ISSUE #10
DECEMBER 20
A KICK IN THE PAST
FLEETWOOD TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB OFFICIAL FORMER PLAYERS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER
THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE FPA
OVER £600 RAISED FOR BRIAN HOUSE HOSPICE
Keep up to date with everything that is going on in the Fleetwood Town Former Players Association by reading the latest news here
This page is to thank every member of the Former Players Association who helped raise money for local children’s charity, Brian House, this year!
Birthdays We have more birthdays coming up: DECEMBER: Alan Goodall (39 on 2nd), 4th Adam Sumner (29 on 4th), Ken Moran (73 on 5th), Martin Moran (36 on 6th), Roy Atherton (65 on 6th), Barry Shelmerdine (63 on 6th), Tony Clowes (47th on 13th), George McIntyre (89 on 13th), Jamie Nay (34 on 14th), Lee Thorpe (45 on 14th), John Hay (63 on 14th), George McCaffer (76 on 14th), Peter Marshall (63 on 18th), Tony Eaves ( 20th – Deceased), Loz Walsh (63 on 24th), Alan Moyes (63 on 27th), Roy Stephenson (66 on 29th), Jon Parkin (39 on 30th), Lee Impett (45 on 31st). JANUARY: Alan Tinsley (70 on 1st), Jamie Milligan (41 on 3rd), Paul Dawson (60 on 9th), Allan Fish (69 on 15th), Matt Hilton (48 on 20th), Norman Moran (67 on 21st), Howard Crook (64 on 27th). FEBRUARY: Bert Hession (6th – Deceased), Tom Willacy ( 74 on 6th), Steve ‘Docker’ Brooks (70 on 8th), Steve Edwards (60 on 10th), Magno Viera (36 on 13th), Stuart Parker (67 on 16th), Stuart Parkinson (45 on 18th).
New members We are always keen to recruit new members to the association. If you should know anyone who has played for any of Fleetwood FC, Fleetwood Town or Fleetwood Freeport please do let them know about the FPA. We would be delighted to enrol any player who has played for the club during any season in the club’s history. It is a great opportunity to become re-acquainted with old team mates and learn about players from different eras of the club. A complimentary limited edition FPA member’s lapel badge will be given to each new member upon completing a short application form. The badges are not commercially available and will be restricted to just one per member to maintain their exclusivity. All members will receive a copy of our full colour quarterly newsletter. Membership application forms can be obtained from Tony Collier (FPA secretary) who may also be contacted for additional information. The association remains free to join.
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leetwood Town’s Former Players Association have come together over the last year to help raise over £600 for local children’s hospice, Brian House. The FPA have once again dipped deeply into their pockets by making a generous donation, which is the latest contribution in the association’s ongoing support of the hospice. FPA Chairman, Stuart Murdoch and Secretary, Tony Collier, were delighted to recently present a cheque at Poolfoot to Janet Atkins, Corporate Partnership Manager at Brian House. The FPA members managed to raise the impressive sum for the children’s hospice and their generosity was duly acknowledged by Janet, the charity’s representative.
She commented: “As usual it is really great to have the support from the members of the Former Players’ Association.” “It really does make a big difference to us. “Brian House is not Government funded and it costs us £1.3 million a year to run the facilities and the care. “We do receive a grant which we apply for every year which is £190,000 so the rest of it has to come from funds raised by businesses and people out in the in the community.” Stuart remarked: “We are very pleased to be able to donate this money. “The sad thing is the former players can’t continue to do it at the moment because we’re not managing to get the meetings underway with all the restrictions.
“We just look forward to the time that we can and give more help to Brian House, realising the difficulties they are having through this pandemic.” While monthly meetings have been mothballed due to the corona virus, FPA members can still send donations directly to the hospice. Please visit https://www. brianhouse.org.uk/support-us/ make-a-donation/ for details. The FPA will continue in the future to support Brian House where the staff do a magnificent job in caring for children with life limiting conditions. Every pound which the hospice receives will make a difference. Well done to everyone involved and thank you to all who donated to this brilliant local charity!
