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1977 |
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Seaham Red Star over 35's - 1985/1986
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Below is a photo, courtesy of Dave Copeland, showing most members of the squad. I cannot ever recall this being taken. Some players missing from the photo include Stuart Ogden, John Gilmore, Billy Watt and Jimmy Ashett. The only thing missing now is the final League table.
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This was a great team to be part of. I had known Brian Mayhew from school days but of the other players there was only Trevor Campbell that I'd played alongside before. Yet just about all of the other players I had come across many times before and I had great respect for them. So it was easy to slot into this team from the first game of the season.
Although we got off to a bad start losing the first game we had a remarkable season. We won the Sunderland Over 35's League, the Echo Challenge Cup, Woodpecker Cider Trophy and were runners up in the Junior N.C.O. Cup and the Bob Paisley Cup.
Below is a copy of the match programme for the Echo Challenge Cup Final which shows how well the team did that season.
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A game which comes to mind is the one in which we beat Boldon CA 10-1. Obviously it was one sided but not as much as you might think. Stuart Ogden and myself scored 5 goals each and I seem to recall us scoring with every chance we had. So any other Saturday it might have been just 4-1. What was really special about the game was the way Stuart and I worked together. Although, to be fair, Stuart worked a lot harder than me. In fact it was like that all season. Stuart's work rate, and ability, shone throughout the season and it was easy to see why he played in the Northern League for many years and why he was voted the players 'Player of the Year'. He was class.
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The photo on the left was taken at the Leagues presentation night. As you can see we did win a few trophies. Fortunately I received an additional 'Golden Boot' trophy, shown above, for being the Leagues leading goal scorer with 45 goals. I'm especially proud of this because, at 40, I think I was the oldest player in the team.
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One of the secrets to having a great season, from my point of view, is to play in front of a great defence. It means that, more often than not, scoring 1 or 2 goals would win the match. This definitely takes the pressure of scoring. In having a goal keeper like Dave Copeland and in front of him Derek Dixon (no relation), Ernie Charlton, Trevor Campbell and John Gilmore, meant that we had the best defence in the league. John even scored 6 goals over the season. When Ernie Charlton scored his only goal Trevor and I both appealed for offside but the referee wouldn't disallow it. (Only joking Ernie).
It was great having the classy Freddie Guy and Bobby Greig playing in midfield in almost every game. They created many chances for Stuart and me. Others that played in midfield, and defence, during the season were Ian Willis, Pat McCabe, Billy Watt, Alan Bleasdale, Ronnie Wilkinson and Brian Mayhew. All of these just slotted in wherever they were asked to play and all did a great job. Ronnie, who joined the club in the second half of the season, was a great asset to the team and scored 8 goals in his 11 games from midfield.
A special mention to Brian who was manager but also played in 12 games. He did a great job in both roles. Having known him from school days it's what I expected of him. Thanks Brian for a season to remember.
Up front it was a joy to link up with Stuart Ogden. Sharing 77 goals between us in 25 games. It dosn't get much better than that.
Thanks again to all the other players who also played this season and never let the team down.
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One special memory from that season was playing with my brother, David Dixon, in the first 2 games of the season. He had spent his early years at Middlesbrough FC and then a lot of time playing and coaching in Australia. He was back in England for a holiday and he signed to help out, as some players were unavailable, and it was the first time we had ever played in the same team. We actually lost the first game but it was still magic.
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The photos above, courtesy of Brian Mayhew, show a most impressive shield which was presented to him in recognition of the tremendous success he brought to the club this season. The photo on the right shows the shields engraved centre piece and includes the trophies won that season. On the left, surrounding the centre piece, are individual engraved placques, one for each member of the squad. A fitting momento for a very special season.
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