From The Victoria Ground To Berchem & Back...(Part 3)

Murton colliery welfare fc (AFC Murton)..

As i've mentioned in my previous blogs, my education into learning about the beautiful game has taken a lot of twists and turns..one such turn was in the late 70's early 80's..my grandparents lived in the coal mining village of murton in county durham most of their lives..A very friendly place where a warm welcome is met with a smile and a nice strong cup of tea..its hard to put over in words what this place is about..but if you think of the tv series that featured ROYSTON VASEY and blend it in with some of where the heart is with characters similar to last of the summer wine, you'll be somewhere close..!!!

Very often when staying at my grandparents house on the east moor estate (wembley as it was known to locals) i'd be wrapped up and packed off with a flask of hot tea and a few pence in my pocket to the recreation sports ground..it was quite a treck over 2 fields,down a dirty muddy track past the bus depot and into the ground..
There was nothing special about the place..it was quite ramshacked and the old stand was just about on its last legs..i remember a shed you could get into at half time to shelter from the biting cold wind from the north sea..a lovely old lady used to serve up hot drinks and i'd find a corner and pour myself a welcome hot cup of tea..One game does stick out in my memory..simply because murton were playing sunderland reserves..one player who stood out above all others was shaun elliot..a giant of a man who was later to become captain of the rokerites..i'm not sure why murton were playing sunderland reserves that freezing cold day but i'm sure theres an answer out there somewhere in cyberspace..
I'd happily stand watching games..watching players and how they controlled the ball, passed it short and long..little tricks and how to tackle..all reproduced the following day in the street or on the waste ground nearby..

Returning to my nana's freezing cold after a game i'd ask her for the football scores..all noted neatly down the side of the journal..she'd be very happy if her beloved sunland as she called them won..but in a matter of seconds would be saying "my poor little hartlepool" lost again..a wave of her magic wand and food was there..hot steaming platefulls of whatever and a nice strong cup of tea and piles of bread and butter..

Topic of conversation was usually football and she'd get round to asking what the score was at the game i'd attended..thing was she knew already..canny folk these murton folk..the word on anything spread through the village at lightening speed..it was like my nana had a radar and knew every thing and every move people made..no need for mobile phones in those days..the grapevine did just fine.

I'm pretty much out of touch with things in murton these days..i do have an auntie there and a couple of cousins but time has moved on and the only real communication is via christmas cards..i remember a story many years ago featured on some BBC programme about how afc murton had serious problems at their ground..amazingly a hole had appeared in the pitch, and below was a huge hole leading to old mine workings..i shall do a little googling to catch up on whats what up there..though before even looking i fear the picture is a sad one for afc murton along with many grass roots teams in the non-league pyramid..

Thought i'd include the above video from prefab sprout into this blog..it has some stunning photos and a catchy tune..it also helps bring this part of my series of blogs nicely together..

From The Victoria Ground To Berchem & Back.......(Part 2)

Boro Boys We Are Here..

Moving on from excitement and scary experience of my first visit to ayresome park..i soon became a regular in the east stand with my dad and or his mate paul (a boro nut from birth).
Now living in linthorpe, just a stones throw from ayresome, we'd set off calling at drews sweet shop on st barnabas road for a quarter of midget gems, before taking our seats with the boro faithful in the stand..
One thing that i realy loved was the teams running out to the fanfare of "THE POWER GAME" a rousing tune that realy set the atmosphere and got the vocal holgate end into voice with loads of "come on boro's and the unique hymn of "we are the ayresome angels....."

Under the reign of manager john neal boro were becoming quite a force in the first division..a team of vast experience with local youth blended in..many of the younger players moved on to bigger stages in those days..i remember david mills heading off to west brom for half a million pounds..a massive sum in those days..then greats like darren wood and tony mc andrew heading south to chelsea..BIGGEST  heartbreak was the departure of david hodgson to liverpool along with "SKIPPY" craig johnstone..then the now boro coach heading to the trent to join boro legend brian clough at nottingham forest.

Although sad at the time to see these players go..there always seemed to be a new favourite coming in to stir the passions of the faithful..many greats like bosco jankovic..heine otto..and my all time favourite TERRY COCHRANE came to ayresome and were worshipped like gods..

Pictured above TERRY COCHRANE arrived on teesside from turf moor burnley..SOCKS PULLED UP here , he would often have them round his ankles,ball at his feet and jinking and dribbling down the wing on another boro attack...his trademark step-over would send many a full back the wrong way, leaving him clear  to cross for the oncoming forwards to slam the ball in the back of the net..

