Tigermag issue no 41

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TIGERMAG Sponsored by DRYPOOL FREIGHT SERVICES LTD

The Newsletter of the Official Supporters Club ISSUE NO. 41 - SUMMER 2015

£2 WHERE SOLD

Hull City Official Supporters Club, KC Stadium, Walton Street, Hull, HU3 6HU. Contact: bernard.noble@sky.com

Inside This Issue:

TIGERS TRUST page 4 BEST MANAGERS page 13 KEN HOUGHTON INTERVIEW page 31 AMBER TRAIL page 38

CAPTAINFANTASTIC Michael Dawson receiving his HCOSC runner up Player of the Season award from John Williams. see the interview on Page 7

JUNIORTIGERS Can you find the 6 hidden Tigers in this issue?

Hull City Official Supporters Club Main Sponsor: DRYPOOL FREIGHT SERVICES - 01482 227144

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Message from Sir Tom Courtenay President, Hull City Official Supporters’ Club None of us wanted to be facing up to Championship football but the true fans will never waver in their support of our club. There is little to be gained by looking back - all that matters, is what the team does between now and next May. Writing this straight after the win against Preston North End, the start of the season, given everything which has happened, one has to say there are grounds for optimism. What is not positive, however, is the absurd transfer window only closing weeks after the season has begun; it is certainly not designed to bring financial or playing stability to any club - though the agents must love it.

When will the football authorities see sense and actually help the clubs to prosper?

Transfer windows only serve to hike up transfer fees to a level that puts clubs in real financial trouble. Before we first got into the Premier League in 2008, many of us would have been pretty happy with the Tigers competing at the top end of the Championship, or in years gone by, the old Second Division. But we’ve been spoilt and losing Premier League status has taken some getting used to. Of course we want to be back among the elite of English football but the club needs to be careful that its long-term future is not put at risk in paying sky high transfer fees and wages.

What I do find sad is the no doubt reluctant decision of our owner and his family to stay away from games at the KC.

No matter where one stands on the name change issue, no right-minded supporter can deny the financial commitment the Allam family has put into the club since they took over after our first Premier League relegation in 2010. Without them we may well not have had a club to support in Hull.

Let’s not kid ourselves, there was no long queue of potential owners looking to take over. I do sincerely hope a way forward can be found to overcome this sorry state of affairs. For them to attend games and then be singled out in a personal and unpleasant way is not right or fair. None of us would be happy to be on the end of such treatment. In my many, many years supporting Hull City I always thought that the financial backing given in the 1960s by the then chairman, Harold Needler, would take some beating; but the Allam family has surpassed this; and one has only to look at the Academy set-up to appreciate this. Never before in the history of our club has there been such a level of investment in unearthing and developing young talent, and while these things take time, already this season we are seeing some positive signs. Let’s stay positive and united.

The owners, Steve Bruce and, of course, the players desperately need our support — infighting and division should have no place at our club. Promotion from such a demanding division will never be possible by a club at odds with itself.

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This year, the Tigers Trust celebrates 25 years of delivering to the local community of Hull and East Riding.

The Tigers Trust was founded in 1990 under the name of Hull City Football in the Community, it all began from a porta cabin at Boothferry Park and a bag of footballs. Fast forward 25 years, and the Trust now deliver over 20 projects that benefit thousands of children, young people, adults and individuals with disabilities within the local area.

To commemorate our 25th Year, we are very pleased to be announced as Hull City Tigers Official charity of the year for the 2015/16 season, John Davies (Trust Manager) quoted:

“We really appreciate the opportunity given to us by the club, it shows significant support and recognition to us as a charity and for the work that we do within the local community�

We are currently putting together a programme of events and fundraising opportunities to help sustain and expand our projects for the future.

The next event we would like supporters to get involved with is the Yorkshire 3 peaks challenge on Sunday 11th October! The Trust have linked up with football foundations across the country for this challenge and it is set to be a gruelling but memorable event!

For further information on the Tigers Trust or the 25th anniversary events please contact Gemma Garnett on (01482) 358371 / 07852979027, gemma.garnett@tigerstrust.co.uk TIGERMAG 4

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS, THE GAFFER AND THE SKIPPER! On what was a glorious sunny day in August, Fiona Colling and John Williams, representing the Hull City Official Supporters Club (HCOSC) were invited to the Hull City Academy at Bishop Burton to ask a few questions of Club Manager Steve Bruce.

As a bonus, some time had also been allocated to us in order to speak to Club Captain Michael Dawson. For this we thank the football club very much for allowing it and a special mention must be given to Luke Cash who, in his capacity of Press Officer, was instrumental in organising these “exclusive” interviews.

Questions asked of Steve Bruce JW. After the disappointment of relegation, it was reported that you personally were very disappointed and even questioned your own future in football. How are you feeling now the new season is underway?

SB. There was never a question about my future in football but I did say to the owner if you want a change then I will walk away if the club wanted a fresh start. I wondered if this is what the owners wanted after the disappointment of relegation. It was soon made clear this was not the case. Now it’s my job to take on the challenge of taking us back up. It will not be easy getting back into the premier league, it never is, but I am ready for the fight. The last 10 weeks or so have arguably been the hardest in all of my 16 years of management.

JW. The current transfer window remains open yet the season started 5 games ago. How frustrating is it for you knowing that several members of the team that started at the beginning of the season may be long gone by the time the transfer window finally closes.

SB. That is hardest thing with relegation, the pay cuts, and with that come the buyout clauses.

Someone could pick up the phone tomorrow and take 3 or 4 players with no time for me to replace them. That is the difficult part, trying to juggle who we will keep and who we are going to lose. It is very frustrating. I believe the transfer window should close the day before the season starts.

JW. Are you happy with the squad you have or are you expecting more additions before the door finally shuts?

SB. A manager’s job is to always to improve the squad and I am never happy with the squad. We have a good squad but there is always room for improvement. I still think we are 1 or 2 short but overall we still have one of the better squads in this division and we have to be happy with that.

JW. The Academy Training Facilities here at Bishop Burton far exceeds anything this club has seen before, now the Club has Category Two status how do you see this helping as the Manager.

SB. I think it was vitally important, it needed to be addressed, it could have been easy to ignore it, there is something in me that always wants to see a youngster come through. I took a lot of pleasure seeing Greg Luer score his first professional goal the other night. It makes the job worthwhile. A lot of hard work has gone into securing Greg and several other youngsters. I would love to see 2 or 3 lads playing from Hull. I am pleased the club has had the foresight to do it and I have to pay a big compliment to Tony Pennock and his team who have worked extremely hard.

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JW. The owners have invested heavily in developing the Academy and similarly you have always backed the owners, is that because they have allowed you to manage and allowed you to stamp your authority on the club?

SB. Their biggest strength is they have let me get on, let me manage it, simply let me get on with it.

JW. And the fans support you as Manager too, do you enjoy the name chanting?

SB. The fans have been nothing short of fantastic. Who wouldn’t enjoy their name been chanted?

I certainly didn’t have it at Sunderland. It’s refreshing to see the fans continue to support the team despite relegation, they should be very proud of themselves, they are a unique brand of supporter and long may that continue.

JW. Mo Diame returning to fitness must have been a big boost for you and he was very influential in the game against Rochdale. Keeping players fit is a significant part of a Manager’s job. Taking last year into account, arguably it was the injuries that cost us dearly, is there anything you can do to protect players this season?

SB. Losing so many big players, players that I built the squad around was very difficult. The injuries played a big part but the injuries all occurred on the pitch and not in training. If they had happened in training you would ask question, but all the injuries came in games. We were very unlucky losing such key players, and with the loss of players came the loss of form. We went to Spurs with 8 first team players short due to injury. This season we are 5 games in and we have a full squad who are all fit with the exception of Robert Snodgrass.

JW. What is the latest news on Robert Snodgrass?

SB. He has had a very serious injury. We are hoping, and we have our fingers crossed, that he will be back in October. It’s been a very difficult time for him.

JW. Management seems a very stressful job Steve, where is the fun element, other than in winning games of course?

SB. As a Manager the expectations of everyone are on you to manage, the fans arguably the most important, the team you look after, the owner, but it’s what I do. I still have the enthusiasm and looking at what we have now, as opposed to 3 years ago, we have a strong squad and I think we will challenge this year and I am confident we can do it.

JW. Steve, you reached the highest pinnacle during your playing days at Manchester United. Is there one special moment that stands out from your playing career, be it at Manchester or indeed any other of the clubs you played for?

SB. I have many memories, it was all a long time ago but people don’t realise it wasn’t just at Manchester United; I played 235 games for Gillingham and 3½ great years with Norwich. But the 1994 team I feel could have beaten anybody. The team had a bit of fight, could play a fair bit, they were a delight to captain, it was an absolute delight playing alongside players like Schmeichel, Parker, Irwin, Pallister, Cantona, Keane, Ince, McClair, Hughes, Kanchelskis, Giggs & Sharpe. It was truly a great team.

We drew an end to proceedings as the first team were outside waiting to start training. However we did find time to make a presentation to Steve. The award made by the Official Supporters Club was for “Best Goal Celebration” during last season.

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Questions asked of Michael Dawson JW. How do you feel about being at Hull City Football Club, and following in the footsteps of your older brother Andy? I expect you see plenty of Andy and his family?

MD. Yes following Andy is big shoes to fill; he achieved so much in the ten years he was here.

I saw joining Hull as being a great opportunity, thanks to Andy I already knew the club and a lot of the players, so that was good. Obviously we played Hull a few times while I was at Tottenham.

Yes I see a fair bit of Andy, we are both family men so it’s good to see each other and spend a bit of quality time together with our families.

JW. And how do you like living and working in Hull and the East Riding, it’s all a bit different from living in London? Do you think there is a geographical barrier that stops top players coming to Hull?

MD. London to Hull is a change, no doubt at all, but it was not an obstacle at all for me. As a footballer I believed in the squad, I felt we had a good squad of players that would do well, so when I first signed I thought “wow”, l was ready for the challenge. Unfortunately we had so many injuries to key players, it was a huge blow. I still believe, the squad we have here are capable of doing well this season and can bounce straight back up.

JW. As Captain, are you comfortable with this job, do you believe you are a “leader” on the pitch?

MD. Yes, I was Captain at Spurs after Ledley King retired but I came to Hull just to play. The armband makes no difference to how I play but it means you’re more involved with the day to day running of the club. As Captain you get involved in more meetings and you speak to the lads more and offer advice, especially to the younger players, on footballing issues that is. I leave the team tactics very much to the gaffer.

JW. After relegation, you said “we were to blame” - it appears that you wanted to “put things right” - do you think you can do this, can we can go straight back up again?

MD. Yes I believe we can go straight back up. Football is a game of fine margins, there is no doubt we do need to get the ball in the net and be better than the opposition, but I think this squad will do it.

JW. There have been quite a few new additions to the squad, how do you think they have settled in and are we short of players in particular positions?

MD. The young lads in the squad coming in from the Academy are settling in very well and it’s really great seeing the Academy kids coming through. Then we have new faces like Moses Odubajo who is like a flying machine and great to watch, Brian Lenihan scored the other night, his first senior goal. And then there is Chuba Akpom on loan from Arsenal. They are all doing well and are heading in the right direction.

Hull City Official Supporters Club (HCOSC) are always looking at ways in which we can reduce our overhead costs. One way would be to produce electronic copies of the ‘Tiger Mag’ and send these to members by email. However, we are aware that this would not suit everyone. We are already aware that many members would prefer to continue to receive the hard copy (printed) version delivered to their door as usual. For this reason we will continue to produce printed versions of ‘Tiger Mag’ but if you would be happy to receive an electronic copy by email instead then please let us know by emailing membership@hullcityosc.co.uk as this will help us reduce our costs. You do NOT need to contact us if you prefer the printed version as you will continue to receive the printed version by default. Thank you.

