asredastheycome
Well-known member
Allan Bligh from Pallister Park was a cracking player. Was at Boro but when Shepherdson came to watch him twice he got injured. Boro let him go. Played local football for years. Great player.
I played with Danny for a number of years at a good level myself. I also played with players who enjoyed full pro careers at Premier League level. Danny was the best of the lot.Never thought Jacques would make it, at least to the higher echelons of pro football. He was a similar age to a relative of mine and seen him play quite a few times. If he was struggling to get the better of a defender, he would turn to cheating and attempting to intimidate his opponents. By cheating I mean sly fouls and shirt pulling, etc. My thinking as a young kid was that if he needs to do that, he's going to struggle moving forward.
To be fair, he probably didn't struggle for a long time. His athleticism for his age was likely a couple of years above his actual age and it took a while for things to level out. I suspect by his late teens, the edge he'd had when he was younger wasn't working for him in the same way. I remember a local football figure telling a few of us that Jacques had just received a big signing on fee for his apprenticeship. I said I didn't think he was that good and it was treated like blasphemy at the time.
Andy Banks was a good player, Neil Heany, Nick Southall, Matthew Appleby made it pro level, played with all them...Heaney told me a story once where he passed to Fowler in the last minute playing for Southampton at Anfield he ran through and scored, Souness told him at full time, you will never play for this club again...Andrew Banks, think he went to Ipswich but unfortunately suffered a bad knee injury?
David Keavney, you couldn’t get near him.
In all these years on here you're the only other poster I've seen say they went to Park End. I was there long before you I imagine (the first intake) and left in '61. I was captain and Maurice Short was our goalkeeper. He played just a few games for Boro, but I've no idea if he found another club when he left us. Alan Moody might have had the occasional game with us too, but he was in the year below.David Fagan - I only went to Park End Primary with him but he was absolutely phenomenal from the age of about 6, to the point where the manager of the school football team, which was made up exclusively of Year 6 kids, was involving him at the age of 9 onwards. He played for Marton as well, I think everybody thought he was going to be a pro but he never was.
The only player I’ve ever seen as good as him at that sort of young age was Stewy Downing, who was completely mesmerising. I played against him a few times through secondary school and you couldn’t get near him. Everyone round where we grew up knew who he was when he was 13 or 14, everybody knew he was going to play for Boro. He was unbelievably good.
Morris worked at Phillips Petroleum until his retirement, absolute gent of a man.In all these years on here you're the only other poster I've seen say they went to Park End. I was there long before you I imagine (the first intake) and left in '61. I was captain and Maurice Short was our goalkeeper. He played just a few games for Boro, but I've no idea if he found another club when he left us. Alan Moody might have had the occasional game with us too, but he was in the year below.
Morris went to Oldham I believe, I know he played for Boro in one of the Man Utd fixtures in the late 60’s or early 70’s .Up against Best,Law ,Charlton I believe.Believe he went to Blackpool after Boro
Yeah Howesy was a great little player. He was the cousin of one of my school mates, and although he was the school year below us (we were Pats and he was at the Dene), we played in the same 5 a side team for a few years. We won quite a lot!Stewie Jackson was easily the best player in my year through juniors and seniors (Tedder and the Dene, Thornaby). Always thought he would make it as a midfielder. Would love to know how he’s doing now.
Shaun Howes / Howesy was in my year at the Dene - he came from a different juniors and before we started we heard he was a really good player - and he did make it a bit. Saw him playing for Thornaby a few years back and he was still really good, Downing-style flying winger.
Good feet kidda.Never thought Jacques would make it, at least to the higher echelons of pro football. He was a similar age to a relative of mine and seen him play quite a few times. If he was struggling to get the better of a defender, he would turn to cheating and attempting to intimidate his opponents. By cheating I mean sly fouls and shirt pulling, etc. My thinking as a young kid was that if he needs to do that, he's going to struggle moving forward.
To be fair, he probably didn't struggle for a long time. His athleticism for his age was likely a couple of years above his actual age and it took a while for things to level out. I suspect by his late teens, the edge he'd had when he was younger wasn't working for him in the same way. I remember a local football figure telling a few of us that Jacques had just received a big signing on fee for his apprenticeship. I said I didn't think he was that good and it was treated like blasphemy at the time.
Cheers. Lovely to know that he's still alive and kicking.Morris worked at Phillips Petroleum until his retirement, absolute gent of a man.
deffo not me!@red_harrington was outrageously good. Looked like a pro.
Ah, soz, it was another lad in his Hustler team, Phil Linacre.
Is that the Allan Bligh who used to play over Southlands every Monday and Saturday evening in the late 90s, early 2000s? He used to wear gloves and a bin-bag under his jumper EVERY time, no matter if it was the middle of July or the end of December. He was a fairly small fella, never stopped moving and running, always made jokes and did commentaries as he was playing and had great tricks that we used to try and copy as teenagers - namely catching the ball in his jumper and shouting “play on!” as he ran away with it, and bending his knees and squatting slightly so he could control a bouncing ball with his arsè.Allan Bligh from Pallister Park was a cracking player. Was at Boro but when Shepherdson came to watch him twice he got injured. Boro let him go. Played local football for years. Great player.
Jordan Hugill…