ICKNIELD YOUTH FC - ET AL

[MickD]

My memory is rubbish these days - so I was hoping that there might be a few forum readers out there who could help me out? When and if we ever resume playing I was thinking about doing a bit in the programme about some of the forgotten/defunct local teams that used to ply their trade in North Herts?

Specifically here I was recalling Icknield Youth, who at one time were the senior youth team in North Herts and there were certainly links with HTFC. Mick Walker our sponge man for many years was also their physio I believe - there must be many other connections? The original club is long gone and a Dunstable/Luton based club set up in 1998 still carries the name, possibly?

Anyone have any memories that they wish to share of Icknield and/or other local sides - be they great or dreadful. Ibrox, Clublanders, The Cricketers, Wymondley, Fountain, Hitchin Supporters, Red Star etc etc etc. Even better with pictures from those heady days!! Dig em out and I can share them in a programme sometime.

For those wishing to maintain a low profile, please send to my email address - mickdocking@gmail.com



Cheers


Mick

[Brian Parker]

I played for Redharts F.C. in the North Herts Youth League 1953-56. We were based in Hitchin and finished top of the Under 16s in 53/4. The following year 54/5 we had to play in the Under 18s league and a new squad of under 16s was formed to compete at that level. In 55/6 both ourselves and the younger squad had to play in the Under 18s league, however we weren't allowed to enter two teams in the same age group. This resulted in the younger squad forming a new club "Icknield F.C."

They went on to be very succesful such that in season 56/7 they reached the quarter final of the FA Youth Cup, being I believe the only non professional side remaining. I'm not sure that this has ever been repeated since. Their reward was to play under the lights of Highbury Stadium against Arsenal Youth. Although they lost 5-0 it was quite a night and they acquitted themselves well against a team that fielded several youth internationals. I can't remember all their names but 'Nollie' Houghton, 'Barrel' Fell and Dave Muncey were regulars, but the most famous of course was Dave Hills who went onto play for Man U and West Ham, where he distinguished himself only by an awful disiplinary record which saw him shown out at both clubs.

I'm afraid this is from memory only as I do not have any docs or photographs. Sometimes I wish that I could have been a year younger and able to play in that team although I probably wouldn't have been good enough!

As for the other sides that you mention I played often against Clublanders for Hitchin Youth Centre Old Boys. They were based in Sunnyside and we usually beat them. We played in North Herts League Premier Division but I think they yo-yoed between divisions. There was also a Letchworth Clublanders but I think they were down at Divisions 3 or4.

[MickD]

Thanks Brian

Didn't know that.

Still seeking some old pictures from any one.

Come on all you oldies, must be lots of memories lingering that are waiting to be shared.

[MickD]

Just thinking .... Redharts FC - that couldn't have been a team associated with the Red Hart could it? A youth section obviously?

In those days most publicans tried to set up a Sunday side for no better reason than they knew it would invariably swell their Sunday lunchtime trade. Often the football was simply a short break in your weekend's drinking schedule - 12.00 noon til 2.30pm at pub, watch Hitchin, couple of pints at club, home for tea, back to the Arms at 7.00, home by midnight, football at 9.00 till noon then back in the pub till 2.00.

You had to be fit in those days.

[Brian Parker]

Yes Redharts FC was associated with the pub. It consisted of youth teams only, which may seem strange given that we were not allowed into the bar due to our age. However we did meet in the first floor room above the bars. Another anomoly was that although we were mainly the previous year's Boys Grammar School under 15s we trained in Old Hale Way (now Priory) School's gym.

The grammar school in those days had a formidable team and had been largely unbeaten for six years before a new head decided that we would be better off playing rugby! Our keeper was Keith Priddle who played for the Town for a while. A little older was Micky Dulin who went on to play for the Spurs. After breaking in to the first team he suffered a multiple fracture of the leg which finished his career at a far too early age. Another star was Bob Telfer who once scored nine goals in a 11-0 demolition of Huntingdon Grammar. We had several good cricketers who went on to play for Hitchin including the Burgess brothers Tom and Rob.

I played for Hitchin Youth Centre Old Boys for 6 years. We were perenially mid table, seldom with any chance of winning the league but never in any problems at the other end. We also had a reserve team that played in Divisions 1 and 2. Had they qualified for promotion to the Premier Division it would not have been allowed as we were already in it. The nearest we got to winning anything was to lose a Greg Cup final to Ashwell and a Herts Junior Cup final the following year to (I think) Tudor Corinthians from(again I think) Watford.

[anthony.brown]

The Beds & Herts Pictorial often carried team photos. Unfortunately, the library is closed at the moment, so I can't confirm if any you are interested in are in it.

[MickD]

Well Anthony, if you do come across any period pictures during the course of your ongoing research and fancy sharing them?

Hopefully a few more memories will emerge.


Cheers

Mick

[MichaelD]

This Hitchin Sunday League Facebook page might be of interest:
https://m.facebook.com/groups/129268622 ... rer=search

[Brian Parker]

Organised Sunday football didn't exist until towards the end of my time as a player, but there were quite a lot of 'friendly' matches often arranged at the last moment. None the less this often gave you the chance of being on the field with some very talented players. I often found myself alongside John Richards (ex Pegasus, Swindon, Aldershot, Corby and Stevenage Athletic). I believe he was top scorer one season in the old Third Division South whilst with Swindon. He was hard as iron. A friend once told me that it didn't matter how hard you tackled him he just went straight through you! I also remember coming up against old Hitchin favorites like Terry Waldock and Terry Craddock.

During the fifties Hitchin had a Colts team in the North Herts Premier. We once played against them in a late season mid week game where they put out a mixture of first and second team players including England amateur internationals Peter Hammond and Roger Figg. I had to mark the latter. Their star turn however was the late Dave Pacey who played at that level for a couple of seasons before moving up through the second XL to the first team, then Luton Reserves and onto their first XL. That was during their time in the old First Divsion. I was in the crowd at his debut against Man U (the Busby Babes) just a couple of months before the tragic air crash, where he showed no nerves, hitting the bar in the first few minutes. Of course he went on to score in the FA Cup final and to win caps as an England Under 23 international.