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JW. Like Steve, you spent 9 years playing for one of Europe’s top teams and as a result you have played against some of the world’s best players. Who did you admire most and who gave you the most torrid time as a player?

MD. Oh there are so many who spring to mind whilst playing for Spurs in Europe, but in particular Agüero caused me all sort of problems, he is so fast. Cristiano Ronaldo is world class and playing against him was an amazing experience. Then it was interesting seeing Gareth Bale develop at Spurs, all great players.

JW. What do you intend to do when you finally “hang up your boots”?

MD. From a young age it’s always been football for me and I will stay in the game one way or another, be it coaching or in the press. I have done my coaching badges so it is an option. Moving around a lot with family is a big upheaval and unsettling, so I’m looking forward to settling down eventually.

We thank both Steve and Michael for the time they spent with us, it was very much appreciated and it was very interesting to get an insight into the lives of the Manager and the Club Capitan.

We would like to extend our thanks to James Mooney and Luke Cash of Hull City, who, without their assistance, the interviews would never have taken place.

And finally a little “exclusive” ...

Michael Dawson is a huge Coronation Street fan!

3034653

KIN_308172

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06.01.15

180mm

ROP

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260mm

Illustrator CS2

AP/AP

Full Colour

Yes

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IAN McKECHNIE. THE ORANGE MAN David Osgerby (pictured right) “Aye, aye ,aye aye, McKechnie is better than Yashin.

And Waggy is better than Eusebio, and ???? are in for a thrashin’” That is what we sang when Ian McKechnie was City’s keeper; A goalie who liked oranges; as tough as a railway sleeper.

A hail of Jaffas came from Bunkers whenever he appeared.

Opposing fans thought we were mad, but we just cheered and cheered.

He played for us in the golden days, when people played for fun.

A proper City Legend whose race has now been run.

But trivia buffs all know his name-that’s the penalty of fame.

First player to save, (and miss) a spot kick in a shootout game.

He left his mark, this jovial Scot; I smile when I recall A massive shower of oranges; the oddest ritual of them all.

The HCOSC were very much involved with the tribute to Ian McKechnie who passed away recently. Please see below the words read out by Steve Jordan prior to the first home match of the season against Huddersfield.

We pay respect today for popular former Goalkeeper, Ian McKechnie who died on the 11th of June aged 73. Ian played over 250 times for Hull City. His most memorable moment at the club came in 1970 when he became the first ever goalkeeper to save a spot kick in a penalty shoot-out. Ian was loved by supporters of the club who threw Oranges on to the pitch for him after he was spotted enjoying one after training. On retirement, Ian went on to work for the club here at the KC Stadium.

Ian’s wife Avril joins us pitch side today along with his sons Fraser and Elliott, Kate his daughter in Law and his grand daughters Olivia and Georgia.

Ian pictured with wife Avril, Fraser, Kate and Elliott.

RIP - Arthur MeaRns We say farewell to a great Tigers’ Supporter Arthur Mearns who passed away recently aged 85 years old.

Arthur, a life long Hull City supporter is pictured with his daughter Debbie.

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PERSONAL PROFILE In this edition of the Tigermag, Bernard Noble Director of Press and Publicity for the Hull City Official Supporters’ Club (HCOSC) gives his personal reflections drawn from a lifetime supporting Hull City, often from thousands of miles away, and says it’s time to say farewell as editor of the Tigermag.

My First Hull City Game I remember going with my Dad to my first game at Boothferry Park when I was just nine years old, and Bernard, on the left, enjoys a lovely pint (or two) of Belgium Beer in Lockeren last year with his pal Jack Spencer. being in the month of February, I expect it was a birthday treat because I was born on 15th February 1945. My most vivid memory is sat on my Dad’s shoulders, on a wet and cold afternoon and being overwhelmed by the noise and atmosphere. I must admit that I do not remember anything in particular about the match but it was my first experience of “The Tigers”. Now 70 years old, I have been a Hull City supporter all that time, although, until only recently, due to my career and life pattern, am I now able to get to games on a regular basis.

Fortunately, I have been able to obtain a copy of the original programme and have established the following: The game was played on Saturday 20th February 1954; Kick Off 3.00pm against Spurs in the FA Cup 5th Round. The cost of the programme was three pence and the game finished in a 1 - 1 draw and our scorer was the “Big Dane” Viggo Jensen. The attendance was over forty six thousand, the majority, I suspect, stood up and pushing forward when a goal seemed likely. How times have changed!! Our goalkeeper was the great elastic man Billy Bly, my personal favourite player of all time. Others who played and I still remember with fondness include, Berry, Crosbie, Ackerman and Bulless. The manager at the time was Bob Jackson and in his programme notes he refers to a special week of training in Brighton - so much different to the training by the current and recent Hull City squads in places like Slovenia and Portugal !! The Spurs side included Ted Ditchburn in goal, Bill Nicholson and at right back, the incomparable Alf Ramsay, who of course went on to manage England and win the World Cup in that glorious summer of 1966. For the record, the Tigers sadly lost the replay at White Hart Lane the following Wednesday and if any readers were lucky enough to attend, a stand seat cost 7 shillings!!

My Career in the British Army and Foreign and Commonwealth Office Due to spending the majority of my life in the British Army, 39 years in all, joining at 16 years of age and leaving in the rank of Major, I was unable to follow the Tigers as much as I would have wanted to. However, wherever I was in the world, Hull City’s result was the first I looked out for. Whether it be in the UK, I spent 3 years working in the Ministry Of Defence in Whitehall, London, the Far East (Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia), United Arab Emirates (Sharjah and Dubai), Cyprus, Norway, Northern Ireland, British Army on the Rhine (BAOR), Bosnia (Sarajevo) or other far flung places of the world, I would ask anyone who may know - have the Tigers won today? After my Army career I was accepted into the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and seconded to the Organisation for the Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and completed two tours in Kosovo. I have experienced many highs (and lows) in my life but perhaps one of the most remembered would be when I was the Warrant Officer in charge of the Royal Box at Wimbledon in 1977. It was the year that Virginia Wade won the title and the Queen visited during her Silver Jubilee Year. It was also the year that I met my wife Patsy who has put up with my comings and goings now for over 36 years. I cannot remember how many houses/flats/army accommodation I/we have lived in but it must be over nearly forty in

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eight or nine different countries. Another high would be when I was the Manager of a Football team in Kosovo in 2001. Coming just after the brutal conflict between the Kosovo Albanians and the Serbians, I managed to get the two sides together, in one team, to play the beautiful game.

Considering what had taken place in this war-zone, believe me that goes down as an immensely satisfying experience. It just goes to show that football can and should be about bringing people together: sometimes I feel we’ve lost sight of that. Hatred and abuse seems to have infected modern society.

Retirement After Kosovo, I “retired” to Devon and for the past five years I have been an unpaid Director charged with responsibility for Press and Publicity for the (HCOSC) and I also represent the South West and Wales Hull City Supporters.

Name Change Divisions and Abuse It is very important to point out that the views below are my personal ones and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the HCOSC. Others within the HCOSC have their own views and opinions and as a Board of Directors we have made it very clear that we will respect ALL our members’ views and opinions. The last two years or more, given the all-pervasive under-current of the name change, and the competing arguments, have been very difficult: not just for me but for many in the HCOSC including past Office Holders, who have stood down from their positions.

Remember these are City supporters who give up their time in a voluntary capacity. I and others have been on the end of personal abuse and abuse “on line” from keyboard warriors. Yet, for the record, we have balloted all our members on two occasions on the name change issue. On both occasions the majority who voted said no: as a result we have informed the Football Association (FA) of our members’ views. In making our submissions to the FA we have also paid tribute to the financial backing of the Allam family, as without their support it is very difficult to see how there would now be a professional football club in Hull. I agree entirely with the sentiments of our President, Sir Tom Courtenay, (see page 3) that before Assem Allam stepped in to buy the Club there was not exactly a mad rush of potential investors. I think those who often shout the loudest need to reflect on this. Dr Allam has always said that he bought the Club for the community and without him I can honestly say that we would not have had the success we have enjoyed since he took over. I was saddened and, if I’m honest, disgusted to hear shouts towards the end of last season of “Allam Out”. To me that was a step too far. It poisoned the atmosphere at the KC, and pitted supporter against supporter. Nothing wrong with campaigning for what you believe in but once it gets personal, I think the argument loses its moral force. I know I am not the only one who thinks likewise. No one, should be treated in such a way. Which potential investor is going to seriously consider taking over our club and invest heavily given the abuse directed at the Allam family? Any potential investor will ask themselves might I be on the end of such personal abuse if things don’t turn out well? I have made every effort to keep a dialogue going with the owner (we have met privately and socially on a number of occasions since the Allam family takeover) and no one will ever tell me that Assem Allam is anything other than a good man - a man that has invested heavily not just in our club but in so many other ways in Hull and the East Riding. This doesn’t mean I agree with everything he has said and done over the last few years: sure, we’ve had our disagreements but have continued to behave as decent human beings.

I just wish some other people had genuinely tried to keep open lines of communication instead of resorting to insults. Who will invest next in our great club if all they can look forward to is vitriol down the line from a vocal minority? It must also be remembered that we, the HCOSC, are the Football Club’s Official (properly recognised) Supporters Group and therefore it is essential that we follow our constitution and give the strongest possible support to the Football Club.

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I would also like to re-iterate that all Directors and Officers of the HCOSC are volunteers, most with full time jobs and we do the job because we are passionate about our Football Club. We can, of course, always do with more help so if you are interested in joining us please see contact details below. I live in Paignton, Devon (some may have heard of my infamous beach hut) but I still manage to get to most home games, a round trip of 640 miles, and I also try and attend as many away matches as possible. I was really surprised to be voted Supporter of the Season 2009/2010 by the HCOSC.

Time for Change With this latest issue, No 41, I have now completed my 14th Tigermag and it is time to say goodbye and hand over to someone younger with fresh ideas and more energy. I would like to thank everyone who has helped me to make this publication what it is today and a special thank you to Barry Fleetwood, who apart from being a great contributor to the Tigermag, has given me firm advice and guidance over the years. If you fancy being the editor please get in touch on 01803 525481 or bernard.noble@sky.com.

Memories from a holiday in Spain, the Year England won the World Cup! Sue Tayler The photograph below shows some of the Hull City team taken in August 1966. The small child in the bottom right hand corner is me and the lady in the white skirt in the Sue Tayler and her mum Beryl reflect centre is my mother. We were on holiday with some friends on that sunny day in Spain in 1966 in Salou, Spain and in those days it was an unspoilt little town with a lovely beach. We were on the beach one morning, which we had almost to ourselves, and there were a group of young men kicking a ball about close by. When the ball came over one of them spoke to my mum and her friend and they asked where they were from. My mum said Hull and the young man said what a coincidence as they were Hull City players on holiday. I think at first my mum didn’t believe them but she had no way of knowing if they were or not. My dad would have recognised them instantly as he was a lifelong supporter but wasn’t joining us on the holiday until a few days later. Anyway, the lads were invited by my mum and her friend to a bar belonging to another friend when this photo was taken. My dad had it developed and then sent it to Boothferry Park and it came back with the autographs on (see opposite). It’s been interesting to put names to the faces of the players after 49 years as we had struggled to identify them.

Editor asks We have identified most of the players as Alan Jarvis, Mick Brown, Ray Petit, Ray Henderson and Chris Simpkin. However there are others in the photo that we cannot identify? They may be just friends or indeed other players? Please email me at bernard.noble@sky.com if you can help.

