Can anyone help?

[Bluekiwi]

I am a member of the Manchester Family History forum and came across a posting asking for help from City fans. The lady's message is below. Even though she supports the rags perhaps some kind soul can help her....


I grew up in the part of Longsight near Belle Vue and the local shops were on Northmoor Road (originally North Road), including the old Beswick Co-op building, shown here:
➼ manchesterhistory.net/LONGSIGHT/INDUSTRY/northmoor.html

I have this memory from sometime in the mid-late 1960s, that part of the Co-op building was a mini-mart, and I was shopping there with my mum. I must have had my United scarf or hat on because the chap in the shop noticed this and said he used to be a Man City player. I think he said he'd played in a cup final, but I could be making that up!

Does this sound familiar to anyone, an ex-City player opening a shop in Longsight? Or was it just an old chap having a joke with a gullible United fan!

Lara

I know that quite a few of the older generation of players had occupations outside football - let's face it they didn't get paid very much in the old days and they needed some sort of income when they hung up their boots.

 

[yeseye]

Think it was Sun Jihais old fella

 

[lancs blue]

I'll defer to @Gary James who may well have more info but my take on this is as follows regarding the 1955 and 1956 Fa Cup final teams :-

I think we can exclude Roy Clarke because before taking over the Social Club he had a sports shop on the corner of Dickenson Rd and Wilmslow Rd. Also George Hannah who played against City in the 1955 FA Cup final had a newsagents in Fallowfield and Roy Little was working at the University sports ground in Wythenshawe.

Trautmann, Leivers, Barnes, Meadows, Revie, Ewing and Johnstone were all involved in coaching/management at that time of the 60s so that makes them unlikely.

Roy Paul retired to Wales, Billy Spurdle retired to the Channel Islands and Paddy Fagan worked as a driving instructor.

That leaves Jack Dyson, who is a possible as he retired from cricket in 1964, as is Joe Hayes who retired from football in 1967 and I can't find any info on what they did afterwards.

I'll leave it to another FOC (Oakie, DEBH?) to check up on the 1933 and 1934 teams. ;-)

And of course the bloke may have been spinning her a yarn. ;-)

 

[Bluekiwi]

And of course the bloke may have been spinning her a yarn. ;-)

That was one of her comments to a reply she got suggesting she posted the message on our Forum.

I've got a book "A Backpass Through History" which starts in the 19th century and ends at the end of the 2014 season. I'll get it out and have a look when I get back from visiting our daughter in Melbourne.

I appreciate your help and I'll let you know her response.

Many thanks to you bothj

 

[andyhinch]

Would PM @garyjames I'm sure he'll be helpful

 

[Bluekiwi]

Would PM @garyjames I'm sure he'll be helpful

I have done as suggested

 

[Gary James]

I am a member of the Manchester Family History forum and came across a posting asking for help from City fans. The lady's message is below. Even though she supports the rags perhaps some kind soul can help her....


I grew up in the part of Longsight near Belle Vue and the local shops were on Northmoor Road (originally North Road), including the old Beswick Co-op building, shown here:
➼ manchesterhistory.net/LONGSIGHT/INDUSTRY/northmoor.html

I have this memory from sometime in the mid-late 1960s, that part of the Co-op building was a mini-mart, and I was shopping there with my mum. I must have had my United scarf or hat on because the chap in the shop noticed this and said he used to be a Man City player. I think he said he'd played in a cup final, but I could be making that up!

Does this sound familiar to anyone, an ex-City player opening a shop in Longsight? Or was it just an old chap having a joke with a gullible United fan!

Lara

I know that quite a few of the older generation of players had occupations outside football - let's face it they didn't get paid very much in the old days and they needed some sort of income when they hung up their boots.

It could potentially be a player from 1904 or 1926 finals, as well as those in the 30s and 50s, and it's going to be difficult to track down, especially as we're not certain he played in a cup final or indeed was even a City player. I think we've all heard stories of people claiming to be City players. Indeed in 2002-05 there was a homeless person in London claiming to be Joe Hayes (who had already died) and irate people contacted me, Bernard Halford, and others connected with City saying this ex FAC goalscorer had conned them out of £100+. His scam involved a claim that City had finally sorted out his pension and he'd pay them back when he receives it. He was very convincing!

