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ObituariesPlease email details for the obituary section as well as additions and clarifications with source notes to enquiries@11v11.com
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AHERNE, Thomas (Bud)Born: Limerick 1919-01-26 Died: Luton 1999-12-30Aherne grew up in Limerick and joined the Irish Army at 21. He joined Belfast Celtic, having previously played for Limerick, at the age of 26 and his football career blossomed late. In 1947 he was a member of the Celtic team that beat Glentoran 1-0 at Windsor Park, with Charlie Tully (later of Glasgow Celtic fame) scoring the only goal, to win the Irish Cup. It was to be the last time that Belfast Celtic were to win this trophy. Whilst with Celtic, he started to accumulate representative and international honours. He was chosen to play for the Northern Ireland Regional League against the League of Ireland in March 1946 - the first of 6 Inter-League honours that he would win before moving to England. In June of that year he made his full international debut for Republic of Ireland against Portugal in Lisbon and three months later he was capped for (Northern ) Ireland against England. He was to win 16 caps for the Republic and, most famously, he was a member of the team that beat England 2-0 at Goodison in 1949 - the first time that England had been beaten at home by a non United Kingdom country. He also gained four caps for (Northern) Ireland and one Victory international for them. He signed for Luton Town in March 1949 at the age of 30 and immediately established himself, not just as a regular in the Luton side but also in the hearts of the Luton fans who loved his wholehearted style. He had a storming season in 1949/50, when he put together a run of storming displays full of his own style of strength, resolution and shrewd positional play. He was a true full back, very difficult to beat and capable of tackling equally well with either foot. He also used the ball constructively. He went on to become a stalwart of the defence and he improved with age with his positional play and perfectly timed tackles compensating for any lack of speed. He was also a great volleyer of the ball and he was deputy captain to Syd Owen. He was ever-present in 1954/5 when Luton won promotion to the 1st Division and finished his career playing in the top flight of English soccer. He played 267 League games for the Hatters, scoring 2 goals and 21 F.A. Cup games. Upon retirement, he spent two years in coaching but then drifted out of the game. He continued to live in Luton and worked in the automotive industry and was a keen bowls player and golfer. Amongst the 400 people who attended his requiem mass were many members of the Luton team of the 1950s.
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AIMSON, PaulBorn: Macclesfield 1943-08-03 Died: Dorset 2008-01-10Paul Aimson was born in Macclesfield on 3rd August 1943 and began his career as a center-half with Manchester City where he made his League debut in a 4-1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers on 9 December 1961. He made only one further appearance in defence (four months later) before converting to a striker. However, it was over a year later that he began to play regularly and in the 1963/4 season he he made 17 appearances, scoring six goals. In July 1964 he joined York City for £1,000 and it was with the Minstermen that he made his name scoring 26 goals as the club gained promotion to the Third Division. Aimson joined Bury for £10,000 in March 1966 and then went on to spend half a season with Bradford City 1967 but that was enough time for him to find the net 11 times in 23 appearances before moving to Huddersfield Town. In 1969 he returned to York City for £8,000 where he once again scored 26 goals as the team again gained promotion, this time in the 1970-71 season. One of his most notable goals came against Southampton when he scored a last-minute header in a third round FA Cup match, which gave York a 3-3 draw earned them a replay. He also scored what was believed to be the fastest recorded York City goal - nine and a half seconds into a match against Torquay United. Aimson was signed by Bournemouth for £12,000 in March 1973. He then moved to Colchester United for £8,000 in August 1973. He retired from football a year later due to injury. He died of a heart attack in hospital near his home in Christchurch, Dorset after a long illness. Source: Vital Bradford City (www.bradford.vitalfootball.co.uk)
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ALDECOA, Gomez EmilioBorn: Zorroza, Vizcaya 1922-11-30 Died: Spain 1999-09-00Emilio was a Basque refugee from the Spanish Civil War who arrived in England in 1937. He lived near Buckingham and first came to attention in a Basque Boys side in December of that year who beat Yarmouth Town Boys 9-0 during a tour of East Anglia. In 1940 he played for English Electric works of Stafford before joining Wolves in 1943. He made his debut at inside-left at Crewe in September 1943 and scored in a 2-1 win. That season he was top scorer for the Wolves with 11 goals in 30 Wartime League and Cup games. The following season he scored 3 goals in 16 games, having moved to the left-wing and becoming more of a provider rather than scorer of goals. In August 1945 he joined Coventry and played on the left-wing in a scoring debut which saw a 3-1 home win against Portsmouth. He scored 6 goals in 30 wartime games that season and also played in 2 F.A. Cup ties in that transitional season. The following season he played 29 League appearances as League Football resumed but he failed to score. He returned to Spain in 1947 played for Atletico Bilbao, Real Valladolid, Barcelona (helping them to win the Spanish Championship in 1951/2 and 1952/3), Sporting Gijon before ending his playing career at Gerona. He subsequently managed Gerona, CD Condal (Barcelona) and Real Valladolid.. Aldecoa made one appearance for Spain, as a 31st minute substitute against Eire in May 1948 in a 2-1 win at the Montjuich Stadium, Barcelona.