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Five City Managers but who was the ‘best’?

Tigers historian Barry Fleetwood (pictured here) in previous editions of the TigerMag has looked at five Hull City forwards over the years, and five goalkeepers. In this edition, he looks at five City managers. Each of them managed in different decades and had to contend with differing challenges, including budgets, divisions, expectations.

But who was the ‘best’ of the five?

The five managers under the microscope are: Raich Carter, Cliff Britton, Terry Neill, Brian Horton, and Phil Brown.

Raich Carter (1948-51): It’s frankly impossible to mention great names associated with Hull City without referring to the great man. Born in Hendon, Sunderland in 1913, the inside forward and former England international joined the Tigers in March 1948 from Derby County as both player and assistant manager; but within just a month he assumed the role of player-manager, age just 34. He didn’t need to rant and rave, either on the pitch or off it; what he had achieved in the game gave him all the authority he needed. He was a supremely confident individual throughout both his playing and managerial career. In his first full season as player-manager the club were promoted from Division Three North as champions, and Carter scored 14 games in the league, and a further three goals in an impressive FA Cup run that took the Tigers to the sixth round and a narrow 0-1 defeat at Boothferry Park against holders Manchester United in front of an all-time record crowd of 55,019. The following season in Division Two (today’s Championship) City finished seventh, and Carter, combining the dual role of manager and player, no easy task, scored 16 league goals. In the 1950/51 season, he shocked the club by resigning as manager (in the September) but continued as player for the rest of that season and the next, his last with the Tigers. In the 1950/51 season, despite stepping down as manager early in the season it had no detrimental effect on his performances, netting 19 goals, his best return for City; in his last season, he scored eight goals.

Hull City’s loss was Leeds United’s gain; he joined then in 1953; within three years he guided them to the First Division. Had he not stepped down as manager (citing disagreements with the club’s board of directors) many fans remain convinced he would have taken the Tigers to the First Division, but it was not to be. He remained loyal to his adopted City to the end of his days. He was arguably Hull City’s greatest player, and his record as a young manager was impressive. It would be remiss not to recall that it was Carter, as Mansfield Town’s manager who signed a young Ken Wagstaff in 1960. It took one great to appreciate and recognise another.

HAVE YOUR SAY...

On this or any other TIGERMAG article, visit the Hull City Official Supporters Club website

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Cliff Britton (1961-1970): Fast forward a decade and the appointment of Cliff Britton, who, unlike Carter, was an experienced manager, already in his early 50s. The former Everton midfielder and England international moved into management and took Burnley to promotion to the First Division, in 1947, and then returned to Everton as manager in 1948. When they were relegated he stayed and took them back up again, but in 1956 he left Everton (shades of Carter again: Britton felt he was not being given the freedom to manage the club) and moved to Preston North End but in the end resigned and was appointed by the Tigers under chairman Harold Needler. He was a no-nonsense manager and expected the highest standards from his players. For a good few years he had to manage under financial difficulties and patience was the name of the game; fortunately chairman Needler and his board of directors recognised what an astute appointment they had made. In fact, in early 1963, they awarded him a 10-year contract. Britton was meticulous in his planning and player recruitment, and spent the club’s money as if it was his own. No signing was made without looking at a potential recruit, time and time again. When at last money was made available to remould the first-team in 1963, he bided his time before finally signing three forwards in 1964 (Ken Wagstaff, Ken Houghton, and Ian Butler) who helped transform the club’s fortunes. Their impact was immediate and the club narrowly missed out on promotion from the then Third Division in 1964/65; but in the following season the team swept all before them to go up as champions. They also reached the sixth round of the FA Cup. The following season the team was such an attacking force in the Second Division, that they could easily have gained a second, successive promotion, this time to England’s top division, but a combination of defensive failings and an appalling run of injuries put paid to this. Inexplicably, Cliff Britton despite hanging on to an extremely talented group of forwards, never felt the apparent need to make the kind of changes to the defence that could have made promotion a realistic possibility. In November 1969 the board moved Britton ‘upstairs’ to oversee matters while searching for a younger manager to take over. Despite a failure to invest in the first-team after promotion to the Second Division in May 1966, the Tigers held on to their new status and this was rarely threatened during the remainder of Britton’s time at the club. Britton, so reluctant to enter the transfer market, instead bringing through many of the club’s youngsters to the first team, succeeded in establishing the club in the second tier of the English game.

Terry Neill (1970-1974): As was the case with Raich Carter two decades earlier, the club turned to a much younger man after Cliff Britton, who was now in his sixties. They eventually reached agreement with Arsenal to recruit defender Terry Neill as their player-manager. The fee evidently was around £45,000 and the clincher, it was said, was the promise of an E-type Jaguar car. it was a new dawn at the club . Though new to management, and despite the club finishing 13th the previous season and making no signings, except for Neill himself, until the last couple of months of the season, amazingly it looked a distinct possibility that the Tigers were going to win promotion to the First Division (today’s Premier League) for the first time in their history. On the 31 March 1971, the Tigers went to Sheffield United and won 2-1. With just 11 games to go, the Tigers were sitting in second place, but they only won four of their remaining games to finish in fifth place - and in those days there were no play-offs.

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The club also reached the sixth round of the FA Cup. Neill could look back on his first season as manager (and player) with some real satisfaction. It was only in late March did he enter the transfer market, making two signings. He continued as a player until May 1973, and stayed on as manager for a further 12 months. He never signed a new contract and returned to London as manager of Spurs. In his last three seasons with the Tigers he never achieved a finish higher than ninth. It would be fair to say that with each passing year, he found playing to a level he had been used to, combined with the role of manager, took its toll. For a while he also continued to play for Northern Ireland, and his liking for the media gave rise to discontent on the terraces when performances and attendances declined.

Brian Horton (1984-1988): We move on a decade, and yet again another rookie young manager is appointed by the Tigers; and again the expectation is that the new recruit can successfully combine playing with managing, despite very little evidence in the game, then or now, that the two roles are a route to success. An aggressive midfielder, who certainly never shirked a challenge in his playing career, brought the same attitude to his new role as player-manager.

As with the case of Terry Neill, the added responsibility of managing the team certainly took its effect on his playing performances. But, come the end of the season, with City playing some wonderful football, the team clinched promotion to the Second Division.

Horton played 22 times that season. In the first season back in the Second Division, the club finished in a respectable sixth spot; then 14th, and in Horton’s last season a disappointing 15th position, and with just a few games to go, and the manager experimenting with a number of youngsters, culminating in a 4-1 home loss to Swindon Town, he was dismissed immediately after the game by chairman Don Robinson; only to be re- instated within the hour. But Horton was having none of it, and he left the club. It was a disastrous decision. The young manager was building something special and as the years past by and relegations followed, the full enormity of the disastrous decision became all too apparent.

In that final season, expectations of success, on a relatively modest budget, were high; and in the first 14 games of the season the team was unbeaten, with wins over Leeds United, Aston Villa, and Manchester City (3.1).

Phil Brown (2006 - 2010): We finish with the first manager in what was then the club’s 104-year history to take it into the top division of the English game - the Premier League. Phil Brown was 47 years old when he was appointed Hull City’s manager halfway through the 2006/7 season. The season had begun under newly appointed manager Phil Parkinson, and after a difficult start Parkinson brought in Brown to assist him, but then was dismissed and Brown took charge in caretaker role initially, before getting the job as manager at the start of 2007 until the end of the season; with the club avoiding relegation in the penultimate game of the 2006-7 season. Despite both a new owner and chairman for the the start of the 2007/8 season, and with investment in new signings exceeding anything seen in the club’s history, not even the most optimistic of fan would have said promotion come the end of the season was realistic.

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Indeed, in the first-half of the season results were at best patchy but then things started at last to come together and the second- half of the season was little short of sensational; in fact, right up the last game of the season finishing in second place and with it automatic promotion, was a distinct possibility. But this proved a step too far and the Tigers finished third; and then over two games in their play-off semi-final with Watford, a 2-0 away win was followed by a convincing 4-1 win at the KC. And then it was that never-to-be forgotten day at Wembley on 24 May 2008 when City won 1-0 to finally achieve the dream of Premier League football. For delivering what few could have predicted, Phil Brown will always be fondly remembered. Indeed, in the first season in the Premier League, the Tigers genuinely shocked the football world by over-achieving during the first four months; though after that it was a struggle and finally City stayed up on the last game of the season. The next season was a struggle pretty much from the outset, not helped by some poor signings, which culminated with Brown being relieved of his position in the middle of March by returning chairman Adam Pearson after a pretty impressive game against Arsenal at the KC, which ended with a last minute defeat. Pearson turned to out-of-work Ian Dowie to save the club from relegation; it failed miserably as the Tigers were shambolic in the run-in. With a number games at home which looked winnable, many fans to this day believe Brown would have kept the club in the Premier League. Dowie’s record was lamentable, and he was never seriously considered for the post full-time when the club embarked on Championship football.

As to which of the above could be said to be the ‘best’ manager, surely it’s impossible to say. For the record, only Phil Brown took the club into England’s top division, but of course he had the budget to compete with other clubs in the Championship, what was once the Second Division. Raich Carter given the right backing would surely have achieved a ‘Phil Brown’ more than half a century earlier. Cliff Britton, had he only invested in a couple of quality defenders, could have seen the Tigers in the top division before the end of the 1960s; by the start of the 1970s a rookie Terry Neill came desperately close in his first season. Brian Horton, though a very capable manager never had the financial backing to mount a serious challenge, though they finished sixth in the old Second Division in his second season in charge, after gaining promotion in his first season as a player-manager.

What is not in doubt is that all five proved to be good appointments; and all served the club with distinction.

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In loving memory of Kenneth Allott, 1931 - 2015 The poem below was penned by Stephen Allot in memory of his father, Kenneth, who died recently.

Contributions and inspiration from Kenneth’s wife Audrey and brother Colin.

Big heavy boots and a brown leather ball Shirts 1 to 11, names easy to recall Wages were capped at a hundred a week Fame, not fortune, the players did seek The crowds dispersed slowly at Boothferry Park We’re homeward bound as the sky turns dark A big win under our belts; Well done City No First Division though. Oh what a pity!

So Grimsby was often the choice of our Dad A first division side he’d say was not bad No Humber Bridge then, just a boat and a train Back home in Hull, he starts dreaming again When we were old enough, his two young boys To Bunkers Hill would be taken, to hear the noise Of those fanatical City fans, dyed in the wool Why does Lineker now call us plain “Hull”?

During our teens we saw every home match But City came third, bad luck or a bad patch?

2-0 against Blackburn but fog stopped the game So nearly promoted; Oh what a shame!

A header from Chilton made the crowds sing And we’ve Ian, Ian Butler, on our wing, on our wing 46,000 saw Osgood’s Chelsea replay Chris Simpkin scored, but it’s not City’s day City once let in four, our Boxing Day blues We didn’t want that scoreline on the main news Ten minutes to go would City ever score?

A few left early, ha ha, missed the draw!

You may well remember as the crowd roared All of the goals No 8 Wagstaff scored First name was Ken, same as our Dad He was a good larker that plucky young lad

Kenneth with Audrey at the KC Stadium At last, The Premier League our team did grace Beat Arsenal away, City didn’t lose face Not once, but twice, in the top flight For a City like Hull, deserves it, right?

