THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT

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Over the summer there’s been a proliferation TV programmes highlighting football in the seventies. Granada has had that series looking at stars of that era; Dennis Waterman has taken us on a season by season guide on BBC; and on UK Gold there’s been re-runs of old Matches of the Day. What shone through for me in this coverage has been the number of true entertainers there were in the game then. Almost to a man they tried to buck the system and on that basis were never fixtures in international football.  Stan Bowles; Tony Cur rie; Duncan McKenzie; Rodney Marsh; Alan Hudson; Frank Worthington and,  (for me at least), the incomparable Denis Law all players that you would willingly pay good money to watch.

Be that as it may I still kept coming to EP, scoffed at by those who thought that the football world began and ended with the old First Division. Over the 30+ years most of the time following County has been hard, but there’s still been a fair few who have entertained me over the years – not with the sort of skill demonstrated by those above, but who nevertheless lightened the deep gloom that hung over the Park throughout 70s and 80s and made supporting County that little easier to bear.

So for what it’s worth I put the selection hat on and picked the following assembly of those who have entertained me over the years not necessarily with any great modicum of skill and talent but with their contribution to making me feel I’ve had some value for the thousands I must have spent trudging round the country.

Picking a keeper wasn’t easy – we’ve had some good, plenty average and some down right appalling but for entertainment value I’ve gone for Andy Gorton. Perhaps nowadays recalled more for his alcoholic exploits than his performance he should still be remembered as a tremendous keeper. Those who remember the Melia season will also recall the contribution he made in his loan spell shortly after Murphy’s second coming – he was an important element in ensuring that survival was achieved. A shocking waste of a talent which would have seen him reach the top if he’d a single brain cell. He played his way through a beer induced haze with an EP career which terminated one Saturday morning after being sent off in the Lancashire League game; saw him change in 5 minutes and walk out of the Park for good.

The two full backs span nigh on a twenty year period. Derek Loadwick featured for two or three seasons in the late 70s. Never bothering to take prisoners, he was the man of a thousand shots which were more danger to the crowd on the Railway End than the opposing keeper. Indeed from memory he never hit the target but was always value for money in his approach to the game.

At left back I nearly went for David Logan but eventually plumped for Lee Todd. For five years now he’s entertained us following the County tradition of beer and football. How some big club hasn’t picked him up is beyond me-  he never fails to give 100%; his enthusiasm for the game translates itself to the crowd; and his contribution is always positive. You get value for money watching Toddy.

Picking 2 centre backs was pretty easy. I don’t think anybody who saw him would argue with the choice of Tommy Sword. A colossus amongst men; a 100% trier; infallible from the penalty spot and a great rapport with the fans – his sheer physical presence meant that you couldn’t miss him on the pitch.  You knew what you were getting with Tommy, no great technical ability but full commitment – a County man through and through.

An entirely different type of player was Bill Williams, technically a gifted player and definitely his own man. He’s the only player to get into Bergara’s bad books. take him on and beat him. He entertained in a different way to Sword – not for him the imposition of a physical presence on the game but more the application of skill. On his day well worth the admission money.

In picking a two man midfield that had to be a bit of journalistic licence. Since Tommy is already in Oshor Williams must join him. Colleagues in the same success starved team and great mates off the field. The love that Oshor obviously had for the game saw him always giving 100% and turning out when nowhere near fit on more occasions than were good for his knees. Normally patrolling the right flank, with the ability to beat a man and get a decent cross in,  he was a shining light in some pretty gloomy days.

From the same era comes Terry Park, according to Eric Webster who knows more than most one of the most gifted footballers he’d ever seen outside of the top flight.  I’ve included Park not only for his undoubted talent, eye for goal and general entertainment value, but also for the 20 minutes of heaven he gave us at Old Trafford with that wondrous second goal which, but for Willis, would have seen the upset of all time and enough ammunition to use on the Sheep for a long time to come.

Moving up front there’s a fair selection to choose from.  More a provider than a scorer, but he hit the target regularly too, was the one and only Frank Worthington. Only with us for four months or so but it was still a privilege to see in a County shirt possibly the great entertainer in English football of the last 20 years. Another one with a love for the game he was still turning out for Halifax reserves not so many months ago and when at the Park, and approaching 40, the old skill was still there even if the pace had gone … with the hair following it. For me a truly great player as well as a born entertainer.

Another one who effectively only contributed for half a season was Andy Kilner. For those 30 games are so there was a buzz of expectation when he got the ball. With a fair shot the ability to cross the ball and knowing where the target was he made an immense contribution to the promotion year-   who will forget that goal against Torquay.

That can’t be any other choice for a pair of twin strikers. Regular TTP readers will know of my total respect for Kevin Francis as a man, footballer and entertainer. The game he had against QPR is still the greatest single performance I’ve seen from a County player. Whatever he did Kevin entertained us; like many of the others mentioned always gave 100%;  and never hid when things weren’t going too well. A fans player.

Jim Fryatt could well have featured but the final choice for me has to be Mike Quinn. Whether it was barging the centre half on the way to yet another goal; climbing the fence to take the adulation of the crowd after getting a hat-trick at Crewe or at the same Gresty Road ripping his shirt off and handing it to Referee Key after getting dismissed, Quinny was always the centre of attention. You knew something was going to happen even if you had no idea what – he knew how to play to the crowd and in those truly dark days we lapped it up.

So there it is a team which has entertained me. Not the greatest selection of players who turned out for County –  after all most of them went through their EP career with singular lack of success but all players who have contributed with wholehearted effort in a way which has endeared itself to the crowd. As I’ve been writing this it’s been clear that not only have these been entertainers but characters as well.  Men who the paying public like to identify themselves with. And on reflection that’s what is missing from the English game today.

At the start of this piece I identified a fair few players who entertained through their performances – the obsession that the FA have with the ideas Charles Hughes and Venables dismissal of Le Tissier are symptoms of a process which is aimed at driving these kind of characters out of the game. Football is an industry which should be selling itself better – the likes of Bowles, Marsh, Worthington, Currie and so on should be encouraged and not marginalised.

Two divisions lower we can’t expect the same kind of talent and ability but we should be encouraging the type of player with whom the crowd identifies – after all it’s an entertainment industry and those in charge could recognise and react to this responsibility.

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September 1995