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THE BEGINNINGS

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In these days when money seems to be no object at Edgeley Park, and the prospect of buying success seems to have so easily entranced so many, it is even more vital that the legacy of those who have gone before is never forgotten. The people who have been but temporary custodians of the Club but whose work has ensured that there is a Club to support now. Their names are plentiful, and in my 57 years of support Alan Kirk and Brendan Elwood readily spring to mind. And I will never forget the contribution that Messrs Park and Bramall made over the last few years – without them I would have feared for the future. But both on and off the field Eric Webster played an absolutely crucial role in the early to mid 80’s. Working with no resources to support the team on the field he kept the Club alive in the Football League; his work in bringing players in for nothing and then selling them for (relatively) sizeable sums kept the HMCE wolf from the door; and his efforts in many other areas have bequeathed a debt which, in my view, has never been fully recognised.

It is time to put the record straight.

I first heard the name ‘Eric Webster’ in the early 1960’s. My father, keen to introduce me to football used to take me around the non-league grounds in what is now the Tameside area. We often ended up at Ewen Fields, home of Hyde United, and he used to regale me with tales of the Tigers team in the 1950’s when they were a power in the land, or at least the Cheshire League. Eric was a key figure at the time, having moved there from Ashton United.
He had started his career with Ardwick Lads Club and Manchester City snapped him up. He didn’t really make the grade at Maine Road, making but a single Football League appearance for them in a game against Cardiff City in an ignominious 6-0 thrashing at Ninian Park in February 1953. He was released at the end of that season and spent the rest of his playing career in non-league.

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It was at Hyde that he forged what was to be a longstanding connection with a man who undoubtedly played a role in him ending up at Edgeley Park. Freddie Pye, (second from left on the front row), had been a player in the great Hyde team, and moved into management with Nantlle Vale. It’ s a quirk that Eric followed Freddie Pye to Nantlle Vale, Pwllheli and Stalybridge Celtic, playing for his former teammate at each of those Clubs.

Having retired from playing a move into management came at Bower Fold, after that moving over the hill to Hyde, thence to Canal Street, Runcorn, and then back to the (now) Tameside area at Hurst Cross.

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THE ROAD TO THE EDGELEY PARK HOT SEAT

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Pye had by the mid 70’s joined the County Board, and it wasn’t too long before he was calling on Eric again. In 1974 he arrived at EP to look after the Club’s youngsters, and then moved up to the youth team.

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THE SQUAD AT THE START OF 1977/78

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The appointment of Mike Summerbee as manager in the latter stages of 1977/78, as he took over from Alan Thompson, (who stepped down from the player-manager role), saw Eric elevated to Assistant Manager. It was Summerbee’s first, (and as it happened last as well), foray into management, and the opportunity to rely on someone with a wealth of knowledge not only of the Club but also the lower league scene must have been invaluable. What it did mean was that Webster was on the bench on that unforgettable night at Old Trafford in August 1978.

The partnership lasted until October 1979, and with Summerbee aware that his time was coming to an end in the EP hot seat he made sure that Eric was looked after. He was appointed groundsman. With the benefit of hindsight that one decision was absolutely vital in ensuring the future of the Club – because, and it is only my opinion, without Webster to turn to in the early 80’s, and the cash he drove into the Club, it is quite conceivable that County could have gone to the wall.

Jimmy McGuigan was appointed in mid-November 1979, after the three-week hiatus when the team was picked by a “Committee of Players and Directors”. To this day I have not been able to discover the make-up of this august body!! Webster, combining his role as groundsman with support for the new man effectively became the eyes and ears of the Club in terms of uncovering promising local talent, and keeping an eye on the local non-league scene.

McGuigan fell seriously ill in September 1981, and Eric stepped up to manage the team. He took temporary charge for 17 games, winning 7, drawing 3, and losing 7 before McGuigan’s return to action. But it was a short-lived stay after that, with a parting of the ways with 5 games left in the 1981/82 season. Webster was then appointed permanently, and it is the following years for which County fans should be eternally grateful.

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THE DEAL OF THE CENTURY

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Preparing for the 1982/83 season saw Webster bring in only 2 players. It left him with a squad of 14 – with some familiar faces who had been around for a long time.

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THE SQUAD AT THE START OF THE 1982/83 SEASON

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The newcomers were defender Paul Bowles who arrived from Port Vale and the other moved in a transfer which in my view was the ‘deal of the century’. It is vividly recalled by Phil Brennan, writing in the Non-League magazine in 2016.