Ken and Audrey saw the KC stadium go up They looked forward one day to winning the cup Two goals to the good and they dared to dream But in extra time, City ran out of steam They sat in KC’s West stand each Saturday Home of The Tigers, where Hull City play Ken’s wife Audrey shouts “please play fairly” Not enough lifts, so they both leave early Dad’s last game was Burnley, and at full time Hull City had lost with a mountain to climb “Put it on last” Bruce tells match of the day Not scoring goals, that’s no way to play

Waggy Waggy Waggy Oi, Oi, Oi

Our Dad was so positive, he never gave up Such a great effort, City nearly won the cup We’ll be back in the Premier League, and that’s no lie Whether older or younger, we’re City ’til we die

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After 36 years as Hull City’s Club Chaplain Rev’d Allen Bagshawe reflects It was an October evening in 1975 when Henry Needler, one of the City directors, invited me to join him for a match at Boothferry Park, in the Directors’ Box! Hull City were playing Sheffield United, and I had been brought up behind the goal at Bramall Lane! I knew that if United scored nothing would have held me in my seat, I was a passionate Blade and had only just arrived in Hull. City won 2-0! Not having disgraced myself Henry saw to it that I had four further years of football whilst I served as minister of his church at St Barnabas in Swanland. It wasn’t long before my allegiances were shifting, the Tigers were growing in my affections.

In 1979 I was appointed Vicar of St Matthew’s on the Boulevard and rather thought that I had left my ‘football perk’ behind, but not so. The Needler family, who were Hull City, invited me to come on board as Club Chaplain. I remember well my first arranged visit to the club. I was to introduce myself to Ken Houghton, one of the mighty Tiger’s legends and at that time Manager. He was on the main pitch with his players and I had to walk down the tunnel and out, on to the hallowed turf.

At this moment footballers were still my heroes, mega stars who performed for my enjoyment.

I’d never met one, shook hands with one, talked with one and, to be honest, I was scared! As I appeared out of the tunnel the players were down at the south stand end and I was spotted. Ken Houghton waved me over and came towards me, hand held out ready to greet. I was in awe but his greeting was so warm and reassuring. Soon he had introduced me to the players and these, my heroes, were warm in their welcome too. So then began the Chaplaincy.

I soon realised that footballers were not ‘gods’ just ordinary men with one particular skill, they were good at playing football – well most of them were! Over the years I built some good friendships, took some teasing and tried to give some back.

So what was my role?

Chaplaincy in Sport was still in its early formations but there were several chaplains I could talk to and in particular, John Boyers at Watford. John would in time be instrumental in the development of chaplaincy in sport and was eventually to become the first full time Director of Score, the sport’s chaplaincy organisation. At the same time he was appointed as Chaplain to Manchester United, a job he still fulfils. Score would develop the concept of chaplaincy throughout the world of sport.

The provision of pastoral support for footballers and other athletes, coaches, club officials and even fans was the aim. For me it meant spending many idle hours on the training ground, kicking loose balls back to the players, a little banter with some and perhaps a little food. In the old days a cheese & onion buttie from Ken Norrie in the Players’ Bar and in recent days a veritable banquet at the Cottingham Training Ground! I never pushed faith but as relationships grew some players would want to talk about spiritual things whilst others would share some concerns from home and family. My ‘idle hours’ were returned by these conversations which only came because players felt they had a relationship. For most of the time I had access on match days to the Players’ Lounge which meant I could meet them relaxed, post match, and build some links with their families.

There were others things which came my way, support for players with long term injuries, and going post match to the HRI when an injured player has been rushed into A&E. Fans too would begin to relate to me and often I would be invited to lead Funeral Services for loved ones with a passion for the Tigers. There were many visits to Boothferry Park to strew ashes across the pitch

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too, something which continued with the move to the KC although the ashes were now to be scattered round the perimeter. From time to time there would be the loss of a former player and this led to me leading a short reflection prior to the minute’s silence at the next home game. There was one time when one of our young Juniors sadly died from an illness leaving his colleagues bereft. I was there for them and for the family of the young lad.

Christmas was always memorable with that invitation to lead a couple of carols at half time. It is probably the most recalled part of my chaplaincy with many people mentioning it to me over the years – especially in the recent years when the invitation was no longer offered!! For me it was a sheer privilege to mark the festive season with a carol and short prayerful reflection. Inside, away from the fans, we often had a Players Carol Service when they would sing carols, read the Christmas story and reflect on the Christmas message. Over the past few years this has been held among the Academy Players at their Training Ground and I have to say their enthusiasm was always warming. It would then be followed by their Christmas Dinner!

When it came to the move from the old to the new I was invited to lead a short closure at Boothferry Park, just as I had a few days earlier when the rugby fans sad farewell at the Boulevard. On the pitch at the Boulevard there was incredible connection but standing in the Director’s Box at Boothferry Park it never seemed to find that connection, strange. The opening of the KC was awesome. Early that morning I had been on the Breakfast Show for Radio Humberside, following which I spent some hours on a slow Prayer Walk round the new stadium. In the evening I was invited on to the pitch for that very public Blessing of pitch & stadium. I like to think that that Blessing has helped to make the KC Stadium something very special which has seen both our resident clubs reach new heights.

So I’ve been Hull City’s Club Chaplain from 1979 to the end of the last season. I have witnessed some incredible moments but there have also been some tough periods with the club almost leaving the league. I really believe that our club gives credit to the community, inspires hopes and ambitions, the belief that we can be Premier League and Yorkshire’s senior club! I am so excited for the future. Hull, as a community, has long felt itself inferior and for no good real reason. Our city has pioneered some incredible things over the centuries yet the perception is still one of a place that is best overlooked. Well not now! With 2017 City of Culture and Siemens on their way, things have never looked better for Hull. Our Tigers will play their part!!

P.S. Since stepping down as Club Chaplain I have taken on a new responsibility as Secretary of the Senior Tigers Club. They were just going through a change of committee after the previous one had run the Club for 16 incredible years. They deserved a rest and it was for others to pick up their legacy and take it further forwards. This is probably a great time to encourage new members to join us. Any fan who has reached the telling age of 60 can apply and for £10 p.a. come along to our monthly meetings during the season. They are held at 1.45 pm on the first Thursday of each month and we meet in the Dug Out at the KC Stadium.

Each meeting has a speaker, player or former player, member of the coaching staff or club official and we are never disappointed.

The next meetings will be on October 1st and November 5th. If you’re old enough then come and join us!

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Club Chaplain welcomes Arsenal supporter at Holy Trinity shortly after the Cup Final last year

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HCOSC Chair Nadine Mathews welcomes Justin Whittle to the Airco Arena.

Ahmed Elmohamady (Elmo) proudly showing off his HCOSC Player of the Season Award

HCOSC supporter Justin Whittle being interviewed by our Master of Ceremonies John Williams before our first home game of the season against Huddersfield.

Tigers’ and Huddersfield Town Supporters meet in the Airco Arena before our first home game of the season.

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These interviews take place in the Airco Arena before all Saturday home games. Please come and meet HCOSC Directors and Officers, sign up or renew membership, purchase exclusive HCOSC merchadise, and have a chat and a drink (at very reasonable prices) before going on to the stadium.

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The pre-match entertainment for the game against Preston North End was provided by Steve Moran. As the figures (league appearances) show below Steve was a prolific goal scorer and very much a household name during the 1980’s.

Years Team Apps Goals 1979–1986 Southampton 180 78 1986 Leicester City 43 14 1986–1991 Reading 116 30 1991–1993 Exeter City 57 27 1993–1995 Hull City 17 5 I asked Steve how it was that he never played for England other than a couple of U21 games. Well it transpires Steve was a bit of a romantic, as it turns out he was asked to join the England squad but Steve had prior arrangements and had to turn the England offer down. Steve confessed his prior engagement was in fact his own wedding. So that is why one of England most natural goal scorers never played for the England first team, for as having refused his original invitation, he was never asked again.

One of Steve’s great achievements however was not his goal scoring but to complete a 1400 mile charity bike ride which would take him to every Premier League ground, as well as Wembley and the five clubs he played for (Saints, Leicester, Reading, Exeter and Hull). He was inspired to complete this feat by Connor Lancaster, the 12-year-old son of his partner Hayley, who was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy when he was three.

Despite being a southerner, Steve since retiring from football whilst playing for Hull City, still lives in the East Riding having fallen in love with the area.

Steve talks to John Williams prior to the game with Preston.

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Assem Allam, Peter Chapman and John Hawley enjoying the HCOSC Sponsored CRY Evening held at the KC Stadium last season.

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LIFE AS A LONG DISTANCE AND LONG SERVING HULL CITY SUPPORTER John Graystone 17 June 1964. “Hull City: forget them completely; they will be worse next year in spite of their grandiose schemes. A worthwhile idea would be to sell out the club and share out money amongst the local school teams….”

A last letter to me from my retired teacher grandfather James Graystone in Ward 3, Western General Hospital, Anlaby Road Hull. He died suddenly three days later. A long suffering Hull City fan aged 11 when City were founded in 1904 he survived the First World War fighting on the Somme for the 10th East Yorkshire Regiment. He was one of the Hull pals and would give addresses to battalion dinners at various anniversaries. An avid City supporter who died just before City’s revival in the mid to late 1960s.

My father, another lifelong supporter, born in Hull and died in March 2002. City were in the lowest division and had a reasonably good season though falling away badly to mid-table by the end.

Almost the last time I saw him as he lay dying, I told him that City had lost 1-0 at home to Scunthorpe.

He did not look too bothered. I knew then that he was really ill. Almost in mourning, City only took only three points from their last eight matches.

How both of them would have been amazed at City’s progress.

This account is about a long distance City supporter, born in London, and a supporter for over 60 years.

Between 1956 and 1966, City played in the old Division 3 North and from 1958 the new Division 3 with one season in the new Division 2 (now Division 1 – it’s confusing!). When City were in Division 3 North, I didn’t get to see them much. When in Division 3 and playing in London, City invariably lost.

My father took me to games against Brentford, Leyton Orient and Millwall and indeed Aston Villa. I saw other great teams. I saw many matches of the brilliant Spurs side which won the Double in 1961 with players such as Blanchflower, MacKay, Cliff Jones and Bobby Smith. I also saw Manchester United’s 5-4 victory against Arsenal a few days before the Munich air disaster which wiped out much of the team. But despite seeing these great teams and much to the bemusement of my London friends, I chose to support City, eagerly waiting for their results on Saturday and hoping I’d have the chance to see them play.

The Table on the next page shows how City have fared since the team joined the football league in 1904. What is remarkable about City is that in their 111 years of existence, they’ve been promoted 11 times and relegated 10 times – an average of promotion or relegation every five years. If we exclude their first 25 years of existence in the old Division 2 and the 6 years lost in the Second World War years, then relegation or promotion occurs every four years. The last 10 years have seen 4 promotions and 2 relegations.

Life is rarely dull as a City supporter.

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Divisions of theoffootball league in which in Hull City have 1904-2015 Divisions the football league which Hullplayed: City have played: 1904-2015 Year

1904-30 (war interruption) 1930-33 1933-36 1936-49 (war interruption) 1949-56 1956-58

Division

Year

Division 3 North Division 2 Division 3 North

1959-60

Placed in new Division 3 Division 2

1960-66 1966-78

Division 2 Division 3 North

1978-81 1981-83

Division 2

1958-59

Division

Year

Division

Year

Division

1985-91

Division 2

2008-10

Division 3 Division 2

1991-92 1992-96

2010-13 2013-15

Division 3 Division 4

1996-2004 2004-05

Division 3 Placed in new Division 2 Division 3 Division 1 after Division 2 renamed

Premier League Championship Premier League

1983-85

Division 3

2005-08

from 2015

Championship

Championship

Please note that the divisions were changed several times. In 1920 a new Division 3 was established Please note that the divisions were3changed several times.