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ALDRIDGE, Martin JamesBorn: Northampton 1974-12-06 Died: Northamptonshire 2000-01-30Martin died as a result of injuries sustained in a car crash after leaving the Rushden and Diamonds Conference League 6-0 victory over Northwich Victoria. He had been on the bench for the game, having been loaned out from Blackpool. He had scored 11 goals in 3 games for the club against Bath in the F.A. Trophy. His last match was away to Forest Green Rovers the week before his death. He turned professional with Northampton in 1993 and scored the first ever goal at the SixfieldsStadium. He subsequently played for Oxford, Dagenham & Redbridge (on loan), Southend (on loan) and Blackpool. He was a pacey frontman, with a god goalscoring record and a reputation as a poacher rather than an orthodox stricker. He also developed a very useful long throw. Although he was often hampered by injuries his strke rate was very good, especially considering that about half his appearances were either as a sub or as a substituted player. Career record (to end 1998/9)
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ALLEN, Ronald (Ronnie)Born: Stoke-on-Trent 1929-01-15 Died: Great Wylery 2001-06-09West Bromwich Albion reflect on the sad news of the death of one of our greatest players, Ronnie Allen, who passed away on Saturday 9th June, at the Hardwick Court Nursing Home, Great Wyrley, aged 72. Ronnie made his name in the wonderful Albion side of the 1950s, after moving to The Hawthorns from Port Vale, in March 1950 for 20,000 pounds. The move came after he had completed his term of national service in the RAF, and he immediately endeared himself to post-war Baggies fans by grabbing the equaliser on his debut, at home to Wolves. Allen was the consummate footballer in the days when the WM formation, featuring five forwards, was the tactic of the time. Ronnie appeared in every position across the forward line, as both outside right and outside left and inside right and inside left, illustrating that here was a two footed player of rare gifts, tactical awareness and quality. But it was as a centre-forward that Ronnie really made his name, in spite of his diminutive stature compared with the huge centre-forwards of the time Ronnie stood 5 feet 9 inches tall, a full four of five inches shorter than the norm. What he lacked in height, he more than made up for in football intelligence, and it was that sharp brain that made him such a top class player and a pivotal member of what remains one of the very best club sides that England has ever produced Albion of the 1953/54 vintage. Playing in a team that included such celestial talents as Ray Barlow, Johnny Nicholls, Len Millard and Frank Griffin, his ability was allowed to flower to the full under the imaginative eye of Albion boss Vic Buckingham. Buckingham, who later had an important role in the creation of Ajax's total football, took the familiar push and run style pioneered by Tottenham Hotspur and fused that to a continental approach, notably that of the Puskas inspired Hungarian national side. Allen was especially taken by the style and quality of the Hungarians and often played as a deeper lying centre-forward himself, creating space by losing his marker, making use of his ability to link the play, before suddenly appearing unmarked in the penalty area to unleash unstoppable shots with either foot. Though some would argue that it was Manchester City and the Revie Plan that first brought this tactic into the domestic game, it was Ronnie and the Albion that were quickest off the mark. The 1953/4 season saw Ronnie at perhaps his greatest, certainly his most successful. Playing a quick passing game that relied on teamwork, movement, creativity and intelligence, Albion cut a swathe through the First Division, and led the way going into April, as they also began to prepare for an FA Cup Final appointment with Preston North End. Albion suffered terrible injuries through that month, a situation exacerbated when Allen, along with team-mate Johnny Nicholls, was called up for international duty against Scotland, forcing them out of a crucial league game at the beginning of April the home derby with Wolves. Albion lost 1-0, in what was the pivotal game of the season. That was especially galling since Allen, like Barlow and Nicholls, was otherwise scandalously overlooked by the national selectors throughout his career, collecting a total of just five caps. Had he been overlooked one more time, that result could have been very different. Albion stuttered thereafter, never recapturing their sparkle, winning just one of their final six games, surrendering the title to Wolves who played a more typically rugged English style of game under Stan Cullis, and who triumphed by four points a reverse of that April derby result would surely have seen Albion become the first club to capture the League and Cup double in the 20th Century. Still, there was handsome consolation when we collected the FA Cup for the fourth time in May. Preston were the opponents in a game trailed as the Finney Final in succession to the Matthews Final of the previous year. But Finney was snuffed out of the game and it was Allen who was the star of the show, scoring twice