“Micky Quinn, who would eventually make his way into the Premier League, is the most high-profile player that Webster is associated with and he often told the story of how Wigan Athletic let him know that they had a striker available following which he phoned another old football friend, Fred Eyre, to tell him that Wigan were getting rid of Mick Quinn for £2,000 and asked Fred for his advice. Fred told him that for £2,000 he would bite their hand off. Only for Webster to reply, “They’re giving me £2,000 to take him off their hands”.

Sixteen months, 70 games and 41 goals later he moved to Oldham, with County picking up £52,000. There can be no argument about the statistics, but the impact that Quinny made at County, and similarly the impact that Webster had on him is evidenced by the Scouser’s own words, (taken from his autobiography ‘Who Ate All The Pies’).

“Stockport manager, Eric Webster, had sold the Fourth Division club to me by saying it was a great springboard for a young player’s career. Because County were on the doorstep of Manchester United and City, they played their home games on a Friday night, so they didn’t clash, which meant the matches attracted lots of scouts from other Clubs. I took a pay cut to play at Stockport as they really didn’t have two pennies to rub together.

Eric, who as well as manager also seemed to be kitman, groundsman and tea lady was a real character. Even if we lost, he would come into the dressing room cracking funnies. After one game in which we had been demolished 4-0, Eric came in whistling and joking. I said “Gaffer, we’ve just been tanked. Why are you still cracking jokes?” “Mick”, he replied with a smile, “I’ve fourteen full time professionals. I can’t drop anyone, we’ve got no money to buy anyone, so I might as well keep laughing. If I don’t, I’ll cry!”

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HIS RECORD AS COUNTY MANAGER

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Eric became the permanent manager in April 1982. He was in post until the end of the 1984/85 season and presided over 159 games in that period. Statisticians will look at his record, (48 wins; 39 draws and 72 defeats), and declare it to be pretty average. But that does not take into account the context. He operated with the thinnest of squads, quite often having to make up the numbers by calling on players from local football. In 1982/83 he started the season with 14 players and didn’t make a single addition during the campaign. That was operating a significantly less than a shoestring, yet still managed to finish well above the re-election zone in 16th place, (no promotion to and from non-league in those days)

The following year, 1983/84, it was much of the same. We saw 20 players, but 6 of those made the grand total of 9 starts between them, and of the remaining 14 Micky Quinn departed to be replaced by John Kerr. They only started a single game together. To improve the position to 12th was a remarkable achievement in the circumstances.

Eric’s last season was in 1984/85. It was mostly a struggle, and once again he had to work with the bare bones of a squad. Admittedly we did see 25 players, but amongst those was Oshor Williams who departed for Port Vale in early November and 9 others, (including some very short-term loans), who totalled only 20 games between them. The season, and indeed Eric’s tenure, ended with a successful plea for re-election. But, and it is a big but, it also featured one of the games long remembered by those who were there. A league cup tie at Anfield …..

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TUESDAY 9TH OCTOBER 1984

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The second round of the League Cup pitched us against Liverpool. A small club, struggling for cash and in a perennial battle to maintain its existence against one of the giants of the English game, and were the reigning league champions. And not only that – there were the European Cup and League Cup holders as well. It’s hard to think of a greater disparity between two teams. We managed a goalless draw at EP in the first leg – a huge achievement in itself, and duly made the trip to Anfield. Avoiding humiliation was the objective. Achieving it was surely out of the question. But County so nearly did. Liverpool emerged with an array of household names – Grobbelaar; Lawrenson: Neal; Nicol; Gillespie; Kennedy; Wark; Whelan; Dalglish; Robinson; Walsh; Sub Molby. The Hatters had the usual threadbare squad. Six of the team that turned out were fixtures for the season playing in the majority of games, and Oshor Williams would have made it seven had he not departed for Port Vale within a month of the game. It was a side which would, at the end of the season, have to go cap in hand with a re-election plea. Liverpool, the reigning champions at the time, would go on to be runners-up – 88 places above County.

And yet, despite the odds, County put up a magnificent performance. Having held out against the much-vaunted Liverpool attack at Edgeley they repeated it. 0-0 at the end of 90 minutes and it hadn’t only been a case of heroic defence, they had looked positive going forward. It did tell in extra time, however, as goals from Whelan and Robinson, broke County hearts. So near and so far. It was Eric Websters finest moment … on the pitch at least. His contribution to the finances of the Club was inestimable.

