Old Player Watch

[si attiker]

Mark Bellingham now at Causeway Utd and scored last Saturday.(unless there are 2 of em).

[Perton Pitman]

A big thanks to Phil CLarke for last night's goal

[Glyn]

The usual selection of HTFC Old Boys on the mark today in the Evo-stik empire

http://evostikleague.pitchero.com/results.php

(And hey, Gabby Agbonlahor certainly got the better name didn't he, that's awesome!)

[Perton Pitman]

Mark Bellingham played for Wolverhampton Casuals last night and scored 2 goals in their win against Cradley. More clubs than I've had hot dinners (spot the cliche!!)

[Glyn]

Commiserations to Drapes and his Macc colleagues who will find themselves in the BSP next season

It's been an awful couple of years for the club, with the deaths of one manager and one player, their best player sold onwards and upwards (and Tyrone will be playing at Molineux next season - and possibly Villa Park too.... ) and now relegation

Life can be tough....

[Perton Pitman]

Marv scored again yesterday for Brackley

[Glyn]

Macc manager sacked

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17422634

Brian Horton has been drafted in as manager

http://www.mtfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0 ... 15,00.html

Brian Horton has today left Macclesfield following their relegation.

Time to retire I think, Nobby..... although there are potentially three managerial vacancies in the Birmingham/Wolverhampton area, coming soon....

[Perton Pitman]

Some bloke called Bellingham scored both goals tonight as Bedworth overcame Uxbridge in their play-off semi-final...

...surely not!!

[Glyn]

No League football just yet then for Briscoe and Dyer as Mansfield crash out to York

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17890870

[over65]

Nobby for Hednesford!

[Perton Pitman]

Wasn't aware we had a vacancy!

[The Beerhunter]

I'd like to see him in midfield with Jay Denny and Chris Clements

[over65]

but he wasn't a midfield player

[Glyn]

but he wasn't a midfield player

Nobby Horton?? - of course he was....



... unless you want to argue that he was an "inside left", back in the day....!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Horton

[over65]

With all due respcts you never saw him play.I saw him make his debut after being released as an apprentice at Walsall.He was playing alongside the old birmingham player Dick Neal who showed him everything he knows.Nobby was the smaller striker who played off the big centre forward and scored loads of goals.

[The Beerhunter]

I saw him play and he was what would now be classed as a midfielder.

http://www.hednesfordtown.com/heroes/81 ... Horton.pdf

The two forwards at the time were Laurie Percival and Terry 'Tuska' Westwood.
Incidently, I remember Dick Neal being a 'half back' not a striker.

[over65]

Yes but when he went to Hednesford he led the line, at that level he could use his experience to good effect at centre forward.
Think Percival and Westwood were a little bit later.Always open to correction tho.
Played against Nobby at schools level for Littleworth boys he played for Central schools Chadsmoor.

[si attiker]

Tend to think that Beerhunter is right.Nobby and Lozza Percival did play in the same team.Never looked upon Dick Neal as a target man.

[PitmanKeith]

My memories of "Nobby" stem from the following team;

Cullen, Ashton, Redmond, Babb, Butler, Palin, Millard, Horton, Percival, Westwood, Campbell.

I would think this was around 1968/69 when I first started keeping records. If my memory serves me right "Nobby" first arrived at Hednesford following his release from Walsall around 1966/67 and though he may have played a few games as an out and out striker he was what would be classed these days as a central midfielder.

In the above side Roy Ashton and Phil "Chopper" Redmond were the full backs, Micky Babb and Ian Butler the centre halves, Billy Millard and Jimmy Campbell the wide men/wingers, Granville Palin played defensive/holding midfield, "Nobby" played midfield playmaker, and Laurie Percival and Terry "Tuska" Westwood the strikers.

But in my 50 years (in August) supporting HTFC I can only remember "Nobby" playing as a striker on the very odd occasion.

[Glyn]

With all due respcts you never saw him play.

With as much due respect (and it's never easy having discussion with people who post under pseudonyms) I certainly did!! (I'm older than I look! )

And I concur with much of what has subsequently been said - I DO recall Dick Neal playing up front when he first arrived, initially wearing the number 10 shirt (I think) [and that did mean something in those days, although it could mean either a striker (eg Geoff Hurst) or an inside-forward/midfielder] - before gravitating back to the number 4 shirt

We might need to start a new "nostalgia" thread.....

