Memories of Playing footie in the streets. (1 Viewer)

andrew.roberts · Nov 16, 2013

TrueSkyBlueLiam said:
Theres no community spirit anymore. Theres no space to kick a ball due to roads, paths and every damn bit of land in this city having houses built on them. Sometimes I wish I could grow up in the 1970's, see REAL men playing football rather than the pansies in the premier league we have today, where you made your own entertainment, spent real quality time with people you cared about and so I could see Highfield Raod in its hayday. Damn my youngness. I envy you older fans. You've seen so much

Everything seems so much better in hindsight Liam, but you are right as far as making our own entertainment is concerned, we did it because there really was no alternative. Social interaction was what forged a community spirit. It was face to face communication in those days (and not so very long ago) because there was no other way, and that´s how proper friendships and general relationships were formed. You would be with a friend one day and arrange to meet them the next day and that was about it, no texting or facebook or twitter in the meantime but instead I believe that there was more commitment because if you said you were going to do something then you did it. Things were far less than perfect but there were certain social standards, such as basic respect for others which is something I don´t see these days. Sorry for rambling...have had a couple of vinos.

Gary.j · Nov 16, 2013

You'll Never Beat McPake said:
Remember playing at Allesley park and lake view park in games of 20 to 30 a side in the 70s. All ages from 5 to 18. Crazy scorelines. Recall playing in thunderstorm where everyones hair stood on end during lightning strike. Great memories.

I practically lived in lake view park in the 70's. It's such a shame that every entrance to the park, at the grayswood ave end, has a private gate now.

skybluejelly · Nov 16, 2013

It's one of the reasons there is a lack of home grown talent coming thru...most of the bits of land where we used to play have been built on..the green areas have been planted with trees and bushes to stop kids playing and to look prettier..anywhere you can kick a ball has a sign up saying no ball games..this is why there is a huge influx of African players not only do they have the desire to play they have the space to play in..

we finished school at 3:30 and would play football until six ...our parents didn't worry that we had been kidnapped or run off,they didn't need to ring us on a mobile ..they knew we were playing football,cricket ,kerby or blocky 1,2,3 ..and would be home when we were hungry

BurbageSkyBlues · Nov 16, 2013

So many memories prompted by this thread!
Lived just off the top of grayswood avenue, we were lucky enough to have a field just off the back of that road, that ran down to the brook behind Holyhead rd and then all the way up to four pounds avenue. We played football in that field until it went dark, could be any number of us from two to thirty, aged anything from toddlers to eighteen year olds. Great fun, great mates, great days! We'd all pretend we were the stars of the day, having watched star soccer beforehand, and go out and emulate those last minute game-winning goals !

We would wander back after dark, and play in the shadows of the streetlights until it was time for bed. Headers, volleys and kerby, whatever we made up.

Note for Andrew Roberts, you must be a similar age group to me, did you go to saint Christopher's on allesley old road? Circa 1963-1970?

Oh happy days, indeed.

PUSB

ajsccfc · Nov 16, 2013

TrueSkyBlueLiam said:
Theres no community spirit anymore. Theres no space to kick a ball due to roads, paths and every damn bit of land in this city having houses built on them. Sometimes I wish I could grow up in the 1970's, see REAL men playing football rather than the pansies in the premier league we have today, where you made your own entertainment, spent real quality time with people you cared about and so I could see Highfield Raod in its hayday. Damn my youngness. I envy you older fans. You've seen so much

Wow, it's like one of those 'like and share if you remember ration books instead of Burger King' click-baits.

andrew.roberts · Nov 16, 2013

BurbageSkyBlues said:
So many memories prompted by this thread!
Lived just off the top of grayswood avenue, we were lucky enough to have a field just off the back of that road, that ran down to the brook behind Holyhead rd and then all the way up to four pounds avenue. We played football in that field until it went dark, could be any number of us from two to thirty, aged anything from toddlers to eighteen year olds. Great fun, great mates, great days! We'd all pretend we were the stars of the day, having watched star soccer beforehand, and go out and emulate those last minute game-winning goals !

We would wander back after dark, and play in the shadows of the streetlights until it was time for bed. Headers, volleys and kerby, whatever we made up.