in the 3-2 win, including a crucial penalty, which spawned that legendary panoramic photo of Wembley - Allen, ice cool at the one end, and goalkeeper Jimmy Sanders, turning away, unable to watch, at the other. Allen continued to enhance his reputation as one of the true Albion greats throughout the 1950s, though he continued to be ignored by England, being left out of the side despite scoring in a 3-1 win over the World Champions, West Germany, in December 1954, a bizarre decision given that he completed that season as the First Division's top scorer with 27 goals. But Baggies supporters knew Ronnie's true worth, including current club secretary, Dr John Evans. "Ronnie was my first hero when I was a youngster. I had many years of pleasure watching him play, and then several more privileged years after I joined the club in 1989 when I came to know him personally. One of the first things I did when I met him was to ask him to autograph a copy of his autobiography, 'Goals That Count', which I'd had as a Christmas present about 35 years earlier! Today is a very sad for the club and our supporters." Allen finally severed his Albion connections in May 1961 when he was transferred to Crystal Palace, where he was a central figure in their rise from Division Four through to Division Two. Hanging up his boots at the age of 36, he had a career record of 637 League games, harvesting 276 goals, with his Albion record alone looking quite exceptional. He played 415 League games, all in the top flight and scored 208 goals, a total second only to Tony Brown. To that, you can add 42 FA Cup games and another 23 goals, and a hat-trick in the 1954 Charity Shield game, a 4-4 draw with Wolves. It's a tribute to how well loved Ronnie was that his reputation among Baggies fans even survived his decision to take up a coaching, and then managerial post at Molineux, taking over from Andy Beattie and helping pilot them back into the First Division. His interest in European football saw him make the move to Athletic Bilbao in March 1969, leading them to the Spanish Cup, and also bringing them to The Hawthorns as the opponents for Bobby Hope's testimonial fixture, where he enjoyed a rapturous reception from the home supporters. After spells with Sporting Lisbon and then Walsall, Ronnie returned to the club as a scout and advisor, and was central in the recruitment of both Laurie Cunningham and Cyrille Regis among others. Cyrille recalls, "Ronnie heard I was this big, raw, black guy, and came to see me playing for Hayes. He told the story that he saw me go up for a ball and put the ball in the net along with four defenders and decided that'll do for me! He had to persuade the board to buy me and eventually said that if they wouldn't pay, he'd buy me with his own money!" Ironically, just a few weeks after persuading the board to buy Regis, they were trying to persuade him to take over as Albion boss after Johnny Giles walked out on the club. Ronnie took charge in the summer and built on the work that Giles had done, sensibly leaving much of the balance alone, but adding a more attacking dimension to the game. From a side that looked comfortable in the top half of the table, Albion stepped up a gear and became genuine challengers, Allen collecting a Manager of the Month award early in his tenure. Having got his dream job, it was ironic that Allen should then be made an offer he couldn't refuse as football advisor to Saudi Arabia, a post as lucrative as any in the game. He spent a couple of years out there but, following a brief stay at Panathinaikos, the lure of The Hawthorns proved too strong, and he was back in the hot seat after Ron Atkinson set off for Old Trafford. It was a transitional time for the club as Robson and Moses followed Atkinson north, but in his only full season in charge, Ronnie took the Baggies to the semi-finals of both the League Cup and FA Cup, where we were unfortunate to be defeated by Spurs, and then by QPR in a dreadful game at Highbury. At the end of 1981/2, Ronnie became general manager of the club, a short-lived experiment that suited few an ended quickly. Despite that, he maintained his Albion connections and was a regular at the Club well into the 1990s, as youth coach Richard O'Kelly recalls. "He came in every day to train, and went along with Alan Buckley and Arthur Mann as an advisor, and to oversee training, even though he was starting to show the signs of his illness already. One day Ronnie came in, but the first team were off, and it was a horrible day. Back then, if the weather was very bad, we'd take the boys to the gym, so he came with us. By then he couldn't walk so well, it was like a shuffle, but we were warming up in the corner and Ronnie got hold of a ball, and he was kicking it against the wall left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot it was brilliant to watch. I had to stop the lads, just so they could watch him. He actually joined in a couple of games and obviously the lads took it easy on the challenges, but he was still brilliant. It didn't matter how the ball came to him, he'd strike it first time. He scored a few goals, the quality of his striking of the ball at that age, and he must have been 67, 68, it was incredible, a great example for the youngsters." And that's how we should remember Ronnie, as a great example to youngsters, a great ambassador for the game of football, a marvellous player, and a true gentleman. He'll be sadly missed. Official West Bromwich Albion site
