian Casuals. They'd pay your train fare if you had a receipt, but you even had to wash your own shirt.

"I was absolutely fascinated by playing at the Oval. We used the outfield and frequently had the Bedser twins watching us, but there wasn't much else I liked about London."

He qualified, went back to Lancashire, was visited on Bishop Auckland's behalf by fellow solicitor Harold Hewitt, later to become a circuit judge.

"I don't know why I didn't join Bishops, because they were a very good side, but Crook also made me an offer and fixed me up a legal job with Marquis & Co, in the market place. They were thoroughly enjoyable days in the North-East."

Still attracting interest from Football League clubs, and with three England amateur caps, he recalls the day an unexpected visitor arrived at the office in Crook.

"It was a chauffeur in full uniform, telling me that a gentleman wanted to see me outside.

"It was that bugger Ted Drake (then Chelsea's manager.) He said they didn't pay signing fees but offered me a job on £1500 a year as assistant to Teddy Tinling, the dress designer who made frocks for Gorgeous Gussie Moran."

He turned them down, joined Luton, who - clearly a law unto themselves, even then - gave him £1,000 in his hand without being asked for a penny. Since the Law Society insisted he couldn't play part-time - "I don't know what it was to do with them" - he became a full-time professional.

It was a mistake. He scored three times in 24 League appearances before moving to Lincoln, where there were family connections. "I probably wasn't good enough, I disliked Luton intensely and I was very happy to get away.

"The only good thing that ever happened there was that I met my wife."

After five goals in 21 games at Lincoln, he returned to the law, practised chiefly in Worksop, retired to his Donegal smallholding at 45.

"There's a lot of ill health on the male side of the family," he explains.

He'd also helped Crook win the Northern League title - Bishop Auckland, arch-rivals, just fifth - scored a hat-trick in the League Cup semi-final win against the Bishops but then saw the team lose 7-0 to West Auckland in the final, with 4,000 in the Shildon ground to witness it.

"Seamus O'Connell never shook a bloody leg in that match," he recalls.

The picture's of him about to score the opening goal in the 1959 Amateur Cup final.

It's filched, almost inevitably, from that year's Big Book of Football Champions.

Rare programme recalls Boro being happy to beat Glossop

IT'S A FAMILIAR quiz question: Glossop, in Derbyshire, is the smallest town to have been home to topflight English football. The programme - Middlesbrough v Glossop North End, FA Cup first round, January 14, 1911 - is altogether more rare.

Boro were in the top half of the first division, Glossop struggling as usual near the foot of the second. That the home side only won 1-0, and with an 88th minute goal, did nothing to mar the joy.

"Once more serenity reigns in the Middlesbrough camp," our man's timeless intro began. "All the petty bickerings over players and their reputations are forgotten."

If Boro were pleased, Newcastle were ecstatic - the 6- 1 win over Bury, the holders, considered "the greatest victory ever" - and non-league Darlington were damn-near delirious after a 1-0 win at Sheffield United, of the first division.

Roland Brebner, the Olympian, was carried shoulder high from the field, the town band summoned to greet the heroes' return.

Glossop were in the top flight for just one season, 1899-1900, swiftly returned whence they'd come and didn't resume after the war.

The programme, and much more early Middlesbrough memorabilia, is part of the latest Methuselah auction at the Marton Country Club at 1pm on March 6. The full auction catalogue is on www.methuselahltd.com PAUL Hodgson, whose wit and one-liners have accompanied the column all these years, has resigned as secretary of Spennymoor Boxing Academy. "No fall-outs, I just wanted a bit time out of boxing," insists Hodgy and may be trying to get metal detecting recognised as an Olympic sport, instead.

That's what he's into, anyway, scratting about the other night near the site of the Battle of Nevilles Cross and delighted to find what appeared to be a helmet and shield.

It was only back in the car that they realised they had an old bucket and a sign saying "Hanratty's scrapyard." It's true, says Hodgy; honest.

ANDREW Scullion, whose fearful head injuries caused by bladed boots needed 39 stitches (Backtrack, January 18) has returned to the Over 40s League with Darlington RA. A second half substitute, he even managed to get the ball in the net, only to see an unsympathetic referee rule it out for offside. Andrew has a headache again.

SAM Bartram, Boldon Colliery lad and all-time Charlton Athletic hero, will be remembered in his home village with a Memorial Cup match on February 28.

The game's at 7.15 between Boldon Villa, Sam's team, and Cleadon. Local kids are said to have worked tirelessly to spruce up the ground for the big occasion and will play against parents and community workers in a warmup game at the Boldon CA ground. Charlton have sent strips.

The event's organised by Boldon Neighbourhood Management with support from affordable home provider Home and South Tyneside Council. Mike Blake, who wrote Sam's splendid biography, will be up from the south to present the trophies.

Sam, just 67 when he died in 1981, made 623 appearances in Charlton's green jersey, including two FA Cup finals.

STILL assiduously compiling potted biographies of everyone who's ever played Durham County cricket, county scorer Brian Hunt again seeks readers' help.

Altogether there've been around 2,000, dating back to 1882, and already the poor little feller's been 20 years at his task.

He'd welcome first names, date or place of birth or death or just about anything else on the following: A Appleby (1929), G Luke, a bowler (1923), M Hardy (1960), D Laws (1949), Jackie Dodds of South Moor (1929), P H Shallcross, a wicketkeeper (1959), J Hey of Consett (1958-59) and J Jackson of Leadgate (1920).

Brian, the best of blokes, is on 01388 661783 or Brian.Hunt@durhamccc.co.uk ANOTHER search, another 50th anniversary. The allconquering Shildon Works Juniors side of 1958 plan an April 5 reunion in Shildon Civic Hall and have still been unable to track three of the best.

Goalkeeper Keith Fodden was last heard of in the Potteries, Allan West is thought to be abroad and Bill Stokoe may have taken the familiar railwayman's route from Shildon to York to Doncaster.

Anyone who can help is asked to contact Mike Barker on 01388 603598 or Dick Longstaff on 01388 450775.

THEN there are the splendid gentleman of the Durham Amateur Football Trust, now semi-permanently based at the National Railway Museum in Shildon and anxious to paint a biographical picture of legendary Bishop Auckland FC secretary and player Kit Rudd.

The trust would welcome any anecdotes, memories, press cuttings or photographs - the latter two returned. Secretary Tony Huntingdon, Witton Park lad originally, is at 10 Yordas Court, Bridlington, East Yorkshire YO16 6YL - telephone 01262 676520.

...AND FINALLY

THE Sunderland FA Cup medal winner in 1973 who went on also to win an Irish Shield medal (Backtrack, February 19) was Dennis Tueart.

That's a reminder that on Friday February 29, Tueart is organising a Stadium of Light lunch and interview session to help mark the 35th anniversary. Half a dozen members of that unforgettable team, plus club chairman Niall Quinn, are expected to be present.

Tickets are £45, £450 for a table of ten. It all leads up to a big bash at the Rainton Meadows Arena on May 4, the day before the exact anniversary.

John Irvine in Fishburn today invites readers to name the only player to have appeared in a North- East derby, a Liverpool derby, and a London, Berlin and Munich derby.

The neighbourhood column returns on Tuesday.

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