Up hill down Dale - the winding road to Peterlee

He's there to watch Dale, his lad, though Dale wears the number 14 shirt and spends much of the match out of sight in the West Auckland dug-out.

Jim's been the boy's biggest fan ever since he made a little bit of history - Darlington's youngest ever player, 16 years and 254 days, at Chesterfield on May 4, 1987.

"There's no question that he was regarded as an outstanding talent, a lad destined for higher things," recalls Quakers' historian Frank Tweddle.

Two and a half years later, Quakers having descended from third to fourth to Conference, young Anderson scored his debut goal in the 6-2 FA Cup win over Northwich Victoria. "It will be the first of many," observed one of the match reports - like much else, Jim still treasures it - but it wasn't at all. It was the first and last.

Dale moved to Middlesbrough, Mitch Cook transferring in the opposite direction, failed to make the first team and began a bit of a round Britain tour that included a spell in the Conference with Kings Lynn - Jim, inevitably, never missed a match - and with better clubs, like Shildon.

Up hill down Dale, some might say. Others would talk of life's vicissitudes.

He's still only a bairn, 31 next, injury plagued but still enjoying his football. His dad still hasn't ruled out a return to the big time. "He's been the youngest, mebbe he could be the oldest, an' all."

May 4, 1987 was a bank holiday Monday, so 33 people were arrested and seven pollisses injured during the festivities in Darlington.

Martyn Moxon and Ashley Metcalfe set Yorkshire's record opening stand in one-day cricket - an unbroken 211 against Warwickshire - Everton clinched their second first division championship in three seasons thanks to Pat van der Hauwe's 45th second goal at Norwich, Newcastle lost 3-0 at home to relegation haunted Charlton ("we were a disgrace," said manager Willie McFaul), Hartlepool drew 2-2 with Preston ("referee Trelford Mills did everything possible to spoil a thrilling game," said the Echo), Gary Hamilton's penalty against Mansfield clinched Boro's promotion from the third and Quakers suffered their 16th away defeat of the season.

"Same old story for sad Darlington," said the Echo headline. Dale Anderson's youthful niche in history was, for some reason, not mentioned at all.

Quakers' oldest so far, and probably half the other clubs in the League, is John Burridge - 50 in December - whose five- match Quakers career embraced his 44th birthday.

The oldest outfield player, Frank Tweddle believes, is long-time Boro centre forward Johnny Spuhler - still in Barnard Castle - whose Darlington career ended on April 28 1956, shortly before his 39th birthday.

Dr Forster, meanwhile, rings to claim the Northern League's oldest ever back four on Saturday - Andy Sinclair, balding Baggio of Tow Law Town, was 36, Jeff Hall 36, Mickey Bailey 38 and Darren Darwent, the nipper, 35. "Darren's the youth policy," says Graeme.

It wasn't even his lad about whom Jimmy Anderson wanted a bit crack, but - so small this orb - about Cornsay Park Albion against Sunderland Reserves, Durham Challenge Cup, February 15, 1958.

It has preoccupied recent columns. Jim was Albion's first reserve, thought he'd have been playing, didn't realise how old he was (he says) until he read again of the great day.

Then he was 23, the only Cornsay lad in the squad - "they brought them from Sherburn Hill, all over" - miffed when Dickie Brankston, returned from Lincoln City, got in ahead of him.

Usually, Jim recalls, they were on a fiver a man - Durham Central League, remember, a miner barely earning twice as much for a week underground - but to beat the Bank of England club they'd been promised £25 in their Stanley Matthews boots from the Co-op.

They'd changed, pro's and pro-am's, in the back room of the Royal Oak, walked across the bridge up to Pigeon Hill, left along a cart track and up to the field by the brickworks.

Around 1700 crowded the ropes, that night's Pink had reckoned. Jim supposes they'd get more than that for a derby with Esh Winning Albion. "Hellish matches, those".

Cornsay, it cannot have been forgotten, drew 1-1 in a game of two missed penalties. Jim disagrees with only one aspect of the story so far, Sunderland goalkeeper John Bollands's recollection that the Royal Oak landlord threw up the shutters and offered the visitors a pint before kick-off.

"Matty the landlord wouldn't have sold beer out of hours, not if the Queen herself had walked in," he says.

Long in Newton Aycliffe, Jim helped run Boys' Club football teams that included the successful likes of Steve Vickers, Neil Maddison and Brian Atkinson, did some scouting and is now content just to enter another page in Dale's diary.

After the 1958 match, out of licensing hours and a fiver out of pocket, he sat at the tea next to Sunderland's Scottish international Charlie Fleming. "I still honestly think I should have played, but in football terms it was the biggest day of my life."

Back to Peterlee, surprise challengers for the Albany Northern League championship, manager Eddie Freeman and his assistant Kenny Charlton looking more jiggered than the players after a heavy going 1-1 draw.

The council, ground owners, had been unable to get the heavy roller on to the wet field the previous day. On Saturday mornings, overtime rates are prohibitive.

Which is why that morning, as on many others, manager and assistant had found themselves taking the place of the tractor.

"They always warned me that it would be horse work at Peterlee," says the admirable Eddie. "Now I understand what they meant."

the first footballer to play in all four divisions in the same season was Eric Nixon - Wolves, Southampton, Tranmere, Man City and Carlisle in 1986-87.

Tranmere superfan Steve Wilson from Darlington was first there. Hails of Hartlepool, in consultation with Uncle Albert Kelleher ("I took silk" he says) reckoned Eric McManus, another goalkeeper of the era.

The phrase about close and no banana comes to mind, but may not be appropriate in Hartlepool.

Today, back to Dale Anderson, signed for Darlington - recalls his dad - by the manager who held the hot seat between Cyril Knowles and Dave Booth.

Readers have until Friday to remember who he was.

Published: Tuesday, April 2, 2001