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ALPASS, Herbert John HampdenBorn: Berkeley, Gloucs 1906-08-07 Died: Bristol 1999-03-16A Bristol solicitor, Alpass played seven first-class cricket appearances for Gloucestershire and cricket remained his first sporting love. However he was also closely involved with Bristol Rovers F.C. for many years and made a big contribution to the club during one of their most satisfying periods. He became the first chairman of the newly formed supporters club in 1947, staying in this role until 1949. In 1950, he became a director of the club and immediately took over as chairman. He continued in the role for eleven years. These were to be amongst the most settled and successful that the club have enjoyed. In 1950/1 the 3rd Division South side reached the 6th round of the F.A. Cup losing 3-1 to Newcastle in a replay. Over 63,000 saw the first tie at Newcastle when Rovers held out for a 0-0 draw and a further 30,000 crammed into Eastville for the replay. In 1952/3 Rovers won the 3rd South Title and remained in the 2nd Division for the remainder of Alpass' spell as chairman. During this period, he also had the satisfaction of seeing a Rovers player - Geoff Bradford - win a full England cap. He led Rovers with quiet authority and dignity and continued his love of cricket with his club side Stinchcombe whom he captained for many years.
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ANDERSON, PercyBorn: Cambridge 1930-09-22 Died: Cambridge 2006-03-04Percy Anderson was on the books of West Bromwich Albion, Stockport County and Cambridge United but made just one senior appearance. He starred for Stockport at left-half for Stockport v Southport in April 1954. Anderson was a county level player in outdoor and indoor bowls, snooker, pool and table tennis but excelled at fishing being capped by England and winning a National Individual title in 1974. Nathan Davies
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ARMSTRONG, George (Geordie)Born: Hebburn, Co Durham 1944-08-09 Died: Hertfordshire 2000-11-01George Armstrong, the former Arsenal winger, one of the heroes of their famous 1971 League and Cup double side, and latterly reserve team coach, has died suddenly after collapsing on the club's Hertfordshire training field, aged 56. He was Arsenal to the marrow, making 621 first-team appearances in a 15-year playing career, to be surpassed only by the present Leeds United manager, David O' Leary with 722 and now Tony Adams (624). In an age when the traditional winger was due to disappear, "Geordie" Armstrong, as he was always known, was the winger par excellence, able to play on the right or the left, two footed, and an unselfish creator of chances for other people with his accurate crosses. Born in Hebburn, County Durham, Armstrong went to Highbury straight from school, discovered by Arsenal's north-eastern scout. He played his initial game for the first team in 1961, and 10 years later was a salient figure in the team which became only the second of the 20th century, after Tottenham, to win the FA Cup and League double. That season he figured in every one of the 42 championship games, and was on the right wing at Wembley, the only real winger in the Arsenal side for the winning cup final against Liverpool. He was no giant, standing a mere 5ft 6in and weighing just over 11 stone, but courage was never lacking; not when he was playing with the local Leslie's Boys Club, nor in his long professional career. Typically, in the cup final, Armstrong popped up on either flank and very nearly scored when, on the far post, he surged powerfully in from the left to meet a right-wing cross from John Radford. Ray Clemence, the Liverpool goalkeeper, catapulted across goal to parry the ball. In 1970, he had won a medal in the European Inter Cities Fairs Cup, and the following season scored one of the two goals whereby Arsenal, in the same competition, beat Lazio 2-0 at home. In 1972, he was on the losing Arsenal side in the FA Cup final against Leeds United. He also played in two losing League Cup finals, in 1968 and 1969. In 1977, he left Arsenal to play for Leicester City, and finished his career at Stockport County. He then became a coach with steady success, cutting his teeth in Kuwait, before returning to coach at Aston Villa and Fulham. Almost inevitably, perhaps, he returned to Highbury, brought back in 1990 by his former team mate George Graham who said: "He was such a thorough professional and a great help to me at Arsenal. As soon as I knew he was available when he was out in the Middle East I jumped at the chance to bring him back." Armstrong proved outstandingly successful at nurturing young talent. Ray Parlour, a current first-team player and an England international, was one of his protegés in the reserve team, as was the Scottish striker Paul Dickov, who has gained honours this season with Scotland, as a Manchester City striker. The centre backs Andy Lininghan and future Northern Ireland international Stephen Morrow, also came under his aegis. Money meant little to him and he was critical of the attitude of many modern players. One who knew him well at Arsenal observed that "football flowed out of him". He was humorous, modest, unfailingly genial, and survived the various changing of the guard at Highbury in recent years. He was never a prolific goalscorer, getting just seven in that 1970/71 championship season and 70 in his Highbury career. Typically perhaps, his speciality was in creating goals for colleagues. He is survived by his wife Marjorie, and their son and daughter. Brian Glanville, The Guardian (www.guardian.co.uk)
