toffee balls
Well-Known Member
I played for him at Whitehill Juniors in 75 for one season.
Everyone knew him as “Benny” and he had a big mop of curly hair.
He used to work a stall at the underground market in Manchester selling knock off boys fashion gear.
For those who don’t know , back in those days 1st division clubs didn’t have their own junior/ academy teams , they had affiliated clubs and Whitehill was City’s.
Virtually all our youth players would have come through that production line.
We played at Park Road Stadium , Cheadle which was City’s 1st team training ground at the time and it was a great honour as a mad blue to play on that hallowed turf. We also trained on a Friday night at Victoria Baths. Bennell had just been released from a apprenticeship at Chelsea and I remember he had loads of their training gear which we all played in. He used to peep over the 3/4 height poolside changing cubicles to ”just make sure “ you were ready to train.
Fortunately for me , my old man never let me out of his sight so I was not going to be a victim of this monster.
As you can imagine, he was very charismatic, almost pied piper type of man but like all Paedo’s , he had plenty of tricks up his sleeve. I kid you not , he once brought a baby Lion into the dressing room. His props were plentiful.
I was 10 at the time and so I don’t recall seeing anything inappropriate but I do remember not feeling part of his little chosen gang of boys . At the time, I thought this was down to the fact other boy’s were better footballers than me but with hindsight I was probably not doable on his hit list.
That is a bloody scary and sickening realisation .
He was the cousin of another of the lovely Bennell family , Ronnie, who grew up on the Councillor Lane overspill estate in Cheadle , as did I.Ronnie murdered a girl in Burnage in the 70’s , served his time and then murdered another lady years later after several years of notoriety within the low life youth on our estate.
Thankfully, he hung himself in Prison.
The trail of death and devastation left behind these heinous crimes is truly awful.
I know of one local lad, who played at Crewe back in that day , who drank himself to death in his late 20’s - I may well be putting 2 and 2 together here but sadly, I suspect I’m not.
Truly Evil Bastards.
Everyone knew him as “Benny” and he had a big mop of curly hair.
He used to work a stall at the underground market in Manchester selling knock off boys fashion gear.
For those who don’t know , back in those days 1st division clubs didn’t have their own junior/ academy teams , they had affiliated clubs and Whitehill was City’s.
Virtually all our youth players would have come through that production line.
We played at Park Road Stadium , Cheadle which was City’s 1st team training ground at the time and it was a great honour as a mad blue to play on that hallowed turf. We also trained on a Friday night at Victoria Baths. Bennell had just been released from a apprenticeship at Chelsea and I remember he had loads of their training gear which we all played in. He used to peep over the 3/4 height poolside changing cubicles to ”just make sure “ you were ready to train.
Fortunately for me , my old man never let me out of his sight so I was not going to be a victim of this monster.
As you can imagine, he was very charismatic, almost pied piper type of man but like all Paedo’s , he had plenty of tricks up his sleeve. I kid you not , he once brought a baby Lion into the dressing room. His props were plentiful.
I was 10 at the time and so I don’t recall seeing anything inappropriate but I do remember not feeling part of his little chosen gang of boys . At the time, I thought this was down to the fact other boy’s were better footballers than me but with hindsight I was probably not doable on his hit list.
That is a bloody scary and sickening realisation .
He was the cousin of another of the lovely Bennell family , Ronnie, who grew up on the Councillor Lane overspill estate in Cheadle , as did I.Ronnie murdered a girl in Burnage in the 70’s , served his time and then murdered another lady years later after several years of notoriety within the low life youth on our estate.
Thankfully, he hung himself in Prison.
The trail of death and devastation left behind these heinous crimes is truly awful.
I know of one local lad, who played at Crewe back in that day , who drank himself to death in his late 20’s - I may well be putting 2 and 2 together here but sadly, I suspect I’m not.
Truly Evil Bastards.