Suffolk Shrimper In Dorset
Director⭐⭐
The great turn out of Shrimpers on Saturday aside, a little positive story from Blackpool for you.
Somehow, over the last 45 years of footie watching, Bloomfield Road had never appeared on my radar. That was corrected this weekend when I made it for my 92nd current league ground. To mark the occasion I arranged a little lads weekender up there, 14 of us travelling up (mostly from Suffolk) for a few beers over a two night stay. Folk I see regularly and not so regularly turned up, including Harvey who I had last seen on leaving Appleton Comp (South Benfleet) in '78 with whom I had gone to my very first matches at Roots Hall with our Dad's back in '71. It was a bit emotional.
In the organisation for it all I contacted Blackpool FC where I set up a pre-match meal in their 1953 Suite (part of the hotel at the ground complex) which incidentally was superb value at £35 a head (netting off the £25 match ticket and £3 prog the meal was only £7). On booking it up I had asked their ticket office manager whether Derek Spence (part of our 80/81 record breaking squad) still worked there - she confirmed he did and said she would pass on my contact details to him.
I didn't think anything would come of it but Derek called me last week, left a voicemail and said he couldn't be at the match (due to attending a wedding in Ireland) but if we were up the night before he'd come and have a beer with us. I called him back, had to leave another voicemail, and said we'd be in the Albert & Lion from 5 pm to 8 pm on the Friday.
Mid-way through our session at the pub Derek turns up, recognises me from my brief description I gave (tall git wearing blue) and comes over. He was a true gent, regailed stories from his 100 game/32 goal spell with us, said he never wanted to leave RH but after an injury Smiffy no longer thought him as being part of his plans, loved the way we used to chant 'Derek Spence is an international', recalled the win at Torquay that got us promotion (though not me helping to chair him off the pitch), told us about how he only these days keeps in touch with Keith Mercer (but that he'd love to meet up with others and come down to RH one day), gave us a potted history of his international days and generally talked about his past and present life (including the current sorry saga of Blackpool). He seemed in his element, fit and well and on top form.
It was great for him to take the time (he'd had a busy day climbing hills on a community kids programme) to come and see folk he didn't know, but he just appreciated our getting in touch and remarked often that he came across old pro's who felt a bit forgotten in the current money-driven world of football. I promised to see what I could do re trying to set up something at RH for players from the 80/81 era (something for next season - not now but I'll be seeking help from SZ's on that another time) and he agreed to write a foreword for a book I intend to publish next month on the 92.
A top man.
UTB
PS pic is of Harvey and me with Derek on Friday