Note for Andrew Roberts, you must be a similar age group to me, did you go to saint Christopher's on allesley old road? Circa 1963-1970?

Oh happy days, indeed.

PUSB

Indeed I did along with my elder brother John. I was born in 1957, and John in ´54 so we must have coincided. I must have been there until ´67/´68. Don´t remeber too much about it except that I was in "West" house and in the earlier days the football teacher was a certain Miss Perrins, an elderly lady who used to wear those early century football boots which came to the ankle and had leather studs accompanied by a long tweed skirt. She judged her pupil´s ability on how far they could kick the ball from a standing position (reminds me a bit of Bothroyd´s tactics)).
We both went on to Bablake and were regulars in the Jules Verne from the mid seventies, in fact John started the football team there for which we both played and it was a pretty decent one too. Gary (wardrobe) Cordery in goal, Pete Morris and Bob Smith in midfield and managed by Norm Pilsbury ( aka the fat boy with the limp).
Were you still in the area at that time ?

ExmouthNeil · Nov 16, 2013

I used to play on a patch of grass in Three Spires Ave with my mates from Hill Farm School in the late 70's...

I lived in Engleton Road and we'd play from after school(3.30 then) till the sun went down when I'd run home across the common....

My mum always kinda knew where I was and what I was up to.... Happy Days...(I am now officially old)

Cheers and PUSB, Neil.

PS. Great thread, I've really enjoyed reading everyones memories...

Sba180 · Nov 16, 2013

ajsccfc said:
An extra rule we had was if you hit a kerb and then caught the ball straight back, bonus point. Those were rare.

Yeah, it was throwing for us too.

We played it where if you hit the kerb, you would go and throw from the middle of the road to get extra points. Wall-e was one of our games too as was cupsy. One goalkeeper and the rest of us to score one goal in the first round, two in the second etc. You scored your tally and you were through. Last man standing was out

Sbarcher · Nov 16, 2013

Used to live in Co. Durham in a back to back. Used to be a dirt road between rear yards. There'd be 7 or 8 of us each defending their back gate. You could dribble and shoot at any gate, 3 goals and you were out. Great days.

skybluefred · Nov 16, 2013

ajsccfc said:
Wow, it's like one of those 'like and share if you remember ration books instead of Burger King' click-baits.

Yes I remember Ration books,in fact I still have one somewhere among the souveners.

davebow87 · Nov 16, 2013

I lived on keppel street by the bus garage. Always dodging the buses playing beat the goalie. There was an electrical generator surrounded by a wooden fence which was just the right size for our goals. Sometimes we would climb inside to retrieve the ball ( no fear of death surprisingly!). One day we found a switch in their which turned out to be a maintenance light. Just perfect. We had discovered our own floodlights!! Happy memories....

BurbageSkyBlues · Nov 17, 2013

andrew.roberts said:
Indeed I did along with my elder brother John. I was born in 1957, and John in ´54 so we must have coincided. I must have been there until ´67/´68. Don´t remeber too much about it except that I was in "West" house and in the earlier days the football teacher was a certain Miss Perrins, an elderly lady who used to wear those early century football boots which came to the ankle and had leather studs accompanied by a long tweed skirt. She judged her pupil´s ability on how far they could kick the ball from a standing position (reminds me a bit of Bothroyd´s tactics)).
We both went on to Bablake and were regulars in the Jules Verne from the mid seventies, in fact John started the football team there for which we both played and it was a pretty decent one too. Gary (wardrobe) Cordery in goal, Pete Morris and Bob Smith in midfield and managed by Norm Pilsbury ( aka the fat boy with the limp).
Were you still in the area at that time ?

Wow ! Scary stuff..... I was born in 58, was also in west house, and remember the old battle axe mrs perrins, all too well. My brother Paul was born in 57 and we both went on to Bablake as well! You must have been there the same time as us, and Paul and Gary Hoffman, we all used to go up the west end together, a whole gang of us went home and away. Friday nights at the lanch, Saturday pre match drinks in the Holyhead and the silver sword, before a walk up to HR.

Your names are vaguely familiar, but I am struggling to put faces to them.

Memories of Playing footie in the streets. (1 Viewer)

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