An audience with England's longest serving football manager

Indeed, a few weeks earlier, Lucy and her ambulance crew had been called to the home of 93-year-old Jim in Shincliffe.

Jim's wife, Barbara, said: "He was in a lot of pain so I phoned for an ambulance. When they arrived, Lucy recognised Jim and told him that she had got her quiz question right because she lived in Pity Me and was aware of Jim being the long serving manager of the England Schoolboys Team.

“Not only that but she quickly sussed out what was wrong with him, and in a very short time we had the necessary medication to ease Jim's symptoms.

“Thanks again to the NHS."

Jim, born and bred in Pity Me, went to St John's Teacher Training College in York and started his teaching career in 1948 in Washington, County Durham. He played football with Stanley United in the Northern League as well as cricket with Pity Me.

During his National Service he was a member of the Royal Ulster Rifles and played football for Ballymena FC.

He recalled: "They had some strange habits at Ballymena. At half-time, trainer Jimmy Littlewood would come round with a packet of cigarettes so we could all have a smoke."

Jim had a gift for influencing the young and was appointed Head of Gilesgate Moor Junior School in Durham in 1968 and he remained as head when the school moved to new buildings, the Laurel Avenue Junior, in 1974, where he met Barbara. "I was her boss," said Jim.

Jim had qualified for his full Football Association Coaching Badge in 1953 and after varied involvement at local and county level, he was invited to act as Assistant Team Manager to Tom Saunders who managed the England Schools Football Team.

Saunders soon joined Liverpool's backroom team so Jim became the England Schoolboys Team Manager in 1970.

In 1971, he was in charge of his first England Under 15 team. He led them out at Wembley on March 6 before they beat Northern Ireland 3-0.

He said: "I always instructed my teams to pass the ball around, keep possession, and play attractive football."

Jim Morrow seated third from the right in bottom row with the England Under 15 team to play France at the Arsenal Stadium on March 25 1972. Peter Stronach from Sunderland is second from the right in the back row and Wilf Rostron, also from Sunderland, second from the left on the front row

In August 1974 his England team toured Australia, playing several representative games against state teams before defeating the Australian national side 2-0 in Sydney.

The following season, the first European Schoolboys Tournament was staged in West Germany. The English schoolboys followed the precedent set by the older boys of 1966 and beat the hosts 4-2 in Dortmund and became the first European schoolboy champions.

According to Jim, the best display by one of his teams was on June 2, 1978, in Munich, where, inspired by captain Shaun Brooks and Tommy Caton, the schoolboys again defeated West Germany, this time 3-1, to give Jim a marvellous 50th birthday present.

Other schoolboy players to have benefited from Jim's coaching include Clive Allen, Mark Higgins, Gerry Murphy, Steve Powell, Ray Ranson, Andy Richie, Kenny Sansom, Danny Thomas and Ray Wilkins.

Jim had extra praise for both Ray Wilkins and Sunderland-born Peter Stronach. Jim added: "They were two really gifted footballers with a good attitude.”

Jim managed the England Schoolboys Under 15 team for 12 seasons from 1970-71 to 1981-82 during which time he played 97, won 62, drew 16 and lost 19.

We would like to add that Jim, who later became Youth Development Officer at Sunderland Football Club, did awfully well to sit and talk to us because he is not particularly well, and we found him and Barbara to be lovely, charming people.

Jim and Barbara Morrow at their home in Shincliffe, County Durham. Picture: James Walker

• With thanks to James Walker and Dave Kidd from Howden-le-Wear.