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Ernie Shepherd

On reflection,yes.I wasn’t sure particularly as he always played right-half for us.

Indeed he did. In 1955/56 he played in all 50 of our first team matches, all at right-half, without managing to score a goal.
His appearance record slipped a bit the following season when he only managed 49 of the 50 matches, as captain (and right-half) but he made up for that lapse by chipping in with a couple of goals.

(The days when we had 4 FA Cup matches a season - who'd have thought it.)
 
Remarkable appearance figures indeed and I’m sure you can add on even more matches in which he would have played ,in the Essex Professional Cup which were full first-team fixtures(until it became the Essex Senior Cup many years later) .
 
Remarkable appearance figures indeed and I’m sure you can add on even more matches in which he would have played ,in the Essex Professional Cup which were full first-team fixtures(until it became the Essex Senior Cup many years later) .

Here's one in that era which was described as a reserve fixture, possibly because the final was carried over from the previous season.

A 6:15 pm kick off in late August, this match was abandoned at half-time of extra-time due to it being too dark, and the trophy shared.

1605880163116.png
 
Here's one in that era which was described as a reserve fixture, possibly because the final was carried over from the previous season.

A 6:15 pm kick off in late August, this match was abandoned at half-time of extra-time due to it being too dark, and the trophy shared.

View attachment 13428
Yes,in exactly the same situation,the 1956-57 final eventually got squeezed in the following season(October 30th 1957),when Jim Duthie played in a stronger line-up.The great Kevin Baron scored 2 in our 4-3 triumph.
But apologies mods,we’ve strayed off the Ernie Shepherd topic.Ive been expecting others to come in to say what an incredibly nice man he was.
I’ve never forgotten how, returning from a Boxing Day match at Brentford on the team coach, he’d insisted my friend and I shared his turkey sandwiches! Ours were in my duffle bag(who remembers them?)on the supporters coach which had driven off without us!
 
Yes,in exactly the same situation,the 1956-57 final eventually got squeezed in the following season(October 30th 1957),when Jim Duthie played in a stronger line-up.The great Kevin Baron scored 2 in our 4-3 triumph.
But apologies mods,we’ve strayed off the Ernie Shepherd topic.Ive been expecting others to come in to say what an incredibly nice man he was.
I’ve never forgotten how, returning from a Boxing Day match at Brentford on the team coach, he’d insisted my friend and I shared his turkey sandwiches! Ours were in my duffle bag(who remembers them?)on the supporters coach which had driven off without us!
Zeuss, I'm here and would just like to add to the above post, Ernie Shepherd was without doubt one of the nicest people that I have EVER come across in amost 60 years of following the team. Having the opportunity to travel back on the team coach would appear to be quite rare to say the least. Having had that chance a few times back in the late 60's with Mick, Peter and others when Ernie was the Manager was a memory for me to treasure that's for sure.
 
a nice thread here about him

Yes,in exactly the same situation,the 1956-57 final eventually got squeezed in the following season(October 30th 1957),when Jim Duthie played in a stronger line-up.The great Kevin Baron scored 2 in our 4-3 triumph.
But apologies mods,we’ve strayed off the Ernie Shepherd topic.Ive been expecting others to come in to say what an incredibly nice man he was.
I’ve never forgotten how, returning from a Boxing Day match at Brentford on the team coach, he’d insisted my friend and I shared his turkey sandwiches! Ours were in my duffle bag(who remembers them?)on the supporters coach which had driven off without us!

As you say, he was an incredibly kind man. I was lucky enough to live a few doors away from him when I was a kid and he was so generous to our family. One example of his kindness was that my father, who loved greyhound racing, had been very ill and when he recovered Ernie used to take him "to the dogs" at Romford. I dont think there are many people like him in football nowadays.
 
Yes,in exactly the same situation,the 1956-57 final eventually got squeezed in the following season(October 30th 1957),when Jim Duthie played in a stronger line-up.The great Kevin Baron scored 2 in our 4-3 triumph.
But apologies mods,we’ve strayed off the Ernie Shepherd topic.Ive been expecting others to come in to say what an incredibly nice man he was.
I’ve never forgotten how, returning from a Boxing Day match at Brentford on the team coach, he’d insisted my friend and I shared his turkey sandwiches! Ours were in my duffle bag(who remembers them?)on the supporters coach which had driven off without us!

Very much so, he was a tremendously nice person (the polar opposite of his predecessor)- probably too much so to be a highly successful manager. Was lucky enough to be afforded a few lifts back on the team coach from (and in one case to) away games thanks to him.
He also was in charge during the most enjoyable season I have had watching Southend, not the most successful but the most entertaining. He brought in players who were to become (overused word alert) legends at the club.

The failure to get promotion weighed heavily on him and even after his resignation, he stayed on at the club to ease Geoff Hudson into the role. Hudson turned out to be a poor choice lasting just a few months and Ernie briefly stepped in whilst Rowley was being lined up.

You talk about being left stranded at Brentford when the coach went off without you, well we could really go off topic here with the recollections of six of us being left at Bradford City by a coach driver who was over-keen to get home !!
 
Many many years ago I got injured in a Boro Comb match, which eventually led to me being carted off to Rochford hospital and put on traction for a month or so, followed by lumbar puncture and being released wearing a full plaster of paris covering from neck to lower body. I needed a stick to walk!
After some months of little improvement I went to Ernie, who I believe at that time was physio to the England cricket team (I may well be wrong here!). After several sessions at his house somewhere near Cuckoo Corner I could walk properly again and he suggested that future sessions should be at Leyton Orient's ground, as that's where he was then employed. I was working in London at the time so used to roll up at Brisbane Road and get treated along with some of the O's team.
I always remember that Ernie got me out on the pitch one day and told me that if I couldn't run faster than goalie John Jackson, then I may as well realise that I'd never play again! Needless to say after Ernie's work I managed to carry on playing (albeit not very well!) for many more years.
A really lovely man who never even charged me for the treatment.
 
Very much so, he was a tremendously nice person (the polar opposite of his predecessor)- probably too much so to be a highly successful manager. Was lucky enough to be afforded a few lifts back on the team coach from (and in one case to) away games thanks to him.
He also was in charge during the most enjoyable season I have had watching Southend, not the most successful but the most entertaining. He brought in players who were to become (overused word alert) legends at the club.

The failure to get promotion weighed heavily on him and even after his resignation, he stayed on at the club to ease Geoff Hudson into the role. Hudson turned out to be a poor choice lasting just a few months and Ernie briefly stepped in whilst Rowley was being lined up.

You talk about being left stranded at Brentford when the coach went off without you, well we could really go off topic here with the recollections of six of us being left at Bradford City by a coach driver who was over-keen to get home !!
Yes indeed re.his predecessor whom we prised from Hartlepool(we should have hung on for Brian Clough)
Alvan Williams famously promised he would lead us out of Division 3 where we’d always been.He did straight away—into Division 4 ! Annoyingly,at Wrexham,when he moved on there,he did rather well ,assisted by a few ex-Blues.
 
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