Open Writing

Our prize for winning the Championship was promotion to Division One for the following year. We also entered a team in Division Two. Ernie Gardner continued to look after the first team, while Norman Graham managed the second eleven.
One of my new team-mates was Andy Kinelato, my old friend from school.

Unfortunately, both teams had only a moderate season - the weakened first team finding it much more competitive in the higher division. Midway through the season we also lost our captain, Ken Murray, to national service. Unexpectedly, I was offered the vacant captaincy, but on two conditions. These were: first - I finished the football season before starting to play cricket, and second - I agreed to continue playing for the Battalion team the following season. I gladly agreed, but often wondered if this was an early example of restraint of trade.

Fifty years later, I still have scars from playing football on the Dragon. Compared to inter-company games, the J.O.C. league was much faster, more skilful and certainly much rougher.

Also it was more dangerous. The size five leather football might have weighed the regulatory 16 oz at the start of the game, but on a wet afternoon it didn't stay that weight for long. Heading the heavy wet leather ball - often with a protruding lace-up - was a risky activity at the best of times. At a professional level the death of Jeff Astle in 2002 was confirmed to be due to heading a heavy football throughout his career. When compared to nowadays, with a plastic ball that doesn't retain water and complete grass pitches, it makes the job of the modern day footballer look too easy.

As agreed, I continued playing for the Battalion football team until the end of the 1952/53 season when I was too old for junior football. Playing mostly at half-back mid field, I had scored only the occasional goal, but during my last game in May 1953 against the Gateshead Battalion at Wrekenton, I scored my one and only hat trick. It was like a farewell present.

During the 1950's the town had numerous amateur football clubs who played in a variety of leagues. Perhaps the principle senior league was the South Shields and District League that operated on a Saturday afternoon. On a Sunday morning, many different teams played in the newer Sunday League, which at the time was still outlawed by the Durham F.A.

Many teams from the retail trade and service industries also competed in the Wednesday League. These included South Shields Butchers, South Shields Transport and Northern General Transport. In 1951, South Shields Police were champions of the North Durham Mid-week Central League and the Northern Police League.

At the start of the 1953/54 season I decided that I had no desire to play in one of the much rougher local senior leagues, and on Saturday afternoons, I could usually be found watching the current Battalion team playing at the Dragon.

One Saturday early in the new season the official referee failed to appear, and I was 'roped in' to do the job. A whistle was supplied and a new career was born.

The game went without major incident, and at the end of the match several people said, "Why don't you do that every week and get paid for it?"

Enquiries indicated that for junior matches the current payment was 6/- (30p) and 7/6d (37½ p) for senior games. Not much I thought, but it was worth a try and might lead to Wembley!

I found out that the South Shields branch of the Referees' Association met at Simonside Hall, then the headquarters of the town's North Eastern League football team. New referees were in short supply and, going along to the next meeting, I was made very welcome by Alf Chapman the secretary, and Lewis Ogle, the treasurer and coach.

The President of the branch at the time was Arnold Joseph, a geography teacher at the local grammar-technical school. He started refereeing at the Dragon and went on to officiate in the England and Scotland international and the Bolton Wanderers and Portsmouth F.A. Cup Final in 1929. Could I do likewise?

Another newcomer that evening was Ernie Carr, also an exile from the J.O.C. League and of similar age to myself. It was arranged for both of us to go to Lewis Ogle's home once a week for coaching until we were up to the required standard to attempt the official referees' examination conducted by the Durham F.A.

This took place in Durham on a weekday evening every three months, and consisted of oral questions using a table football board. At a time of referee shortage, I though how self-defeating this was. Why couldn't an examination be conducted, say in Sunderland for the north of the county, on a Saturday morning?

After a few weeks’ coaching I got an official looking letter from the Durham F.A. instructing me to attend in Durham at 7 p.m. one evening in November 1953. This meant asking to get out of work early, losing money and hoping there was a train back to Shields from Durham at a suitable time. Fortunately there was and I returned happy, having been successful in the thirty-minute oral examination.

As I was only 18 years of age, my success only allowed me to officiate in junior under-18 football. The principle league in the area was the Jarrow and District J.O.C. League and its secretary was Winston Taylor

The Referees Association suggested I should write to him, telling him of my success. I did better than that and went to see him at his house in Wood Terrace, Jarrow. He congratulated me and was extremely helpful in allocating me some easy, introductory games during the coming weeks.