Anyway, back to Northmoor Rd. I know that building and road well. It is a key centre for MCFC history and if we ever manage to get blue plaques erected recognising City's history then several houses in that area would qualify. The St Mark's rectory was on North Road (as it used to be called) and the Connells lived there; the original Longsight Cricket ground was a few yards away from the rectory and was the site of promotional activity for football and other sports; Lawrence Furniss - ex Gorton player, manager, chairman and first life president, lived a few streets away for a while and his house was used as our official address for a while; members of our 1904 team lived in the area... Etc.

In terms of all footballers from 1904 to 56 it's possible any of them had a spell running a business, even Ken Barnes, who we all talk about as going straight into coaching etc was based at an Insurance company for a while and served at the front desk. Roy Clarke had a grocers before the sports shop and so on. Jack Dyson,incidentally, worked for John Willie Lees brewery.

It's difficult to know which player it could've been, but there will be land registry records or rent books or electoral records. It'd be worth going down those avenues but could be a fruitless task as he may well have been telling lies, though my gut feel is that he was a City player, but probably from 1926 as it's more likely he was based in Gorton/Longsight. Actually, if I had to guess at a player without evidence I'd go for Tommy Johnson - he stayed in the area and was well known to locals.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

I'll defer to @Gary James who may well have more info but my take on this is as follows regarding the 1955 and 1956 Fa Cup final teams :-

I think we can exclude Roy Clarke because before taking over the Social Club he had a sports shop on the corner of Dickenson Rd and Wilmslow Rd. Also George Hannah who played against City in the 1955 FA Cup final had a newsagents in Fallowfield and Roy Little was working at the University sports ground in Wythenshawe.

Trautmann, Leivers, Barnes, Meadows, Revie, Ewing and Johnstone were all involved in coaching/management at that time of the 60s so that makes them unlikely.

Roy Paul retired to Wales, Billy Spurdle retired to the Channel Islands and Paddy Fagan worked as a driving instructor.

That leaves Jack Dyson, who is a possible as he retired from cricket in 1964, as is Joe Hayes who retired from football in 1967 and I can't find any info on what they did afterwards.

I'll leave it to another FOC (Oakie, DEBH?) to check up on the 1904, 1933 and 1934 teams. ;-)

And of course the bloke may have been spinning her a yarn. ;-)

We have 'istree! And Oakie was there!

 

[petrusha]

It's also possible that it could be someone who was on the books but who never played in the first team. I know a couple of people like this - one refers to himself as an ex-Bolton player and the other ex-United, based on appearances in the youth and reserve teams.

 

[isab23502]

I am a member of the Manchester Family History forum and came across a posting asking for help from City fans. The lady's message is below. Even though she supports the rags perhaps some kind soul can help her....


I grew up in the part of Longsight near Belle Vue and the local shops were on Northmoor Road (originally North Road), including the old Beswick Co-op building, shown here:
➼ manchesterhistory.net/LONGSIGHT/INDUSTRY/northmoor.html

I have this memory from sometime in the mid-late 1960s, that part of the Co-op building was a mini-mart, and I was shopping there with my mum. I must have had my United scarf or hat on because the chap in the shop noticed this and said he used to be a Man City player. I think he said he'd played in a cup final, but I could be making that up!

Does this sound familiar to anyone, an ex-City player opening a shop in Longsight? Or was it just an old chap having a joke with a gullible United fan!

Lara

I know that quite a few of the older generation of players had occupations outside football - let's face it they didn't get paid very much in the old days and they needed some sort of income when they hung up their boots.

Different story but one of the old cup finalists - Jackie Bray - had a sports shop on Scotland Road Nelson when I was a kid in the late 70s. A window full of City stuff always, Subbuteo City team on display, Umbro diamond kit everywhere (red/black slash) - happy days and a lovely fellow.