Tenuous links between you and a footballer?

[mickd1961]

Alan “Sniffer” Clarke’s brother Kelvin who played for Walsall used to be my decorator.

Peter Bodak who played for Coventry City and who scored what ended up as runner up in goal of the season in 82 below, his brother was our gardener for a time.

I met a few ex footballers who owned sports shops during my years in the sports trade,

Ian Painter ex Stoke City and England under 23.

Bobby Thompson who played for Wolves and England.

Ernie Moss ex Chesterfiled.

Terry Bly who was Norwich City centre forward during their famous 1959 cup run as a third division side, really nice bloke was Terry, had a sport shop in Grantham.

Heard some fantastic stories from all of them.

[Albionic68]

Very tenuous. Cyrille Regis once asked if I needed an agent. Thought I looked like a boxer and wondered whether I had a representative. True story and very surreal especially given we were standing in a small queue in a newsagents at the time.

[viaductbaggies]

Wife worked with Alex palmers sister

Went to school (same class ) with an ex Albion centre forward who played in the first team

[Grand Wazoo]

Step mom worked with John Trewick's missus. I jumped on Astle's back when he scored the last minute winner against Man City on the Boxing Day game back in 1967.

[Albionic68]

Just remembered. My eldest sister was a hairdresser years ago. A really bad one. I don't know how many times she did it but she claimed she'd done Tony Brown's wife's hair.

Whatever she had done I can imagine it looking pretty bad. Belated apologies to Tony and his good lady wife.

I have no idea whether she was responsible for Tony's perms but if she was I'd like to apologise for those too 😄 .

[soulman101]

I was Jeff Astle's paper kid 67-68
Used to go clubbing with Mark Grew and Martin Bennett and a few of the other lads around that time . They all come to my mate's funeral 5 years ago .

[Leicesterbaggie]

Played in the opposite goal to Peter Shilton. Leicester City Schools reached the final of the English Schools Trophy; I think it was 1966. As a practice match, prior to the final, they played our college Ist XI on a Sunday morning.

The only way that I found that out was when chatting to a member of staff at the school I was teaching at, he asked me where I had trained. I told him, just up the road at CLCE. He was on the Leicester Schools football committee at that time and he said that the only connection that he had with the college was the game that I am talking about. I then informed him that I played in goal in that game. It was then that he told me who was in the opposite goal. This was three or four years later and by this time Shilton was now in the Leicester City side.

The punch line I use is that Shilton went on to play 125 times for England and I went to play for Ibstock Miners Welfare in the Leicester District League! By the way, in the same Leicester Boys side were Jeff Blockley (Coventry and Arsenal) and Romeo Challenger, the drummer with Showaddywaddy.

I have also played cricket against quite a few pros including Gower and Illingworth plus in the same side as Conrad Hunte, the ex-West Indies vice- captain.

This all sounds impressive but I was only average in both sports.

[mickd1961]

Played in the opposite goal to Peter Shilton. Leicester City Schools reached the final of the English Schools Trophy; I think it was 1966. As a practice match, prior to the final, they played our college Ist XI on a Sunday morning.

The only way that I found that out was when chatting to a member of staff at the school I was teaching at, he asked me where I had trained. I told him, just up the road at CLCE. He was on the Leicester Schools football committee at that time and he said that the only connection that he had with the college was the game that I am talking about. I then informed him that I played in goal in that game. It was then that he told me who was in the opposite goal. This was three or four years later and by this time Shilton was now in the Leicester City side.

The punch line I use is that Shilton went on to play 125 times for England and I went to play for Ibstock Miners Welfare in the Leicester District League! By the way, in the same Leicester Boys side were Jeff Blockley (Coventry and Arsenal) and Romeo Challenger, the drummer with Showaddywaddy.

I have also played cricket against quite a few pros including Gower and Illingworth plus in the same side as Conrad Hunte, the ex-West Indies vice- captain.

This all sounds impressive but I was only average in both sports.

A hard act to follow Leics.

The Sunday side I was player manager for came up against Lee Sharpe’s brothers side, Hoobrook Crown in a match.

John Shape had been at Man City and Torquay United and he loved himself, a real arrogant tool.

They were three divisions above us but we had a very good side at the time and we thrashed them 5-2.

Sharpe was throwing his toys out of the pram constantly and our lads were winding him up!🤣

Anyway, they got a penalty and he insisted on taking it, he promptly scuffed it straight at our keeper!🤡🤣

Some of our lads dropped to their knees and started rolling around with laughter.

A very sweet moment.

[westcountryvillain]

My mate was in the same class at school as Dean Smith, my cousin is godfather to Jacob Ramsey's cousin and is also friends with Tony Daley.

[viaductbaggies]

A hard act to follow Leics.

The Sunday side I was player manager for came up against Lee Sharpe’s brothers side, Hoobrook Crown in a match.

John Shape had been at Man City and Torquay United and he loved himself, a real arrogant tool.

They were three divisions above us but we had a very good side at the time and we thrashed them 5-2.

Sharpe was throwing his toys out of the pram constantly and our lads were winding him up!🤣

Anyway, they got a penalty and he insisted on taking it, he promptly scuffed it straight at our keeper!🤡🤣

Some of our lads dropped to their knees and started rolling around with laughter.

A very sweet moment.

I played against lee sharpe when I played for your village team he played for stourport Wednesday