In 1920Divisions a new Division established followed in 1921

by Division North and South; in 1958, 3 and34was were set up; infollowed 1996 the in 1921

by Division 3 North South; inand 1958,inDivisions and 4 were set up; in 19961the Premier League Premier League was and established 2004 the3 Championship, Division and Division 2. was established and in 2004 the Championship, Division 1 and Division 2.

I moved to Nottingham for four years from 1965 to 1969. There I saw Mansfield

I moved to Nottingham for four years from 1965 to 1969. There I saw Mansfield Town play, Town play, supporters still regretting a certain crowd favourite called Ken Wagstaff supporters still regretting a certain crowd favourite called Ken Wagstaff being sold to City.

being sold to City.

1965/66 was a great year for City with the golden forward line of Butler, Houghton, Chilton, Wagstaff wasThe a great for old CityDivision with the golden109 forward Butler, Houghton, and1965/66 Henderson. team year won the 3 scoring goals. line Theyof had a great Cup run Chilton, Wagstaff Henderson. team won the oldSouthampton Division 3 1-0 scoring 109 defeating Bradford Parkand Avenue (3-2 away),The Gateshead (4-0 away); at home.

goals. They had a great Cup run defeating Bradford Park Avenue (3-2 away),

I used to watch a(4-0 powerful Nottingham Forest 1-0 play at in the top Division with players such as Terry Gateshead away); Southampton home.

Hennessey, Ian Storey-Moore and Joe Baker. On 12 February1966, Forest (who had defeated Man UtdI and Spurs at home had recently Westin Ham boasted soonsuch to be as used to watch a and powerful Notts thrashed Forest play the5-0, topwhich Division withthree players famous World Cup Stars – Moore, Hurst and Peters) were drawn against Third Division Hull in the Terry Hennessey, Ian Storey-Moore and Joe Baker. On 12 February1966, Forest Cup. I managed to get a ticket for the match, travelling up to Hull in a coach organised by the local (who had defeated Man Utd and Spurs at home and had recently thrashed West pub and full of Forest supporters. I had to keep a low profile on the journey home as Forest were Ham 5-0, which boasted three soon to be famous World Cup Stars – Moore, Hurst trounced 2-0 with a reserve player Heath scoring both goals.

and Peters) were drawn against Third Division Hull in the Cup. I managed to get a match, travelling upfifth to Hull in before a coach organised local Cityticket went for on the to defeat Southport in the round facing Chelsea by – atthe that timepub sixthand in full of Forest supporters.

I had to keep a low profile on the journey home as Forest Division 1 - away at Stamford Bridge in the sixth round. I was in the packed crowd at Stamford wereontrounced with reserveleading player2-0 Heath both Bridge 26 March2-0 1966 withaChelsea with scoring 10 minutes left.goals.

I can still see Wagstaff

scoring the two goals right in front of me as Hull drew 2-2. Sadly I couldn’t see the 1-3 defeat at Citybut went on to managed defeat Southport in athe fifthNews round before Chelsea – at that home my father to purchase Pathe cinefilm of facing the return fixture which I’ve sixth Division 1 - away at Stamford Bridgeand in Chopper the sixthHarris round.

I was the in the stilltime got as the in Chelsea of Peter Osgood, Bobby Tambling clinched win. crowd at Stamford Bridgearrived on 26with March 1966 with Chelsea leading 2-0 with Butpacked a great goal

by Simpkin.

Consolation promotion.

10 minutes left. I can still see Wagstaff scoring the two goals right in front of me as

Then I moved Bristol.

I saw a 1-0 victory Swindon April 1983 up and coming to Hull drew to 2-2.

Sadly I couldn’t seeagainst the 1-3 defeatonat16home but with my an father managed player Brian Marwood City having their side Emlyn Hughes purchase a Pathescoring News and cinefilm of theinreturn fixture which I’ve (ex-England still got as captain), the Steve McClaren (ex-manager of England and Derby) and and Chopper Billy Whitehurst. year, City Chelsea of Peter Osgood, Bobby Tambling HarrisThat clinched thecame win. second to Wimbledon with 90 points as Wimbledon started their meteoric rise to the top division.

But a great goal by Simpkin. Consolation arrived with promotion.

The following season came heartbreak as City failed to win back to back promotions by a solitary goal. They defeated Burnley 2-0 away in the last match but finished on the same points and same 2 City would have gone up – but what we goal difference as Sheffield Utd. One more goal and would have given for a similar result this season.

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I regularly watched and supported (as a second team) Bristol City seeing them reach the old Division 1 (now the Premier League) and stay there for three years. Bristol’s demotion meant I could see them play Hull City again and Bristol City often won. Bristol City won 4-1 on 17 November 1990 in Division 2 as HulI City were relegated narrowly with West Bromwich Albion, Leicester and Swindon. City amassed 45 points from 46 games, putting up a good fight at the end as they won away 2-1 against the leaders Oldham and a similar score away to Newcastle. Less positive was the 1995/96 season where I saw Hull lose 4-0 to Bristol City on 14 October 1995, with even Deano unable to turn the tide as Hull were relegated with Brighton, Carlisle and Swansea to Division 4 – by now the League had four Divisions. That year City mustered only 5 wins - Deano the lead scorer with 8 goals - and 31 points from 46 games.

Working for five years in Cambridge gave me the chance to see Peterborough and Hull draw 1-1 on 26 January 1999. City were bottom of Division 4 with Warren Joyce as new player manager.

But what a hard fought game and how ecstatic were the loyal band of Hull supporters as they went 1-0 up with a John Witney goal. Hull recovered – the Great Escape - and survived in Division 4. I remember that game particularly standing out for the commitment and passion shown by the players and by the faithful small band of vociferous and devoted supporters.

Cheltenham on 24 February 2004 was another victory but important to me. I took Gaynor, my new partner, to see the match – I knew our relationship must be going somewhere! Hull were top of Div 3 and won comfortably 2-0 with goals from Danny Allsop and Ben Burgess – the local paper described City as ‘clinical’. Boaz Myhill, Ian Ashbee and Andy Dawson were playing. Things were on their way up for City who were promoted that season ....... and personally for me!

The programme for the Cheltenham game underlined the tough times faced by City in the lowest division from 1996 and finishing 17th, 22nd, 21st, 14th, 6th, 11th and 13th before promotion in 2003/04.

I now live near Cardiff. In one of many matches against Swansea, City won 3-2 towards the end of the season 2003/04 (two goals from Burgess, one from Allsop) and ended up runners up to Doncaster in League 4. The previous year I had mixed emotions as Swansea defeated City 4-2 after going a goal down and avoided demotion to the Conference. Hard to believe the progress of both teams since.

And this brings me to more recent games against Cardiff. The game against Cardiff on 28 April 2007 is certainly one of the most significant games that City have played. Hull had been on a losing streak. Only two points in previous four matches. They travelled to Cardiff knowing that a defeat in the penultimate match of the season could mean that City rather than Leeds Utd would be relegated from the Championship. A Windass goal right in front of me led to a 1-0 win; Leeds Utd only drew at home against Ipswich Town and were relegated after accepting a points deduction due to financial irregularities. City were safe and could afford to lose the last match at home to Plymouth. The nucleus of that side that scraped that important victory - Myhill, Dawson, Ashbee, Turner, and Windass – brought the amazing promotion to the premier league next season.

Had that game been lost, Hull would have been in Division 2.

The future would have been very different.

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In the promotion season in 2007/08, I saw City lose 1-0 to Cardiff – I missed the early single goal.

But the Wembley play-off. I couldn’t get tickets but watched the game in a Cardiff pub. Hull City vs Bristol City – my life-time team against my (a long way behind) second favourite! Lots of people in the pub watched the match – a rugby final was being played - and the Cardiff fans were all supporting Hull (Cardiff and Bristol are rivals). There was a huge roar when Windass scored his famous volleyed goal.

And then of course the sadness of the relegation and the amazing bounceback. I’d seen City comfortably defeat Bristol City on 27 October 2012 2-1 with Aluko scoring and having an amazing match. On 4 May 2013, I was in a car park listening on the radio to the second half of Hull vs Cardiff.

Every City fan will know that they had to get a better result than Watford. 2-1 up and missing a late penalty and Cardiff score. Those long and agonising minutes while we all waited for the referee to blow the whistle at Watford.

I thought City had snatched defeat from the jaws of victory and then Leeds Utd of all teams scored that breakaway goal.

Last season (2013/14) I saw City play Swansea (1-1) and Cardiff away (a 4-0 victory – I’ve never seen them win by such a big margin). The Cardiff game was significant. I met Bernard Noble there, joined the Official Supporters Club and managed to get tickets for the FA Cup semi-final and the final.

After 10 minutes on 17 May 2014 with City 2-0 up against Arsenal I thought of my grandfather and father. They would have been so proud – perhaps gobsmacked might be a better word - to see the team at Wembley.

Sadly a victory wasn’t to be but the match was of the most exciting cup finals for many years and won City many admirers.

And speaking to Arsenal fans after the game, they admitted that had Gibbs not cleared the ball from the goal-line when City were 2-0 up, Arsenal wouldn’t have come back.

John Greystone pictured here on Wembley Way.

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And so to last season which promised so much. City were too good to go down but so were Norwich last year and Wigan the year before. I saw them lose 3-1 to Swansea. A disappointing score but City dominated the second half with 10 men, before conceding a breakaway goal.

To conclude, to be a long distance supporter has been a topsy turvy existence. Lots of lows and highs. City never do things simply. In the 1909/10 season - four years after being founded - City finished third in Division 2 level on points with third placed Oldham but missed promotion to the top division by 0.29 of a goal, having lost 3-0 away to Oldham in the last match. I’ve mentioned their 2-0 away victory in 1984 over Burnley to miss promotion by one goal (if only we could have had a similar result against Burnley last season, home or away we would still be in the Premier League?). Four times recently, City have been promoted, saved from relegation or relegated on the last day of the season!

And every year bar one for the past decade, City have either been involved in promotion through the divisions or fights against relegation or cup battles. The following table shows league positions since 2003/04. Only in 2010/11 could City be described as being mid-table.

Season League Position 2014/15 Premier League 18th /20 2013/14 Premier League 16th/20 Championship 2nd/24 2012/13

Championship 8th/24 2011/12 2010/11 Championship 11th/24

2009/10 Premier League 19th/20 2008/09 Premier League 17th/20 2007/08 Championship 3rd/24 2006/07 Championship 21st/24

18th/24 2005/06 Championship 2004/05 New Division 1 2nd/24

2003/04 Old Division 3 2nd/24

(now Division 2)

Comment Relegated on last day with Newcastle scraping through Cup final, losing to Arsenal in great match Promoted on last day on last day with thanks to Leeds Utd defeating Watford Up in promotion fight but fell away Perhaps only mid-table position but consolidated after financial scares Relegated Saved from relegation on last day Promoted after exciting play-off final at Wembley vs Bristol City Saved from relegation in penultimate match with thanks again to Leeds Utd Consolidated position after two promotions Promoted with Stuart Elliott scoring 27 goals and sharing top goal scoring spot with a certain Dean Windass of Bradford Promoted at last after 7 years

Last season turned out to be another nail-biting and ultimately heart-breaking affair. No mid-table security for City. City supporters will never forget the closeness of that Wembley victory in 2008, the agonising 7 minutes after the Cardiff game in 2013 and narrowly avoiding relegation in 2007 and 2009. But sadly all we’ll be thinking about is that last game against Manchester United and Newcastle still in the Premier League and what could have been.

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Was the ‘Waggy’ and ‘Chilton’ partnership really that special?

Lifelong Hull City fan, Bernard Noble, considers what for him and many fans the club’s best ever striking partnership - Waggy and Chillo!