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ASHALL, George HenryBorn: Killamarsh 1911-09-29 Died: Wolverhampton 1998-05-00Ashall was 25 when he made his debut for Wolverhampton Wanderers in March 1936 in the old 1st Division against Grimsby at Molineux. His club won 1-0, George scored the only goal and retained a regular place in the Wolves line-up. He had started his career with Broadsworth Main before having a spell with Huddersfield Town who released him without giving him a first team opportunity. He subsequently started his climb back to the Football League via Upton Colliery and Frickley Colliery before signing for Wolves in August 1935. His performances at Wolves brought him to the attention of the selectors and in September 1937 he played for the Football League against the Scottish League at Ibrox Park alongside club colleagues Stan Cullis and Tom Galley as well as stars such as Stanley Matthews, Freddie Steele and Vic Woodley. However the Scots triumphed 1-0 and George did not go on to receive a full cap. During the close season 1938 he was signed by Coventry City whose manager, Harry Storer, saw him as an important source of inspiration for Coventry's push for promotion from Division Two to the top flight. He enjoyed one good season at Coventry before war interrupted but the City could finish no higher than 4th and missed out on their ambition. During the war he played only a handful of games, including a few guest appearances for Northampton Town. He was a veteran by the time war ended and in September 1947 an injury sustained against West Bromwich Albion ended his career.
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ASTLE, JeffreyBorn: Eastwood, Notts 1942-05-13 Died: Burton-on-Trent 2002-01-19The centre-forward Jeff Astle, who has died suddenly aged 59 after collapsing at his daughter's home, was famously remembered for an important goal and a cataclysmic miss. The first came two and a half minutes into extra time at Wembley, and won the 1968 Cup Final for West Bromwich Albion against Everton. The second was two years later in Guadalajara, when he blazed an easy chance over the the Brazilian bar in the World Cup, robbing England of an equaliser. "How did Jeff miss that chance?" agonised Alan Ball, as he sat by the pool next morning at the Guadalajara Hilton. Five times capped for England, once as a substitute, Astle turned professional at 17 with his local team, Notts County. Standing 5ft 11in, weighing some 11 stone, he was hardly a giant, though he was celebrated for his heading abilities. West Bromwich took him from the third division to the first in 1964, and he would go on to score 137 times for them in 292 games. Much the most celebrated of his goals was that which won the 1968 final. Faced with a robust Everton defence, marked by centre-back Brian Labone, who would be a teammate in the 1970 World Cup, and without a fellow striker, Astle spent much of the game working on the wings. He might have scored soon after half-time when, for once eluding Labone, he sent in a powerful header from Bobby Hope's cross that flew just wide of a post. His winning goal came when, stumbling through an attempted foul by Everton's Howard Kendall, Astle raced on for a right-footed shot, which was blocked. When the ball came back to him, a fine left-footed drive tore past the Everton keeper, Gordon West, and into the righthand top corner of the goal. In Guadalajara, he came on against Brazil, eventual winners of the World Cup, as a substitute, with England a goal down. He immediately began to trouble a none too solid defence with his power in the air. Heading down a high cross, he gave Ball a clear opportunity, but Ball threw it away. Later, when a panic-stricken Brazilian defender headed the ball to Astle's feet, he shot over the top. Astle was first capped for England against Wales in 1968. His next four international appearances came the following season, against Scotland, Portugal, and in the 1970 World Cup against Brazil and Czechoslovakia. Astle was well known for his wry sense of humour, and from 1995 appeared on Baddiel and Skinner's Fantasy Football League television show. Off screen, his speciality was imaginary postcards, which he would suddenly declaim. Arriving in Rio airport with the English party in 1969, he "sent" one to the England trainer Harold Shepherdson. "Dear mother: No injuries yet, so I've not been seen on television. PS: Have still not carried a bag. Love Harold." Astle later worked as window cleaner with a sign saying "misses no corners". Brian Glanville, The Guardian (www.guardian.co.uk)
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