Football in the street and parks.

[zakes]

Football in the street and parks.

 

Whilst recently back in Sheffield I didn’t see many young ‘uns playing in the street(s) and wondered why that should be. Only two friends knew I was coming back which means the children couldn’t have been hiding from me. It seems to me the only children that go to the park are usually a pair of chavs with an aggressive ugly dog.

 

I remember when I was younger I always used to be out and about often playing football.

1959 – 65 End of Carter Lodge Drive, Hackenthorpe

1965 – 68 On Newstead Rise Birley or Thornbridge School playing fields

1968 – 72 Hollinsend Park, Ridgeway Road

 

At Hollinsend Park we played Sundays often 15 a side or even more. We’d often play ‘til dark when the air became cool and moist. At times you could only see silhouettes and hear forced breathing, and quite often you would slide tackle one of your own team mates. Everytime somebody scored he would often shout the name of his favourite player or team. We heard;

 

Come on United

Come on Wednesday

Come on Coventry (Harvey Rogers)

Come on Wolves (me)

Come on Denis Law

Come on Jimmy Greaves

Come on Roger Hunt e.t.c.

 

Some of the names remembered at Hollinsend:-

 

Tony Clark, Harvey Rogers, Dave Titterton, Mick Hardcastle, Kevin Hardcastle, Keith Bradbury, Terence Bradbury and me – from Crossland Drive.

Gary Wells – Crossland Place.

Tony Rushton – Seagrave Crescent.

Glenn and Steve Oxley – Kirby Avenue.

John Addy – Gleadless Road.

Anthony Ptak – Frith Close.

Stephen (Corky) Thorpe – Gleadless Common area.

Len Southern – Hollybank area.

Colin Smith – Kirby view, when he tackled you it felt like being steamrolled, a la Harry Cripps (Millwall) or Bobby Keetch (QPR) style.

Melvin – Prince Of Wales Road area. Brought some mates with him.

And loads of others from Basegreen e.t.c.

 

Best players were the Oxley Bros, Dave Titterton and Mick Hardcastle who was a big fan of Gary Puckett and Union Gap who didn’t play football. Lol.

 

What memories do you have and where did you play?

[simonj]

As young kids we used to play on the lower Hallam School field where there was a fully marked out pitch with goal frames. When we picked the sides from the loads of us that seemed to always be there during school holidays and weekends we never had left and right wingers. Instead we selected top and bottom wingers due to the massive slope that the pitch was on. The bottom wingers always seemed to have more of the ball than anyone else

[Bypassblade]

When I was a kid we played where ever we could and we called it "togger", surely older ones remember that name. We played in the street with cans, rolled up paper, and balls, and even just the bladder out of the ball.

 

Anyway you've NOT played football till you've headed a "casey" laces up, or kicked one that's wet through lol.

[soft ayperth]

don't they call it that anymore?

[Bypassblade]

don't they call it that anymore?

 

No m8 the youth of today call it FIFA 2012, they can't be bothered to get their lazy arses out like we used to.

[grinder]

Too much going off in doors nowadays, time moves on.

It's like going to the pictures, not the same thrill at all now we've got our colour telly, even the pubs are going to the wall, who would have thought that..

[Bypassblade]

Too much going off in doors nowadays, time moves on.

It's like going to the pictures, not the same thrill at all now we've got our colour telly, even the pubs are going to the wall, who would have thought that..

 

I agree grinder; its the high tech world we are in now, I'm glad I grew up without them though. I mean I had proper mates, & we went out and did things, saw a lad the other day he must have been 11 & about 14 stones looked like he's never seen a salad let alone a pushbike. We've had colour TV donkey's years, but I know what you mean by the cinema.

 

The pub is becoming a thing of the past, I cannot stand the "bars" they have now, give me a boozer any day.