Resumption of monthly meetings It is with deep regret that we have not been able to hold a meeting at Poolfoot now since last March. We fully understand how much our members like to come together each month to talk about past games, players and managers. Due to government rules our gatherings have not been allowed to take place but when this situation changes all members will be notified accordingly. Details will also appear on the official Fleetwood Town website and an announcement regarding meetings next year will be shown in the March issue of the FPA newsletter. Front cover: Bobby Cuthbertson in a festive mood
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FLEETWOOD TOWN FORMER PLAYERS ASSOCIATION
Tony Collier, Stuart Murdoch & Janet Atkins
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TONY EAVES 1944-2020
e were all deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our former player and great friend Tony Eaves on 5th October 2020. He had been bravely battling cancer during recent months. Tony made his first team debut for Fleetwood on 23 December 1967 in a home game against South Liverpool in what was to be our final season in the Lancashire Combination. His first appearance was actually at inside right though he was to spend most of his career at Fleetwood playing at full back. Tony played in 30 games altogether during season 1967-68 as Fleetwood finished the campaign in 4th position, 11 points behind champions Morecambe. The following season 1968-69 was the first season of the newly formed Northern Premier League and Tony took his place, again at left back, in our opening game of the season, a 2-1
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win at Gainsborough Trinity. He broke his arm however in 3-2 defeat at Northwich Victoria in September 1968 and whilst he regained his place in the November, he played his last game for the club at home to South Shields on 1st March 1969. Altogether he played 55 games for Fleetwood and he later played for both Lytham and Blackpool Mechanics. Latterly, Tony was a regular and hugely popular member of our Former Players Association and was also a regular attendee of our home games up until the Covid lockdown. When we finally reconvene at both Poolfoot and Highbury there will be a huge gap left by Tony’s passing. We would like to pass on our sincere condolences to his two sons and all his family and friends at this very sad time. Tony leaves a wealth of very happy memories throughout the club and
he will never be forgotten by the many former team mates, colleagues and friends whose lives he touched. RIP Eavesy.
Andy Haddock, Bennie Andrew, Harvey Morley, Tony Eaves, Dave Roach on the elite pitch at Poolfoot Farm.
Howard Wilkinson, Tony Eaves, George McIntyre and Jim Betmead all taking in the sun outside.
Tony Eaves sat in the restaurant at Poolfoot Farm with Howard Wilkinson.
All smiles from Ron Kennedy, Bennie Andrew, Tom Scott & Tony Eaves at a previous meeting.
Tony with Fleetwood Town goalkeeper and U17 World Cup winner, Billy Crellin, with Eavesy wearing the winner’s medal around his neck.
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HADDOCK A FINE CATCH FOR FLEETWOOD In this feature, we caught up with Andy Haddock who recalled the high and lows from his playing career. (Words: Paul Collier)
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or a player called Haddock there seems a sense of irony that Edinburgh born Andy should join a team in a town with such a rich fishing heritage. His journey from the east of Scotland to the Lancashire fishing town was a meandering one which encompassed two separate playing stints in Chester and others at Crewe Alexandra, Falkirk, Rotherham United, Chelmsford City and Bradford Park Avenue. He finally dropped anchor in Fleetwood in the summer of 1968 in time to sign for the town’s team and play in the inaugural season of the newly formed Northern Premier League.
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Andy recalled those early days at Highbury: “I had never heard of Fleetwood and I never knew they had a football club. “I went see manager Dave Durie, the manager, at his house and he said that they were looking for a right winger. “The money he offered was a lot less than my pal Gordon Seaton was getting at Runcorn. “I told him that I wasn’t playing for that (sum of money) and then said I would sign for a month if you can’t do any better. “Dave said that the money I was asking for he only had one other player getting more than that but I told him that was what I was wanting.
“It was about a week before the season started and on the very first night I was told come to training on the Tuesday night. “I got to Highbury Avenue and drove up and down it and I must have asked three or four people where the football ground was. I couldn’t see the floodlights pylons but eventually I did find the ground.” Andy made his debut in the first game of the 1968/69 season at Gainsborough Trinity which resulted in a 2 – 1 win for Fleetwood. He remembered: “That morning as we were getting on the bus Dave Durie said that Kenny Cooper, the goalkeeper, had called off and he was playing young Stuart Murdoch.
“I scored two goals but Stuart was the star of the day, he was absolutely phenomenal and he played them on his own. They absolutely battered us for most of the game but we came away with a good result. I played for the month and the club got me digs in Wingfield Road with a nice couple. “In that first game Davie (Durie) broke his leg, Derek Armstrong took over and near the end of the month he asked me if I was going to sign (permanently) so I told him what I wanted. “He said he would get me that so I signed and I had a great time with the lads and played in some smashing matches. “Derek became one of my pals and was the best man at my wedding.” Andy clocked up a half century of appearances in his first season at Fleetwood and scored 11 goals as the side finished 10th in the league. Things however didn’t go as smoothly for Andy during the following campaign as the team won only four of the first 19 league fixtures. Further disappointment followed in an FA Challenge Trophy qualifying game at Bridlington Trinity. Fleetwood lost the game 2-1 and words were exchanged in the dressing room afterwards. Andy recalled: “There was a big bust up and I was one of the players who argued with the manager and I got fined.”
