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..
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