When Hull City, then two divisions below Chelsea drew 2-2 at Stamford Bridge in the sixth round of the FA Cup, former manager, Raich Carter, writing in the Daily Mirror the following day, had this to say of Waggy’s two late goals: “In the 79th minute Ian Butler’s stinging left-foot shot struck the post and Wagstaff was on the spot to finish off. Then came that sensational equaliser two minutes from the end. I am still wondering why Alf Ramsey has not got this boy in his World Cup squad.” It is unimaginable that today a player from a team in League One, no matter how good, could be touted for inclusion in an England squad. But, he was far from a lone voice in making such a claim.

Our very own Sir Tom Courtenay, President of the Hull City Official Supporters’ Club, in the forward to John Maffin’s excellent book, ‘Waggy: The Ken Wagstaff Story’ (a fantastic read), says of the Waggy/Chilton partnership: “I remember Paddy Crerand (a great Manchester United midfielder) telling me at Old Trafford that he thought they were the best pair of strikers in the League.” With the Tigers promoted to the Second Division, and after City had beaten Wolves 3-1 at Boothferry Park in October 1966, John Maffin in his book mentions another national newspaper reporter, Alan Thompson, who wrote: “One of our forwards in our next World Cup side could well be Ken Wagstaff. Years ago when he played for Mansfield Town I wrote that ‘this lad will one day play for England’. And I alter that opinion only slightly. He MUST play for England.” The reporter then turned his attention to the whole side that was now doing so well in the Second Division. Under the headline: ‘No Stopping this Side’, he had this to say: “The best football in the North and possibly the country is being played by Hull City. Everyone should be made to see them - theorists who believe that victory stems from defence, method men who preach ‘one man, one job’, and most of all those who crave for excitement, Hull are the mystics of football - throwbacks who believe in all-out attack and who therefore excite. Soccer for them is matter of shooting and scoring - not a game of chess.” Praise indeed.

And the late, great Brian Clough, who tried desperately to sign Wagstaff when managing Derby County, once said that the Chillo and Waggy was the best attacking partnership never to play in England’s top division. That is a view shared by the vast majority of City fans who grew up watching the pair in action.

Perhaps the last word should go to Chillo, as one half of a fantastic partnership. With typical honesty and humillity, he has little doubt on the matter. “Waggy,” he says, “was more singleminded than me as a goalscorer. You only have to look at the goals he scored against Stoke City in the FA Cup quarter-final at Boothferry Park in 1971 to see why. Who else would have sat Gordon Banks, the then England goalkeeper, on his backside? But that was Waggy: he had marvellous ability and there must have been only two or three players in the country at that time who could have done the same thing to Gordon Banks with that finesse and coolness. It was his forte.”

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THREE SPECIAL GAMES TigerMag historian Barry Fleetwood recalls three truly memorable games which occurred long, long before anyone ever thought City would consider moving from Boothferry Park. Each of the games attracted 40,000-plus crowds, two of which were at home, the other away, a truly fierce Yorkshire Derby with promotion to England’s top division at stake.

Hull City vs Chelsea (31 March 1966).

This was an FA Cup quarter-final replay against high-flying Chelsea; the Londoners were near the top of the First Division (today’s Premier League); the Tigers were top of the Third Division (today’s League One). City had drawn 2-2 at Stamford Bridge the previous Saturday, coming from two goals down to bring the game back to Hull and a packed Boothferry Park, courtesy of two late Ken Wagstaff goals. In the first game, there were 46,924 in Stamford Bridge, the majority reduced to stunned disbelief as Waggy denied the Londoners victory, and yet amazingly, with only days to organise the replay, which took place on a Thursday night in Hull, itself General Election day, 45,328 some how squeezed themselves into Boothferry Park.

The demand for tickets was sensational; with fans queuing all day; in fact, the first of them were outside the ground at 7am. Unfortunately, the Tigers lost the game 1-3, but this takes nothing away from the occasion. Back then, the so-called bigger clubs fielded their first eleven for the FA Cup; there again, teams simply didn’t have the size of squads seen today. Rotating your squad was not something you ever heard mentioned. Chelsea went 2-0 up before City scored a 30-yard screamer cracker from City’s Chris Simpkin just four minutes after the visitors scored their second, and given the fact that the Tigers were themselves a formidable force in their own right, taking the Third Division by storm, for a while it looked like City would force an equaliser, but on the hour mark, Chelsea killed the game off with their third; and that was that. But it proved only a temporary setback: the Tigers dusted themselves down and went up as Champions at the end of the season.

In the next home game just under 32,000 saw them beat Oxford United 2-1. Unbelievably, aside from the defeat by Chelsea, the Tigers won 10 league games back to back! As mentioned before in this column, that City side was exceptional. For the next match, fast forward exactly five years to the month. And once again, the prize is a place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup; and, history repeating itself, City, though now an established Second Division club (today’s Championship) came up against a team from England’s top division.

Hull City vs Stoke City (6 March, 1971).

For the next match, fast forward exactly five years to the month. And once again, the prize is a place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup; and, history repeating itself, City, though now an established Second Division club (today’s Championship) came up against a team from England’s top division.

The Tigers faced, in another FA Cup quarter-final, First Division Stoke City at Boothferry Park in front of 41,452 fans, the vast majority confident home advantage would prove decisive. In goal for the visitors was England goalkeeper, the magnificent Gordon Banks, who kept goal when England won the World Cup for the only time back in the summer of 1966. But Banks was soon beaten twice by the irrepressible Ken Wagstaff, who weaved through the Stoke defence to put the Tigers 1-0 up after just 14 minutes; and things soon got even better, when ten minutes later he repeated his trickery and sublime composure in front of goal to make it 2-0. Such was City’s control of the game, thoughts inevitably turned to the Tigers’ opponents in the semi-final. The second goal demonstrated the uncanny knack Waggy and Chris Chilton (Chillo) had to read each other’s game.

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English football at that time had very few partnerships that could better what they had to offer.

Chillo says in his autobiography that before the game Waggy predicted: “I’ll show that Banks!”.

He was as good as his word. Have a look on YouTube to see the goals from Waggy - they are a lesson on how to make space and stay calm in front of goal before slotting the ball into the back of the net. Over his long career, he made this look easy. Yet, cruelly, a minute before half-time, with City pushing for a third goal that would surely have put the game beyond the reach of Stoke, their nippy winger Tony Conroy eluded City’s Billy Wilkingson, rounded keeper, Ian McKechnie, and made it 2-1. The mood on the terraces changed i!n an instant. As so often is the case, the momentum was now with Stoke who, to their credit, kept the ball much better and put the Tigers under increasing pressure; and after 73 minutes they found a way through to equalise, and on 81 minutes Ritchie rose unchallenged to head Stoke in front for the first time, to make it 2-3. But could City draw level and at least take the game to a replay at Stoke? The Tigers give it everything, and with just minutes remaining player-manager Terry Neil powered in a header, but Banks in goal showed all his considerable class and athleticism to somehow push the ball out; though Neil was convinced it had crossed the line. It was said the save was on a par with the sensational one Banks made for England that summer in the World Cup against Brazil, from Pele no less. And with that, City were out of the FA Cup.! Defeat was a cruel blow after looking imperious in the first-half, but the Tigers had no time to dwell on what might have been; they were pushing for promotion to the First Division (today’s Premier League) and just three days later faced near neighbours Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, with United vying with the Tigers at the top of the table. Could City raise themselves again for what promised to be a physical battle?

Sheffield United vs Hull City (9 March 1971).

So, it was back to the League and with just 12 games remaining, the pressure was on the Tigers to get something from the game. City brought in two players with vast experience to bolster their promotion push - Billy Baxter from Ipswich Town and Ken Knighton from Blackburn Rovers, with both thrown immediately into the fray at Bramall Lane. You could see just how much these two players relished the challenge before them. Baxter was a tough, non-nonsense Scot who had played over 450 games in defence over 11 seasons for Ipswich Town and captained the side, and Knighton was a 27-year-old midfielder who had already played for Blackburn Rovers against City at Boothferry Park earlier in the season, when, with the Tigers 2-0 up the game was called off due to the fog. Such was his range of passing and aggressive nature that player-manager Terry Neil had kept an eye on him and pounced to secure his signature. Such was the demand for the game, just over 40,000 were packed into Bramall Lane, on a cold Tuesday night, its biggest crowd for years, and many City fans didn’t actually get into the game until after Sheffield United had gone 1-0 up through left-winger Gil Reece after just 16 minutes - just the start City had been dreading.

The pace and intensity of the game lives long in the memory.

It genuinely was intimidating. Tackles were flying in throughout and on several occasions it looked to be getting out of control.

It got so bad that the referee felt he had no option but to stop the game, just before half-time, and call all 20 outfield players into the centre of the pitch and give them a lecture. “The five minutes before I had words were disgraceful,” the referee said. Amazingly, only two players were booked on the night, one from United and City’s new record signing, Ken Knighton. On 59 minutes, United had a chance to go 2-0 up but their centre-forward headed against the post.

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And then the game swung dramatically in City’s favour. Two minutes later, the Tigers equalised through midfielder Chris Simpkin, who smashed a superb 20-yard shot past their keeper - shades of his goal against Chelsea in the first game reviewed above.

And then it got even better. Just two minutes later that man Waggy was at it again. Left-winger Ian Butler swung in a rightwing corner and Wagstaff rose above the their defenders to head in - and put City 1-2 up on the night.

But there was still time for United to try to grab an equaliser, and inevitably they piled on the pressure, and it looked like the Tigers were going to concede right at the end until Ian McKechnie pulled off a fantastic save to deny the Blades. The euphoria among players and travelling fans showed just how much the victory meant. City were now second from top in the Second Division.

The game was billed as ‘The Battle of Bramall Lane’ and fans of certain age who were there still talk about it to this day. City returned to Hull in confident mood; with just 11 games to go there was every reason to believe that, finally, the Tigers would be promoted for the very first time to the top division. Their next opponents were Oxford United at Boothferry Park. They had only entered the football league in 1962, but inexplicably the performance from City was flat, just four days after the endeavours at Bramall Lane, and they lost the game 0-1. And what followed was no better. Only four of the final 10 games were won, with City finishing a disappointing fifth position; and in those days there were no play-off games. This was the closest City got to the promised land until Dean Windass scored that glorious goal at Wembley on 24 May 2008 - some 37 years later!

Anyone who was present at one or more of these games will surely agree they were special. Two of the three were played under floodlights, which, when a ground is full, brings something extra; something indefinable.

What also stands out is that Ken Wagstaff (Waggy) played a prominent role in all of the games and scored in two of them, including, of course, getting both goals in the first game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, bringing the game back to Boothferry Park. Yet there were five years between the first and the other two games. Just imagine in the modern game, a forward scoring a goal every two games not being picked up for millions of pounds by a Premier League Club. That’s how much the game has changed. Also consider this: in the five years between the first and the third game, no less then six players played in both games, including four forwards. Oh, and one last point! Mention was made of Ken Knighton playing for Blackburn Rovers earlier in the season when, with City 2-0 up at Boothferry Park at half-time, and seemingly on the way to another win, the game was abandoned due to heavy fog that descended on the ground. In the re- arranged game on 23 February 1971, City could only, frustratingly, manage a 0-0 draw. In those days of two points for a win, it was a crucial point dropped. Did that dropped point, and the efforts in getting to the quarter-final of the FA Cup make the difference between promotion and fifth place? We’ll never know. What we do know is that Leicester City went up to the First Division as Champions, and Sheffield United took the second and only other promotion place, on 56 points, four more than the Tigers!

