Wilf Mannion testimonial 1968

Red_is_best

Red_is_best

Well-known member
Just finished reading Golden Boy A Biography of Wilf Mannion by Nick Varley. He mentions that there was a testimonial “An unofficial and low key affair staged on a park pitch that drew a crowd of 6000.”

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I was in that crowd at Claireville Stadium as an 11 year old, so I can say I saw Wilf Mannion play- albeit he was nearly fifty at the time. Sadly though, I don’t remember anything at all about it. Google is no help.

I still have the programme and looking at the line ups that day :
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There were some illustrious post -war names, including Neil Franklin who I now think of as one the best centre backs this country ever produced.

But I can’t believe that, if I’d seen Cloughie and Stan Mathews play I would have forgotten all about it! I suspect they weren’t there.

Any knowledge or recollection?

Incidentally, Wilf Mannion what a talent and what a life story. Love to see it turned into a film. How could that be made to happen?
 

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As soon as I saw the title I thought Clairville Stadium,I too was at that match but can't remember much about it.It always amazes me that Erimus can remember so much,I am older than him and my father insisted he took me from the age of six and I can hardly remember anything before the third division promotion season.
 
I was at that game but I am wondering if it was postponed (weather?) and they used the programme again at the rearranged game (definitely remember that being done even for regular games) and as you say I dont' think we would have forgotten Matthews and Milburn playing. I say this because I thought it was a night match in the summer. Memory there could be faulty of course but I am 99.9% sure that Walter Wilkinson ran Yorkshire's first 4 minute mile in a race before the match and no way he would have done that in January. That is the only thing I remember about it.
 
never heard about this .... I started going Ayresome 1969 so tad early for me as a young 10 year old ... fancy Milburn, Clough Haynes Matthews on the same pitch ... Ref Kevin Howley from Billingham worked with my dad at ICI
 
Wilf Mannion's team is fantastic. Jim Baxter - maybe the best player in the world at that time - with Jimmy Delaney, Tommy Docherty, Gordon Smith, and Bobby Collins.

Johnny Haynes on the other team.

I wonder if it did happen and if those were the teams.
 
I still have a signed copy of the Wilf Mannion and George Hardwick Testimonial match. I'll dig it out when I get home and post some pics.
 
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