WHEN FOOTBALL BEGAN

  75 years ago today a top flight footballer who went on to represent England and win the FA Cup was amongst those who rushed to the gates of Easington Colliery in the wake of the disaster that was to take the lives of 83 miners. Tommy Garrett, born in South Shields in February 1926, had recently suffered the disappointment of losing in the FA Cup Final to Newcastle United, for whom Jackie Milburn scored both goals in a 2-0 success. Left full-back Tommy had earlier lost in the 1948 FA Cup Final when Manchester United beat Blackpool 4-2. Tommy had joined the Seasiders after playing for Horden Colliery Welfare during WWII when he worked as a Bevin Boy at Easington Colliery. As the youngest of seven sons from amongst 12 children he had briefly joined his father Joseph Frederick Garrett there. According to his sister, Barbara Harle, “Tommy hated it” and whereas their dad worked all his life down the mines the youngster, whose older brothers were miners for most of their lives, soon mov...

  God and games Like Everton, Manchester City owes its origins to a Church, in this case St Mark’s Church of West Gorton, an increasingly densely populated suburb that had been constructed on rural land from 1800 onwards. From the moment it was consecrated in 1865 Church organisers set out to develop a community spirit amongst local residents, many of whom were recent work seeking immigrants from rural England, Scotland, Ireland and the Continent, especially Italy and Germany. With little to do or places to meet after finishing work local youth were drawn to the thrill of bare knuckle fighting and Scuttling involving mass battles with rival gangs from Bradford or Miles Platting in which belts, slings, sticks and stones would be employed as weapons. Both sides would scatter if the police came on the scene only to reemerge at a later date. With West Gorton also beset with problems caused by alcohol the Church sought to develop alternative activities and Rector Arthur Connell en...

  One century ago today Ted Harper scored the sixth goal for Blackburn Rovers as they thrashed neighbours Burnley 6-3 at Ewood Park. Harper was on his way to becoming the first player to score over 40 league goals in a single season and finished with 43, 26 at home and 17 away out of a total of 91 Rovers goals. It is a record that no Blackburn player has ever come anywhere near emulating. He was chased to the end by Sunderland’s David Halliday who would later equal his total in 1928-29. Despite Harper’s heroics his side only finished in twelfth place. Born in Sheerness, Kent on 22 August 1901, Ted Harper arrived at Ewood Park in 1923 from Sheppey United on the strength of his goalscoring record in the Kent League. Critics said he looked clumsy and had no ball control, but as a goalscorer there were few better. He was quickly off the mark with eighteen goals in his first season. In February 1925, Rovers signed Syd Puddefoot from Falkirk for £4,000. Despite being aged thirty,...

    The scorer of the first ever league hat-trick today in 1888 celebrated so wildly afterwards he was dropped from the Burnley team and later transferred. FIRST LEAGUE HAT-TRICK -15 September 1888 Bolton 3 (Brogan, Davenport, Cooper) v. Burnley 4 (Tait 3, Poland) Played at Pikes Lane, Bolton Just like the previous weekend, Bolton, wearing white shirts, dark-blue shorts and socks, were to race into a three-goal lead before ultimately losing a thrilling encounter. Alec Barbour set Wanderers rolling with a first minute effort that flashed just wide. Harry Tyrer then shot just over and on five minutes some lovely play by Bob Roberts set up James Brogan for the opening goal. The scorer shortly after barged Bill Smith over the line as he collected a high cross, but had done so from an offside position and Burnley, wearing striped blue-and-white shirts, dark-blue shorts and socks, escaped. It was Kenny Davenport, scorer of the first ever league goal the previous weeken...

  HOW CHARLIE HURLEY’S GOALSCORING ACHIEVEMENTS HELPED MAKE HIM ‘THE KING’ Taken from Charlie's authorised biography that sold out in 2008 but which was republished last year and is on sale at the ALS shop and Sunderland Football Museum and at the Empire Publishing website.  Following their first ever relegation from the top flight in 1957-58, Sunderland, managed by former Burnley boss Alan Brown, struggled to make an impact in Division Two and even flirted with relegation to the third in 1959-60. However, as November 1960 came to a close a young side started to rise up the table. Key to the progress was £18,000 record signing Charlie Hurley, who was not only a rock at the back but had incredible ball playing abilities. The Irish international was supreme in the air but no one had thought to use his talents in scoring situations and in his three years since signing from Millwall he had yet to score for the Roker Park side. That was soon to change. He had almost done so in Oc...

  One of Brian Clough’s close mates thought he wasn’t bothered about succeeding at Elland Road   “There is a feeling that Brian (Clough) did badly at Leeds; I’m not too sure of that.”   England international Stan Anderson who captained Sunderland, Newcastle United and Middlesbrough.   Taken from Stan Anderson’s autobiography CAPTAIN OF THE NORTH Written with assistance from Mark Metcalf   I was not at the least surprised that he became one of the great managers as he was always very sure of himself.   Having failed to sustain his recovery, Brian did exceptionally well coaching the Sunderland youth team to the FA Youth Cup semi-final.   And if George Hardwick is to believed, the board failed to extend his managers contract at the end of the 1964 65 season because he told them that Brian would be his right-hand man within two years.   That was no way those in charge at Sunderland were having that, and after the club received th...