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Ken Houghton Interview

by Trevor Richardson, HCOSC Membership Director On Thursday 3rd September 2015 I had the great pleasure of interviewing and chatting with Ken Houghton. As older fans will know Ken joined Hull City in the 1964/65 season along with Ian Butler and Ken Wagstaff.

Exciting times for this nine year old fan! The following season saw Hull City promoted as Third Division Champions in addition to enjoying a great FA Cup run. This was a great attacking side and whilst the goal scoring exploits of Chilton and Waggy have been well documented – it should be noted that Houghton not only supplied many of the ‘assists’ but he also chipped in with 27 goals of his own that season.

Not bad for a midfielder! A great passer of the ball and possessing one of the hardest shots in the game, he continued playing for Hull City through to June 1973 when he joined Scunthorpe United.

Arriving at Ken’s house I could not have been made more welcome. Ken and his wife Maureen treated me like a long lost friend. In a sense I liked to believe I was (well …. sort of). From about 1968 to 1970 I was their newspaper delivery boy when they lived in Church Close in Anlaby. In addition my parents ran the local pub – The Red Lion in Anlaby and they became good friends with the Houghtons.

TR. What first got you interested in football?

KH. I came from a family who were all into football. I was the youngest and it just seemed the natural thing to do. We just kicked a ball around whenever we had one.

TR. Did you have any footballing idols when you were growing up?

KH. There were many great players but certainly Raich Carter and Sir Stanley Matthews.

TR. What were your expectations upon joining Hull City from Rotherham in the 1964/65 season?

KH. At first I was unsure if I was doing the right thing. Rotherham were in the second division and Hull City were in the third. However it soon became clear that the manager Cliff Britton had big plans for Hull City. Waggy was being signed from Mansfield along with my team mate Ian Butler.

When I saw the pitch at Boothferry Park I knew it was one of the best in country. Back then most pitches were not nearly as well prepared as they are today but Boothferry Park had a pitch where you could pass a ball with accuracy.

TR. Favourite match?

KH. Not necessarily the best match I ever played in – but the FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest in 1966 stands out. I was asked to play the sweeper role – something I had never done before. The team had never used a sweeper before but due to a late injury Cliff Britton asked me to play there.

The game was memorable in that it was the easiest game I ever played in! We won 2-0 against one of the top sides in England, so you could say the system worked! Ironically Terry Heath, playing in my normal position, scored both the goals.

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TR. Favourite goal scored?

KH. A couple come to mind. One was at Millwall when I hit a cross from Ian Butler with my left foot about thirty yards out. The other was a similar one away at Aston Villa.

(Ken also mentioned that although he was mainly right footed he used to practice with the left foot kicking a ball against a wall and became competent with both feet and could play on either side of midfield).

TR. The 1965/66 season is a legendary side in the minds of fans old enough to remember! Third division champions and the great FA cup run. The side went on to establish themselves in the second tier and were not far away from a further promotion challenge into the elusive top flight!

It is often said that the strike force was good enough and with yourself as midfield general the midfield was solid – only a few tweaks in defence would have almost guaranteed a top flight status. Do you agree?

KH. Definitely! We had some good lads in defence too but with some defensive strengthening we would certainly have been up there.

TR. Many footballers who join Hull City from outside the area tend to settle in East Yorkshire – including yourself. What attracted you to stay in the area?

KH. The people! The friendliness! We are Rotherham born and still love Rotherham but we are very happy to be here in East Yorkshire.

TR. What if anything has changed in football – for the better or worse?

KH. It is obviously faster now but I am not sure it is more skilful. The emphasis is on fitness and speed. The TV money has changed the game too. There is so much money in the Premier League and it is so important to try and stay there that many teams concentrate on not losing (rather than trying to win). The matches can then become less entertaining. The Championship matches are often more interesting than the Premier League matches. Rich clubs seem to be getting richer whilst the gap between rich and poor seems to be ever increasing. Conversely though – smaller teams such as Bournemouth, having done so well to get to the Premier League, would probably not be able to compete in the Premier League if their main income was based on their match attendances of about 12,000. The TV money will certainly give them a chance.

TR. Do you still follow Hull City? Attend matches?

KH. Yes, still a pass holder!

TR. Other interests?

KH. I go to the local gym 3 times every week. I like the machines they have in there.

(He went on to say – particularly the mars bar and snickers machines!)

TR. Who were your best friends during your football career? And are you still in touch with any old team mates?

KH. Tom Wilson and Geoff Barmby were and still are amongst my best friends and we still see Waggy and the others from time to time.

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TR. You were known to have one of the hardest shots in the game. Was this something that you worked on or did it just come naturally?

KH. I think it came naturally – nearly all my goals (apart from penalties) were from distance.

TR. Perhaps partly because of this you became the team’s main penalty taker. Did you practice penalties?

KH. I was also the penalty taker at Rotherham. When I came to Hull I think there had been one or two missed penalties so I took over the duty.

TR. Were there any practical jokers in the Hull City team? Any amusing incidents that you are able to divulge?

KH. That would probably be me! But actually most of the players enjoyed a joke and everyone got on really well. I suppose it helped that we were winning most matches but it was a tight, close group and we enjoyed our time together.

One particular incident involving the late great Ian McKechnie was then recalled by both Ken and Maureen.

There was a sports function in Hull and a group of footballers (Ken, Ian McKechnie, Paddy Greenwood and Ron Rafferty) who were all living in the same area, had organised a shared taxi.

Apparently as the taxi drew away and Maureen waved them off someone shouted back “Do you want anything bringing back?” and Maureen had replied in jest “Yes, just bring me back a pint”.

This was clearly just a joke as Maureen isn’t a beer drinker. However when the taxi arrived back ‘Keckers’ had smuggled a full glass of beer all the way home (unbeknown to his team mates) and duly delivered it to Maureen. He hadn’t spilled a drop. Safe hands from that keeper! Perhaps it was a good job nobody threw any oranges at him this time.

Many thanks to Ken and Maureen. You made me very welcome and you are lovely people.

PROUD FATHER JOHN WILLIAMS ASKS Is Catherine Williams the youngest member of the HCOSC, joining at just 20 weeks old?

Women’s football has certainly been raising its profile in the last few months with success for the England team in the recent World Cup held in Canada. This was closely followed by record attendances at Women’s FA Cup Final held at Wembley. Eniola Aluko, the sister of Sone recently passed her law degree while playing for England and then features as a pundit on Match of the Day. While on the local scene Hull City Ladies FC has been going from strength to strength. Now I think a career in football has finally become a real possibility for women and like most parents I would be proud to see any relations of mine become a professional footballer. With this in mind I spent some considerable time sharing my footballing words of wisdom with my daughter Catherine. I was hoping to ignite in her the same passion I have for football and in particular Hull City. To be fair she did look directly into my eyes and seemed to absorb my every word. With this in mind I thought I would sign her up for three years membership with the Hull City Official Supporters Club (HCOSC). As you can see from the photograph, surrounded by her Tiger friends, she was delighted when I told her the news.

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HULL CITY - A unique history “ STAMPED OUT” We all like to collect souvenirs of special occasions in our life and this is certainly very true for many football supporters. It may be a programme from the first match they ever saw, or the ticket to a Cup Final, but there is another type of “Collector’s item” not everyone is familiar with and these represent the special occasions in a different way – by including a Royal Mail postmark on the date of the occasion. These are the ultimate in limited editions, because Royal Mail cannot turn the postmark back, so, the number produced on the date is the total number in existence. Sometimes extra cachets or printings are added, making those particular ones scarcer still and in this article we will look at some of those which have been made even scarcer by having them framed (and numbered). This is an ideal way to let other people view them and it is guaranteed to always make a wonderful talking point – whether in the house, a business, a shop or anywhere because so few people will ever have the chance to view one due to the small number produced.

Ever since the early 1970s, Dawn Cover Productions have produced a series of Official Commemorative postal covers featuring important events in football and they are collected in many parts of the world today. Most clubs in the Football League have been commemorated at some time or another and a small selection of Hull City items are highlighted which may still be available, but in very small numbers.

For those of us old enough to remember steam locomotives, some may even be aware that 25 of these were named after football clubs, back in the 1930s and Dawn Cover Productions researched this. Over a few years a top Transport Artist, the late G S Cooper was commissioned to do a painting of each locomotive and the paintings were reproduced on First Day Covers and a set of postcards was also produced which were voted the best postcards issued in 1994.

Needless to say, Hull City was one of the clubs selected to have a locomotive named after them and Boothferry Park with the station adjacent to the ground, formed the basis of the painting.

The first cover to be featured in this article is one of a pair produced for the 2008 Play-Off Final at Wembley on 24th May. The official cover was a cover which featured all three of the Play-Off matches which took place that year but a small number of the Hull City “Locomotive” covers were also produced and besides the match result, a picture of Dean Windass was added and he scored the only goal to make him “Man of the Match”. The cover also included an overprint to state that in 104 years, this was the day Hull City eventually got promoted to the top tier of The Football League. Just the postmark itself is a wonderful collector’s item for any Hull City fan and even better if they were at Wembley. The price of one of these framed is only £50, just compare the rarity of one of these and what you would pay for a standard picture print!

Other versions of this cover exist, in very small numbers because only 50 or less were produced at the time and were not publicised within the area. The first cover was one of the original embossed issues with a special Royal Mail handstamp commemorating 50 years at Boothferry Park in 1996.

The postage stamp used featured the famous footballer “Dixie Dean” but it then had a 6d 1966 World Cup stamp added which was cancelled with a cachet on 14th December 2002 for the last match to be played at Boothferry Park – against Darlington.

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A similar cover but with a “Bobby Moore” postage stamp and 50th Anniversary Royal Mail handstamp had a 4d World Cup stamp added and cancelled with a cachet dated 26th December 2002 – the date of the first League match to be played at the new KC stadium. (One or two other cover versions are still available and details can be given on request) In more recent, happy times, everyone can remember the Semi-final of the FA Cup in 2014 when Hull City beat Sheffield United in that 8 goal thriller at Wembley – what a day to remember!!! (and what souvenir to have of that day). The Tigers reached the FA Cup Final for the first time in their history to ultimately face Arsenal (10 times winners of the competition) at Wembley. Not many of these covers are now available, so this could be the last opportunity to obtain one.

The 17th May 2014 saw the Tigers walk out at Wembley to face mighty Arsenal and within 8 minutes they were winning 2-0 - was this going to be the biggest upset in FA Cup Final history ? – well it nearly was but Arsenal clawed their way back into the game to make it 2-2 after 90 minutes and then went on to win 3-2 but what a brilliant display by the Tigers. A special cover in the Official Series is still available, but stocks are getting low – this really is one not to be missed. More history was made with the covers for the final. For the first time ever, some FA Cup Final covers were postmarked in the Isle of Man by a specially commissioned postmark in use there. The reason being they had a 69p “Tiger” stamp on sale at the time and great care had to b e taken in the designing of the special handstamp which had to show “Douglas, Isle of Man” but it also featured Wembley, so two place names appeared in the same postmark! These are very unique collector’s items.

Following on from the FA Cup Final, for the last time ever, the losing FA Cup Finalists qualified for Europe because Arsenal had already qualified for The Champions League. The rules changed after that, so Hull City embarked on a European journey to play Dukla Trencin in Slovakia and once again a small number of covers were produced with a “Tiger” stamp and some with Europa stamps on. These were franked with a specially commissioned postmark in the Isle of Man and the match result was added, showing a 2-1 win on aggregate. These too are now getting scarce.

