Playing Football

A Memory of Netley.

I remember the person who broke his leg that day was Bernie Lowe as I was playing for the team Hound United against Netley FC on that pitch. I also remember your father as I played for them for a season with I think your brother Arthur. I played also for Netley Sports for a number of years and still come back now to the village. I have very fond memories of the village when to me it was the best place to live then. I still meet up with people now like Dick Donahoe, Jeff Foyle, Alan Wadd and Bob Crompton. I have so many memories of the village and how it has changed over the years. I moved there with my family in 1959 or 1960, went to Butlocks Heath School and then to Hamble County Secondary School. Going back over the years I can remember watching players like Dave Murphy, Ivor Howells, Trevor Turner, Pat Rafferty, Chris Queen who I believe had trials with Chelsea, Steve Budden, Jimmy Lysagrides, John Chandler who still reminds me I broke his ribs when I first started playing football with Netley, and not forgetting Charlie Clarke and also Tony Heaney who played for the Saints, Phil Janes, Ian Morgan and his brother Brian... the list just goes on, what a village of football talent. Still to this day I can remember so many footballers coming to this village to play the game, that was in the days when football was football. We used to play sides like Gosport, Salisbury, Andover and also Southampton A team and the rec' was full with supporters. As they always say 'remember your childhood', I most certainly do. I also remember the pubs, the Crown and Cushion, the Prince Consort where I used to go down on Sunday nights and there were players from the Saints team there having a drink with us locals, mainly Terry Sullivan, Harry Noyce, me and Jeff Foyle, Keith Ford, Jimmy Watson, Malc Dawkins drinking alongside Steve Mills, Jim Steele, and a few more and not forgettinig Sid Wilson who used to drive over from Hedge End, those were the days, Mary Hopkin, just a pun, that's enough for now, more later.

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