Sadly it proved to be Andy’s last game for the time being at Fleetwood. He joined Altrincham prior to Christmas in 1969 with a heavy heart. His six month stay at Moss Lane proved successful for Andy but he found the travelling too much from his then home in Blackpool and so moved to Lancaster City for the 1970/71 season. A further transfer to Runcorn followed but this meant more travelling for Andy which wasn’t to his liking. He moved closer to home to play for Lytham and Thornton-Cleveleys but his game time was restricted due to Andy and his wife by then running a guest house in Blackpool. Tom White, manager of Fleetwood, invited him to train with the club in 1973 which Andy agreed to. Initially he played in the reserve side where he became fitter and then got into the first team at Christmas. Andy remembered: “I loved it with Tommy and we had some really good players in the team at the time like big Frank (Haydock), Sandy Brown, Bob Watson, Graham Birks and Hughie Tinney. “We had ‘Lancy’ (Derek Lancaster) and ‘Wassy’ (Dave Wassall) up front and had a good side. “I enjoyed it but what happened eventually was lads started leaving because they weren’t getting any money.
“It got so difficult, lads weren’t getting paid and couldn’t make it (for the games) because obviously they were in jobs and they would get a bit of overtime on a Saturday. “They would have to do that as they had mortgages to pay. “The chairman let lads down and at the end it just got worse. “The kit was all dirty as it hadn’t been washed and it all just sort of fell away and moral dropped. “I think was about 34 and my legs were starting to go and I couldn’t do it the same so I wasn’t the same player that I was.” The 1974/75 season was to be Andy’s last campaign at Fleetwood and sadly It proved to be a disappointing one for his team mates and him. The team finished bottom of the league and managed to win just five games all season. Despite the unhappy finale for Andy he looks back on his time at the club with cheery memories. “I have got to be honest that Fleetwood is probably the only club that I have ever been to when I could say to you that there wasn’t one player I didn’t like. Obviously you have your favourite pals but the team bonding was really great. “They were good people and we had a good social life together which makes a massive difference. “You run for your pals and you do all these things for your pals.”
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MEMORABLE MATCH JAMIE McGUIRE'S MOST MEMORABLE MATCH FROM HIS COD ARMY CAREER
YEOVIL TOWN 0 FLEETWOOD TOWN 2 FA CUP ROUND TWO REPLAY 13TH DECEMBER 2011 Fleetwood’s team that day: Davies (GK), Beeley, Goodall, Cavanagh, McNulty, Pond, Briggs, McGuire, Mangan, Vardy, Till (Charnock).
GETTING TO KNOW ROY WHITEHOUSE BEST FLEETWOOD TOWN MEMORY? Playing against Blackpool at Bloomfield Road in the first round proper of the FA Cup in 1980
Fleetwood’s goalscorers: McGuire, Vardy.
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PA member and current Mansfield Town first team coach Jamie McGuire was a hugely competitive player during the four seasons which he was at Fleetwood Town. Jamie added steel and bite to the Cod Army midfield and proved a popular player with the supporters during his time at Highbury Stadium. A native of Birkenhead, McGuire joined the Cod Army in the summer of 2009 and was a key part of the side which achieved promotion to the Football League three years later. While Jamie played in many important games during his time at the club, he recently singled out a fine FA Cup victory in Somerset nine years ago. He recalled: “Yeovil were established not long in League One but I scored in the game with a certain Jamie Vardy scoring as well. “The preparation was spot on from Micky (Mellon). “In the first game at Highbury we went 2-0 down and we didn’t express ourselves. It took two late goals to come back into it. “Tactically in the second game (at Yeovil) we were spot on. We had energy in the team and had two top strikers up front in ‘Mangy’ (Andrew Mangan) and ‘Vards’ (Jamie Vardy). “We high pressed Yeovil and we were in their faces. I sent the ball out to Peter Till and I made the little run just inside the box. “I received it back and then put the ball in the far corner. It was in front of 300 plus (Fleetwood) fans and it was like a home game because they were loud and backing us. “What I liked about our fans was that they liked commitment, they liked energy, they liked people
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who worked hard and that is why I loved playing for the club. “The mood after the game was unbelievable, we knew that we had tactically done a very good job on a very good Yeovil team. “They could not live with us that night and it was special. The way we set up, the way we went out and played as a team was special. “I remember, the Chairman came into the dressing room with the biggest smile on his face ever. After that we went back to the bar at the hotel as the Chairman paid for an extra night for us to stay over. “We had a few drinks, we had some food, we chilled, had a chat about the game and we had a laugh. We got treated like a Premiership club by the Chairman and the club. We were looked after really well.”