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SPOTTING AND DEVELOPING PLAYERS

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Eric Webster was an excellent judge of a player – their strengths and weaknesses, and he sure knew how to develop them. Quinn is the prime example of that. After he had ended his stint as manager he was still involved at EP and indeed stepped up twice more – standing in as manager just prior to the appointments of Colin Murphy, (for his second stint), and Danny Bergara. I was in the habit of watching the reserve team on Friday nights and Saturday mornings, (they played in the Lancashire League), and frequently got into conversation with him. I remember two conversations in detail, both in the autumn of 1988.

The first was at Lower Gigg Lane around early October. We got into conversation and started to talk about the first team. I mentioned that I had been impressed with Brian Butler who had joined the Club from Blackpool in the summer. Eric suggested that I was being overly optimistic and said something along the lines of “He’ll struggle to do a full season”. And he wasn’t wrong … Butler was only at EP for the one season, and barely appeared from March onwards.

Two months later I made my way to Platt Lane to see the ‘stiffs’ play Manchester City A team. (And as an aside there were a fair few on there who went on to have a great career – Margetson; Taggart; Sheron and a certain Neil Lennon!!). It wasn’t unusual to see ‘trialists’ turn out for County and that morning was no different. A lad with longish curly hair caught my eye. He had great control, quick feet and unquestionably an eye for goal. Chatting with Eric, I asked him who he was. “Tony Hancock – he’s been playing for Stockport Georgians”, he replied, “I’ve heard good things about him, so I thought he’d be worth a look”. He was simply sensational. After the game I headed off to Altrincham. It was a 2nd round cup tie against Halifax, (County having exited in the 1st round at the hands of Scarborough and thus had a free day). I met up with Eric at Moss Lane too and asked him whether we would see Hancock again. He said that he was going to have a word with Asa Hartford.
Within six weeks we had seen him make the first team; score on his first EP appearance, (against Exeter); make 12 starts, (plus 10 from the bench); and then move on to Burnley for £50,000.

Eric knew a player.

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SELLING PLAYERS TO ENSURE THAT THERE WAS A FUTURE

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Micky Quinn’s words above show the esteem in which he held Webster. He brought in someone and developed him as a player to the extent that he became a saleable item. The cash raised was absolutely vital to the Club. But Quinn wasn’t alone.

Throughout the mid 1980’s the Club seemed to have a season ticket at the offices of HMCE, (as HMRC was then), with Chairman Alan Kirk and Secretary Terry McCreery having to plead for the Club’s future. There were times when it looked like curtains. I particularly remember one game against Port Vale, in 1983, which many in the ground thought would be the last we saw. A court case was pending, and cash was urgently needed. The Club cashed in on a number of occasions on players that had blossomed under Webster. Six in particular come to mind, (although to this list can be added Mike Salmon -who Eric introduced to league football and after moving to Bolton, without a fee, had a long-lasting FL career).

In total from those six the Club benefitted to the tune £224,000 – a king’s ransom in those days. There is no doubt in my mind that without those the Club could well have disappeared. The debt owed to him is inestimable.

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AN UNSUNG HERO ….. BEYOND DOUBT

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Eric passed away on 24th January 2016 – a mere 5 days after Jim Gannon returned for his 3rd spell as a manager. It is perhaps symbolic that these two individuals, (together with Danny Bergara and Trevor Porteous), are the ones who, in my opinion and based on my 57 years of support, have really ‘got’ what County is about. Dave Jones did a great job, but his reign was short, but the rest were transient, and largely on the managerial carousel. For me, and I believe any County fan who values crucial contributions, a huge amount is owed to him.

On his death Oshor Williams, (writing on the PFA site) gave an appreciation. He ended by saying “Football has lost a great character and I have lost a good friend, but I can honestly say that working under and alongside Eric made every day a pleasure to walk into Edgeley Park”. The full tribute can be read HERE

I leave the last words to ‘Quinny’ – “A great, down to earth, man who if he had a million pounds or a penny would be exactly the same”. And on hearing news of his death tweeted, “So sad my old Manager Eric Webster has passed away, he was my Mentor, Manager, Groundsman, Teaman and all round #TOPMAN”

May 2021