Zoom forward a few years and supporting the boro was becoming a chore, rather than a pleasure..things were getting bad on the pitch and crowds were down to a meagre 4000...i was now becoming a regular in the holgate terrace with my mates, with the odd time venturing into the south stand terrace to taunt the visiting fans..
Talking of visiting fans..it must have been quite an experience for many a hardy fan to come to ayresome..the atmosphere was always hostile towards them, and a punch up very often on the agenda..
This was the era of the casual..the trendy "JOEYS" in their designer sportswear..i cant honestly remember when it all started at boro as violence before during and after games was all very normal from my first visit in the 70's.
Numbering at least 300, these lads would take their seats in the east stand or south stand and cheer on the boro while keeping an eye on visitors like a lion stalking its next meal..

I dont want to focus on the hooligan element too much..but it was part and parcel of supporting the club, and loyalty and respect was gained from standing your ground..backing up your mates and never running from anyone..its only since i started using the internet a few years ago, i realised the boro crew name was the frontline..To me it was just the boro lads..some mentioned the beer belly crew and others the boro battle crew..most of these people i knew..i'd grown up with them so to speak and the ones i didnt were soon to become known to all..NOBODY ever handed out membership cards..you just went to the games and if trouble broke out, it was get stuck in and get away from the bobbies before you got lifted..many times i'd get home with a bust nose,ripped clothes and yet another tongue lashing from my mam..
This just went over my head..the next game was just around the corner and the buzz from getting to ayresome park with my mates was becoming addictive..

If boro were away i'd often be found at hartlepool watching my first football passion the not so mighty pools (back then)..my dad was working in aberdeen in the oil industry so i'd also get the odd call from him that i'd be able to fly up north to see him and the dons of aberdeen..all exciting stuff for a young lad growing up in the boro , and the envy of my a lot of my mates.
Taking in a couple of cup finals and a few games, aberdeen were quite a force in the 80's and were to be respected all over europe..
Zooming back a bit and not forgetting my education into the beautiful game..i shall share with you my visits to the tiny murton fc in what was then the wearside league on my next installment..oh and so much more from teesside to the back streets of lowestoft..

From The Victoria Ground to Club Berchem & back...(part 1)

Let me take you on a journey through the tough streets of hartlepool to the first football game i ever attended..Sadly i don't have a programme from the game but do remember me and my dad getting on the bus at peterlee and heading off on the short journey to THE VICTORIA GROUND..
It was quite an adventure for me and i remember it all very well..the opposition was stockport county and we sat in the old wooden stand on clarence road..the game itself is a bit of a blur but i remember we won 3-0 and there was a penalty..this stands out in my mind because my dad told me i had to reel off the scorers and the penalty taker when we got home to mam..alas that bit is well faded in my memory.

Next stop i remember on my voyage through football was to roker park to see sunderland take on cardiff city..this became quite a memorable game as shortly afterwards i was hit with meningitis and rushed to hospital and then to the old isolation hospital in sunderland which i believe was the havelock or something similar..

Anyway now fully recovered and back to my family..we moved to antwerp,belgium as my dad was employed there within the oil industry..

Living in the area of antwerp called berchem..the local team was kv berchem sport and my dads mate mike kear was a full time pro for them..in fact as you'll see from the video, he was the first full time pro..
Now the unusual thing back then was that games were played on a sunday..so off we'd set up our street and  along to the stadium which was not too far away..first memories were of lots of colour when entering the stadium (black & yellow) , flags scarves and fans with claxons making a right racket..second memory was the hot-dogs..omg these were the real deal and served up with mustard..something i'd never tasted before but loved from the first bite..

Anyway we took our places in the stand and waited for "uncle mike" to come out with the other players..all exciting stuff for a 6 year old..the game has faded once again into memory but the sights and smells still linger.

We often went down to see berchem sport and it was a great family day out for us..also my dad took me a few times to see near neighbours royal antwerp..now this was special..a huge stadium and the noise was deafening with the fans singing and dancing right through the whole game.

After a couple of years living in antwerp,we moved back to the north-east and the hustle and bustle of middlesbrough..Good thing was we lived in the then dragonara hotel (ladbrokes) for about a year untill my parents found a suitable home for us in linthorpe.

One amazing story i must share was when the mighty liverpool stayed at the hotel prior to playing the boro the day after..i remember all the stars and got autographs and pats on the head from them all and the manager bob paisley (if only we'd had camera phones back then and facebook or twitter)..also with the team was jimmy tarbuck the scouse comedian whose incessant laughter scared the life out of me..

Next day me and my dad set off to ayresome to se the boro play the mighty liverpool..the result was 1-1 and to be honest i was terrified..lots of  drunken blokes fighting and pushing around us...still that was something i had to get used to quickly because middlesbrough was and still is one of the toughest towns in britain...

Didn't We Have A Lovely Time..

A DUTCH PROVERB...

                               "Even if a monkey wears a gold ring, it is and remains an ugly creature" 

Audrey Scott - Goodbye My Love..

One of my all time favourite lovers rock reggae tunes..spine tingling tune that hits the spot every time..

National Service Now..

Here i go again on my orange box having my two penneth worth..now i dont know how the majority feel about this, so i'm just basing this on my own thoughts and reactions to what i posted on facebook and twitter.