COVERS AVAILABLE: Last League Game Played at Boothferry Park - Hull City 0 - Darlington 1 - 14th December 2002 - £6 First League Match Played at KC - Hull City 2 - Hartlepool United 0 - 26th December 2002 - £6 Play-Off Final at Wembley 24th May 2008 - Cover only - £6 - Framed £15 F.A Cup Semi-Final v Sheffield United - Final v Arsenal 3 loose covers can be purchased - £22 for all 3 or framed as shown in article £50 Hull City in Europe v Dukla Trencin with Tigers Stamp £6 each Premiership Record - Hull City beat Fulham 6 - 0 all goals in 2nd half - £6 Limited Edition LNER Number 61660 “Hull City” leaving Boothferry Halt Framed & Numbered - £22 - unframed £9 For details or more information, please contact Peter Samphire

email: samcas@samcas.karoo.co.uk or Tel: 01430 424763 www.hullcityosc.com

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Tiger Cubs Academy VISIT We would like to say a massive Thank You to Tony Pennock, all the staff and players down at the Hull City Academy, Bishop Burton for welcoming our Tiger Cubs down for a visit recently. The names of the juniors are as follows: Matthew Allsop, Stanley Brown, Oliver Cary, Jordan Colling, Myles Fairburn, Luke Homes, Lucas Jacobson, Samuel Jacobson, Jacob Stamp, Denis Wasylkowski, Taylor Baines, Aidan Burgess.

They were lucky enough to be invited over to watch the first team squad train before been given an hours training by the academy coaching staff. The Cubs then had the opportunity to ask academy players questions about training and football in general.

We also take this opportunity to pay tribute to Tony and the Academy: now it has Level 2 status the various teams, against much tougher opposition have made an encouraging start and a number of under 21s have been involved with the first team squad, with Greg Luer scoring twice in the first two rounds of the Capital One Cup. We would like to wish all the academy players and staff the very best for the rest of season ahead. Special thanks to Fiona Colling for all of her hard work in setting up this visit.

TIGER CUBS CHRISTMAS PARTY Following on from the success of last year’s Tiger Cubs Christmas party, we are excited to announce that this year we have teamed up with Tailgate Theatre Productions to bring Jack and the Beanstalk to our Junior Members. It is a one and a half hour production with full scenery, lighting and costumes and the audience are encouraged to cheer and boo as loud as they can. The pantomime will take place on Tuesday 22nd December 2015 at Walton Street Club, Hull. Doors open at 1:30pm ready for the show to start at 2pm. We will be joined by Roary and Amber, the club mascots, for some festive fun. Tickets are priced at £4 for Tiger Cub Members and £6 for non members. Tickets will be available from our website, hullcityosc.com or from the HCOSC desk on match days. Each ticket allows 1 free adult to attend because all children must be accompanied by an adult.

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www.hullcityosc.com

We have a nice conservatory but it’s just too hot in summer.

Paul Matson Conservatory Specialist It’s a familiar problem and it’s virtually all down to the roof.

Neither glass nor polycarbonate roofs are good at retaining heat, therefore you’ll always struggle to keep a conservatory comfortable and warm during the winter months.

Members of the HCOSC Board of Directors recently attended the Making Memories Ball at the KC Lightstream Stadium. We presented Jason with a signed Hull City shirt to be auctioned off on the night.

From left to right, Kathryn Townsley, Paul Matson, Jason Liversidge, Fiona Colling and Nadine Matthews

By removing the existing roof and replacing it with a solid, thermally efficient Guardian roof you will effectively turn your conservatory into an integral part of your home. www.guardianwarmroofshull.co.uk

Call Now for a free survey and quote.

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Whether you like your Martini shaken or stirred, why not join us on

FRIDAY 27TH NOVEMBER

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www.paulmatsonconservatories.com www.guardianwarmroofshull.co.uk 01482 811731 07828055045

at the KC Stadium for a night of Christmas Party Fun!

James Bond themed outfits optional

presents

It will be an evening of: casino tables live entertainment buffet, arrival drinks and festive fun raffle & charity auction

TICKETS £25 per person

Available from the OSC desks on match day or via the website Raising Money for MAKING MEMORIES

www.hullcityosc.com

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FOLLOW THE TIGERS ON THe amber trail Saturday 3rd October - Nottingham Forest 15:00: There are 11 CAMRA 2015 Good Beer Guide pubs in Nottingham and the Vat and Fiddle, Queens Bridge Road (NG2 1NB) near to the railway station is a good a place to start. It is the brewery tap pub of Castle Rock brewery and so has a big range of real beers. Leave the station by the front exit, turn left a little way and Queens Bridge Road is a big thoroughfare on your right (almost opposite the station). Other pubs to consider are the Canalhouse, Canal Street,(NG1 7EH,) which is a converted Waterways Warehouse and Kean’s Head, 46 St Mary’s Gate, (NG1 1QA) situated in the Lace Market district, both are in the GBG 2015 guide.

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Saturday 17th October - Sheffield Wednesday 12:30: There are 13 pubs in the centre of the City and another 15 from the outskirts in the 2015 GBG. The best place to start (and possible finish) is the Sheffield Tap, Platform1b, Sheffield Station (S1 2BP) opened in 2009. This was originally the first class refreshment room for Sheffield Midland Station with16 real ale or more on offer from local Sheffield breweries. Snacks are available but no main meals. Nearer to the ground is the Hillsborough, 54-58 Langsett Road (S6 2UB) also home to the Wood Street brewery, which serves both main meals and snacks. If you have time there is the renowned Kelham Island district (S3 post codes) with 6 CAMRA 2015 GBG entries, Fat Cat (8SA), Harlequin (8GG), Kelham Island Tavern (8RW), Riverside (8EN), Shakespeares Ale and Cider House (8UB) and Wellington (7EQ).

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Saturday 31st October - Milton Keynes Dons 15:00: About a 15 minute walk from the stadium towards Bletchley is the Enigma Tavern, 2 Princes Way ( MK2 2EN), a modest pub filled with WWII memorabilia, offering an all-day carvery and pub grub, plus real ales. If on the train it’s worth getting off at Fenny Stratford, right by the station is the The Red Lion, 11 Lock View (MK1 1BY). This is in a lovely setting right beside a Canal Lock, and is in the 2015 GBG – nice for those early and end of season days out as they have a decent size garden and plenty of room to stand around outside.

Tuesday 3rd November - Brentford 19:45: This is it, famously the only club with a pub on each corner and also holds the record for having most pubs within a square mile. Of those four pubs two feature in the 2015 GBG. The Griffin, TW8 0NP (on the Brook Road corner of Braemar Road) is a friendly corner local with comfortable interior, outside seating and a small shaded patio beer garden. The pub featured in the football film ‘Green Street’. New Inn (TW8 0NX) for away fans is a cosy pub/inn, there is a large beer garden at the rear and there are numerous TV’s in the bar with separate restaurant area. On the New Road corner of Brook Road is the Royal Oak, a quieter more laid back pub that’s very small and friendly, although the size means it can get quite crowded. To complete the quartet is The Princess Royal on the Ealing Road corner of Braemar Road, is a pub run by the club. It’s friendly, laid back and reasonably priced. Bacon sandwiches are highly recommended too!

Saturday 21st November - Bristol City 15:00: The Orchard Inn, 12 Hanover Square (BS1 6XT) a previous National CAMRA cider pub of the year, is a popular one bar street-corner local, close to the SS Great Britain and 15 minutes’ walk from the city centre along the harbourside. Up to eight beers served by gravity and up to 24 ciders are available. Homemade pub food is served. The Tobacco Factory Café Bar, Raleigh Road (BS3 1TF) is a five minute walk behind the Atyeo stand.Popular with a young, funky crowd as well as locals. The low-cost interior design makes a virtue of the industrial feel. Offering a great selection of drinks and a restaurant quality menu.

Saturday 5th December - Leeds United 15:00: There are 11 pubs covering central Leeds in the 2015 GBG. Whitelocks, Turks Head Yard, Briggate (LS1 6HB) is situated just off one of the main shopping streets.

This classic Leeds yard pub was first licensed in 1715. It was described as ‘the very heart of Leeds’ by Sir John Betjaman. The current building dates from 1895 and has a ceramic bar and Victorian interiors. Five changing guest beers and fine hearty food always on offer. A newish pub on the Leeds scene is the Hop, Dark Arches, Granary Wharfe (LS1 4BR) under Leeds railway station, just by the canal. It is the Ossett Brewery’s first venture into the Leeds area. It has the entire range of Osset ale, plus other local brews, food including award winning pies are also served.

Saturday 19th December - Rotherham 15:00: Next to the station is The Bridge Inn(S60 1RB) which is 2015 GBG listed and serves locally brewed beers, microbrewery ales and cider. This pub was the first home of Rotherham CAMRA. Follow the river south towards Main Street which is closer to New York Stadium, there is The Bluecoat, The Crofts (S60 2JD). Originally a charity school opened in 1776 and now a Wetherspoon pub, a four times winner of Rotherham CAMRA Pub of the Year.

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www.hullcityosc.com

FIXTURES 2015 SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER Westfield Country Park Fitling, Hull, HU12 9AL 01964 529529

DECEMBER

We offer a delicious selection of home cooked food, cakes and pastries served by friendly professional staff.

Call in for lunch or afternoon tea and then enjoy a stroll around the fishing lakes that surround the tearoom. We also offer a tea time menu Friday & Saturday 4pm-7pm.

We also provide outside catering for all events and room hire is available at The Spotted Duck.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for details.

www.hullcityosc.com

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DIRECTORS & OFFICERS Chair, Main contact with The Football Club, Web and Social Media Sites, Junior Events, Newsletters, Airco Arena, Player Visits/Tiger Cubs

Nadine Mathews 07540432946 chair@hullcityosc.co.uk

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Media, Press and Publications, Assist with Membership and Recruitment, Airco Arena

Bernard Noble bernard.noble@sky.com 01803 525481 07749408881

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Finance

VACANT finance@hullcityosc.co.uk

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Sponsorship and Marketing, Main Contact for Attendance at Public Events

Kathryn Townsley 07740096054 marketing@hullcityosc.co.uk

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Tiger Cubs, Web and Social Media Sites, Sales, Player Visits, Airco Arena Junior Events/Schools Liaison

Fiona Colling 07740096054 fiona0983@hotmail.com

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Company Secretary, Assist with Membership/ Recruitment/Media

President

Sir Tom Courtenay (contact through Bernard Noble)

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Honorary Vice President

Tony Conway 01904489495 tconway.hcosc@btinternet.com ..................................................................................................

HCOSC OFFICERS Elaine Brotherton 01430 441556 elaine_brotherton@btinternet.com

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Hugh McAllister 07973791327 hmcallister@tipfs.co.uk

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Dave Osgerby 07799714297 davidosgerby01@gmail.com ..................................................................................................

Brendon Smurthwaite 07702534854 brendon.smurthwaite@gmail.com

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Charles Lewis 07768223790 charles@watton99.wanadoo.co.uk

Ron Black 07522275108 ronblack@live.co.uk

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Main contact for Membership including data base

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Melvyn Utley 07722912750 melvynutley@yahoo.co.uk

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TIGERMAG is the newsletter of the Hull City Official Supporters Club (HCOSC). The views and opinions expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the HCOSC. HCOSC does not accept any liability for incorrect or inappropriate comments but will do everything possible within the remit of our editorial ethos to ensure accuracy of our reporting.

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Branch and Fans Liaison, Direction and Development of the HCOSC

www.hullcityosc.com HCOSC @HCOSC_Official

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Trevor Richardson 07910290386 membership@hullcityosc.co.uk

John Williams 07802375163 john0906@lineone.net

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Hull City Official Supporters Club Ltd. Kingston Communication Stadium, The Circle, Walton Street, Hull, HU3 6HU

TIGERMAG produced by AC PRINT LTD. 0800 093 2960 www.acprintltd.co.uk