[Glyn]

Another year at NBH for Youngy

http://www.nonleaguedaily.com/news/inde ... &nid=84578

[The Beerhunter]

My memories of "Nobby" stem from the following team;

Cullen, Ashton, Redmond, Babb, Butler, Palin, Millard, Horton, Percival, Westwood, Campbell.

That's the team I remember Keith, with one exception, Geoff Stanley at left back instead of Phil Redmond?

[over65]

I have been digging thru some old programs and came up with the following.
On the 15th October we played Tamworth away in the fa cup. From the following weeks program i can see that we drew 1-1.The scorers Neal for us and Percival! for Tamworth.The crowd was 2431 and the Hednesford team
Farnell,Davies.D,Ashton,Merrett,Davies.A,Platt,Wright,Horton,Wiggin,Neal,Bent.
Prior to that i think on the 1st October we beat Brierley Hill Alliance in the previous round with the same team,we won 6-0.The scorers were Bent,Neal2,Wiggin,Horton, and Wright.
Unfortunately we lost the replay to Tamworth in front of 3062 by 3-1.Neal scored for Hednesford and Percival was one of the Tamworth scorers.The next round draw was away at Gillingham.
After that we lost 5-1 at home to Cinderford would you believe before beating local rivals Bilston 3-2.
This was the season we played our only game away from Cross Keys at the festival stadium.
By xmas Dick Neal had 12 goals and Nobby was in the reserves.
I think originally i got some of it right with Dick Neal playing up front but with Nobby as an attacking midfielder.Over to you guys.

[Glyn]

I have been digging thru some old programs and came up with the following.
On the 15th October we played Tamworth away in the fa cup. From the following weeks program i can see that we drew 1-1.The scorers Neal for us and Percival! for Tamworth.The crowd was 2431 and the Hednesford team
Farnell,Davies.D,Ashton,Merrett,Davies.A,Platt,Wright,Horton,Wiggin,Neal,Bent.
Prior to that i think on the 1st October we beat Brierley Hill Alliance in the previous round with the same team,we won 6-0.The scorers were Bent,Neal2,Wiggin,Horton, and Wright.
Unfortunately we lost the replay to Tamworth in front of 3062 by 3-1.Neal scored for Hednesford and Percival was one of the Tamworth scorers.The next round draw was away at Gillingham.
After that we lost 5-1 at home to Cinderford would you believe before beating local rivals Bilston 3-2.
This was the season we played our only game away from Cross Keys at the festival stadium.
By xmas Dick Neal had 12 goals and Nobby was in the reserves.
I think originally i got some of it right with Dick Neal playing up front but with Nobby as an attacking midfielder.Over to you guys.

Great stuff (as I said, we ought to start a nostalgia thread so I'll lift this reply and your post onto there).....

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=607

you haven't said which year it was (and I ought to know but my brain hurts....)

There's a famous story about champagne in our dressing room after the game at The Lamb which was to be consumed win, lose or draw because the then chairman had other things to do after the game (forgive me if I don't quite have that right..... Bob may help us out but without being too precise.... )

Graham Bent hugging the left touchline is a vivid memory from that era

As is the fact that the grassy bank on the side terrace for that replay was so packed there was barely room for the kids to gambol down it...

[PitmanKeith]

I have been digging thru some old programs and came up with the following.
On the 15th October we played Tamworth away in the fa cup. From the following weeks program i can see that we drew 1-1.The scorers Neal for us and Percival! for Tamworth.The crowd was 2431 and the Hednesford team
Farnell,Davies.D,Ashton,Merrett,Davies.A,Platt,Wright,Horton,Wiggin,Neal,Bent.
Prior to that i think on the 1st October we beat Brierley Hill Alliance in the previous round with the same team,we won 6-0.The scorers were Bent,Neal2,Wiggin,Horton, and Wright.
Unfortunately we lost the replay to Tamworth in front of 3062 by 3-1.Neal scored for Hednesford and Percival was one of the Tamworth scorers.The next round draw was away at Gillingham.
After that we lost 5-1 at home to Cinderford would you believe before beating local rivals Bilston 3-2.
This was the season we played our only game away from Cross Keys at the festival stadium.
By xmas Dick Neal had 12 goals and Nobby was in the reserves.
I think originally i got some of it right with Dick Neal playing up front but with Nobby as an attacking midfielder.Over to you guys.

Great Stuff - was that 1966?