WORST FLEETWOOD TOWN MEMORY? Being made substitute for the 1985 FA Vase final at Wembley, when I played in every round barring the 2nd leg Semi Final & played in pretty much every League game that season
TEAM THAT YOU SUPPORTED AT SCHOOL?
FAVOURITE PLAYER TO WATCH AT THE MOMENT?
BEST CONCERT YOU’VE ATTENDED?
Blackpool (poor answer!)
Big Virgil van Dijk
Simply Red in Manchester
FAVOURITE PLAYER GROWING UP?
FAVOURITE PLACE YOU’VE BEEN TO?
FAVOURITE MUSIC GROUP OR SINGER?
That has to be Alan Ball
Isle of Elba in Italy
Simply Red
TEAM YOU LIKE WATCHING NOW?
WHAT IS YOUR GO TO DRINK?
WHAT’S YOUR BEST FILM OF ALL TIME?
Think that’s Liverpool
Canadian Club Rye & dry
Heaven can’t wait
MOST FAMOUS PERSON YOU HAVE SHAKEN HANDS WITH? Roscoe Tanner (played in the 1979 Wimbledon Final against Bjorn Borg)
WHICH PERSON STILL ALIVE WOULD YOU LIKE TO MEET AND WHY? The two Jamie’s re-united – McGuire and Vardy.
FLEETWOOD TOWN FORMER PLAYERS ASSOCIATION
That would have to be Roger Federer. I don’t think we will ever see such a complete tennis player & gentleman to the game as him FLEETWOOD TOWN FORMER PLAYERS ASSOCIATION
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A FEW WORDS FROM STUART MURDOCH In previous editions, FPA Chairman Stuart Murdoch, has shared his thoughts. Here is his latest offering.
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t seems very strange writing this piece for the Christmas edition of our newsletter having not seen so many of you for so long. I have spoken to some of you on the phone, exchanged text messages with others and even bumped into one or two people when out on my bike, not literally of course! It seems such a long time since we were last together at Poolfoot, listening to George and his tales of the 1950’s and enjoying the banter which flies around when old friends meet up. We need to look to the future though and be positive. On the football front a very decent squad of players has been assembled to do battle this season. It was a difficult and strange start to the campaign with pre-season starting very quickly after the play-
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offs and the transfer window not closing until six weeks into play. By waiting until the end of the window we were able to sign our main targets but it meant that several games had been played and players have to be integrated into the team as the season is progressing. At present a little run of good results is being put together and hopefully that will be built upon. Our Chairman is again to be congratulated on his dedication to the club in such difficult times. From the association’s viewpoint we have missed a number of milestone birthdays. Unfortunately I haven’t been able announce them in my usual sarcastic way! Ronnie Bellwood, don’t think you’ve got away with having your 90th birthday without having to blow all those candles out.
We’ll catch up with you in the future. Rob Thomas, Alan Tuson and Dennis Wann have had 70ths which won’t go unnoticed when we meet again. A list of all the birthdays is in the latest news section. Sadly, we have lost a member with the passing of Tony Eaves. Our thoughts are with his family and he will always be fondly remembered by us all. We would normally be preparing for our annual Christmas lunch around this time but, as with everything, else Boris Johnson has postponed it. All we can do is raise a glass to each other in the comfort of our own homes and wait patiently for the time when we meet again. I’m too young to remember the 2nd World War - no comment Mr Byrne thank you! I’m sure the hardship that was endured then was far greater than now. Let us just look after each other, stay safe and well and look forward to watching games on television and iFollow. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we can gather at Poolfoot and have that belated festive lunch with Freddie Willder sorting out the bar bill. Happy Christmas to you all from everyone at Fleetwood Town Football Club and the businesses associated to it!
FLEETWOOD TOWN FORMER PLAYERS ASSOCIATION
HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A HEALTHY 2021 TO ALL FTFC FPA MEMBERS!
CONFIDENTIALITY Please note that the personal details FPA members have supplied are held in strictest confidence and not passed on to any third party. Additionally, we will not / cannot pass on the personal details given to us by any of our members to fellow members. If you need to contact a Former Players Association member out with the monthly meetings, please contact Tony Collier (FPA secretary) who will happily contact the fellow member on your behalf and ask them to get in touch with you.
FTFC FPA OFFICIALS WHO TO CONTACT AT FLEETWOOD TOWN'S FPA Chairman Stuart Murdoch Email: stuart.murdoch@fleetwoodtownfc.co.uk Phone number: 07921 934775
Vice-chairman Phil Brown Email: phil.brown@besutilities.co.uk Phone number: 07976 054398
Secretary Tony Collier Email: tonycfpa@outlook.com Phone number: 07931 415844
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