Ok its like this..the youth today are becoming public enemy number one at present and in some cases rightly so..now i'm not saying every kid in the uk is a total twat..but what i am saying is there are pockets in every community that will treat their surrounds with nothing but contempt and just never listen to reason.
I suggest all school leavers at 16 should be sent to the armed forces for full basic training, then on completion assigned a unit and educated with the help of universities and industry so that upon completion of 5 years service, they are armed with all the tools needed to gain employment and as young adults now, be able to contribute to society instead of breaking it.

I know certain families wont like this idea of their little charlie or caroline going away from home instead of 6th form then university..but hey for one they will become adults with morals, manners and respect as well as trained in the career of their choice...now i know it may take say 7 years to become a doctor for instance, but at least with this one exception, they will be close to the top of the ladder and ready for placement in our hospitals or staying within the armed forces.

Just think of the society in say 20 years from now with highly skilled well turned out young adults..the streets would be free of their antics..the pubs and clubs would be free from their antics, and we would be a more confidant nation as a whole, knowing the streets are a lot safer and that our youth are being taken care of by skilled people moulding them into the next generation of workers for the uk.

Also think of this, a lot of illegal immigrants would be forced to make a decision whether to fit in and abide by our rules and regs, or go back to their country of origin and take their kids with them or stay here, become british citizens and play the game.

It only takes politicians to adopt this idea and run with it opening purse strings and getting the backing of the majority to take this on board and use it to rebuild our broken society.
I honestly and truthfully cant see why this wont work..maybe you who is reading it can..i'm open to any suggestions and will make our local mp aware of this blog and how strongly i feel about society being rebuilt with good positive standards..WORTH A TRY SURELY..!!!

Wishing i was lucky..

The first few lines of this song could well be an indication of  a massive life changing opportunity that has come my way..i'm not going to tempt fate or count my free range chickens..but something seems right..something is stirring and an opportunity i've longed for is now within touching distance.
You know something i am lucky..i may not have wealth but i have a great family..i may not have what i had 20 years ago but i have magnetism..a cheeky dry sense of humour and the fire in my belly to give this one hell of a good go..HOLD TIGHT COS THIS IS LIFT OFF..!!!!

When i was a lad..

When i was a lad growing up in the north east i had my fair share of scrapes with the old bill..now i'm not proud of myself but hey it happened and thankfully i grew up and moved on.

Thinking about it and trying to make some kind of sense of what is going on in cities right now i feel i may have a valid point to put over here.

The violence of my era was mainly aimed at the police ,visiting football fans and the iron lady who seemed to be single handedly ripping our country and its hardworking communities apart..Racism was never an issue in middlesbrough or other areas in the north east where i had family living. and i happily mixed with pakistani and west indian lads and lasses at school and in my social life, whether it be playing or watching football or passing hours playing cricket in the park or street (something rarely seen these days)..yes there were fights..we were kids and kids do fight and fall out RIGHT.

Looking back we didn't have a lot in comparison to todays kids with their x-boxes laptops mobile phones and taste for the latest up to date fashion items..Those fashion items were way out of reach for most i mixed with..yes older ones had all the trendy gear but i know for a fact, most of it was robbed from shops on trips to away games or days out in newcastle or york.

I remember the pressures slowly filtering down to us and passed on to our parents..we wanted trainers not dunlop green flash plimsoles..we wanted kappa ski jackets...the list was becoming endless.

Right at the time of the above there was a massive wave of influence coming over the atlantic in the hip-hop breakdance rap street dance and house music scenes..To be part of this scene you had to have the gear and the tunes blasting out on a trendy ghetto blaster, complete with a square of lyno to fling yourself around on..NOT my thing but a good reference point for what i'm trying to say.

Yes america has saved our asses and backed us up in numerous ways helping to keep this country free and great..However i feel the influence of american culture has from the early 50's days of doo-wop, elvis then right through to todays mind numbing music and televisual feasts served up on cable and sky..Then of course theres the bain of my life and one of my pet hates FAST FOOD..yes i've tried it all and to be fair to it, it is edible but not the sort of shite i want on my plate on a daily basis.

The last thing i want to do is offend the brilliant american friends i've made via the internet and this is not aimed at you..BUT i'm afraid the influences your people created are destroying the very fabric of society and driving a wedge between teens and the rest of the population..its the teens that are our future and unless they cut free from the GHETTO GANGSTA type lifestyle they will only have one contribution to make..doing time for our gracious queen.

There are numerous factors causing kids and young adults to destroy steal and stick 2 fingers up at whats right at the moment..one of those factors is influence..lets hope as adults we are passing a good influence and shielding our kids from as much of this as we can, with constructive family lives, good diet and most importantly love shown from the heart not the wallet.

Beautiful lovers rock reggae

To me one of the finest soul tunes ever..

.