Remember the 50's?

Days of Yore

Seeing the beautiful frost this morning and feeling the very low temperatures as I walked around with my camera brought back memories of the days of yore. When I came back indoors and looked at today’s sport, there were many cancellations due to frozen pitches etc. Once again the memories came flooding back.

One footballing memory came vividly to mind and as I recounted it, both my wife and myself smiled at the pictures my memories conjured up. My mind went back to a day in January or February in the early 50’s when my then home team, Finchley, a good club in those days, were playing in the FA Amateur Cup Quarter Final tie against the then mighty Bishop Auckland. Names to remember from around 60 years ago when I was about 9 years old.

Finchley had a good ground for that period – stand and pitch long covered terrace with only the banks behind each goal being open to the elements. It was all standing then – probably still is – with only a few seats in the stand. Ground capacity would have been around 5-10,000 people. I had saved my 6 old pence (2½p in current money – and even the ½p no longer exists) for entrance money. Compare that to today’s prices for a big game.

Match day arrived, freezing cold, and coach loads of Geordies – folk from the Newcastle-ish area of England - arrived in North London. There must have been 6-7000 in the ground and we were packed in behind the goals. The Geordies proved friendly souls and they made sure all the kids like us could see the game properly by herding us all to, or near the front. Great excitement even though it was bitingly cold. Despite all the excitement we were half frozen and by half time the Geordies all around us had noticed. They sent away to the refreshment centres – a posh name for a table with several urns of boiling hot tea on them – and proceeded to ply us frozen youngsters with hot tea AND a jammy doughnut. Oh the luxury – hot tea and a sticky jammy doughnut!

Second half started and we were just as cold. So what did those lovely strangers from ‘oop North’ do for us? Just imagine this nowadays. They were all wearing big sheepskin coats. SO they opened them up and wrapped all the kids, including us, inside their warm coats! There were strict instructions to us not to get too excited and tread on their toes else we would be out in the cold again. So, snug and warm, we hollered and shouted our way through the rest of the match. We lost 3-1 but it didn’t matter a bit. The Geordies weren’t finished either. Another cuppa and doughnut came our way before we all trooped off again – them to their coaches and the long long trip back ‘oop North’, while we trudged home to our families.

What a wonderful memory it is too. The kindness and consideration for others permeated everything those lovely Geordies did for us that day. Of course we had to tolerate their happy cheers as their team trounced our team, but the differences in us were shelved for 2 hours of warm extended friendship.

It’s such a pity we couldn’t have these shared values these days too. Perhaps one day we will but . . . . . God is the only one who knows the answer to that one. I hope He’s smiling with me at my memories. I hope He likes them too.