Paul Bradshaw RIP

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

33 minutes ago, yoda said:

Sir Roger, I still remember his 1st home game at the Blackburn end when he dived full length mid air to his right and saved a certain goal, not only did the Blackburn end think it was going in but Sir Roger saved it and held it with both hands, never seen a save like it since. 

A team mate of mine once made a save like that but as he was falling back to earth in the attempt to pull the ball into his stomach/chest he accidentally threw the ball into the back of the net ! You had to see it to believe it. Everybody was laughing, both teams, the ref, spectators etc.

Edited February 25, 2024 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[Mercer]

38 minutes ago, yoda said:

Sir Roger, I still remember his 1st home game at the Blackburn end when he dived full length mid air to his right and saved a certain goal, not only did the Blackburn end think it was going in but Sir Roger saved it and held it with both hands, never seen a save like it since. 

Can't quite remember that but do seem to recall we signed him around transfer deadline day that season and reading about it in the LT on a Saturday!

Sir Roger replaced Adam Blacklaw who moved on (to Preston or Blackpool ?) at the end of the season.  Blacklaw was ex Burnley and he replaced John Barton (who I think made his league debut for Preston at just 16!!!!!!!!).  Remember John was a nice bloke but not the best goalie to wear a Rovers' shirt - think he lost his life to cancer again at a relatively early age.  Heard a story that John who worked part time for a firm of funeral directors once dropped a coffin!  Not sure whether fact or a 'jest' as John did have a habit of dropping the odd cross / shot!!!  

Edited February 25, 2024 by Mercer

[ABBEY]

Rip .grew up wanting to be a keeper because of him

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

27 minutes ago, Mercer said:

Can't quite remember that but do seem to recall we signed him around transfer deadline day that season and reading about it in the LT on a Saturday!

Sir Roger replaced Adam Blacklaw who moved on (to Preston or Blackpool ?) at the end of the season.  Blacklaw was ex Burnley and he replaced John Barton (who I think made his league debut for Preston at just 16!!!!!!!!).  Remember John was a nice bloke but not the best goalie to wear a Rovers' shirt - think he lost his life to cancer again at a relatively early age.  Heard a story that John who worked part time for a firm of funeral directors once dropped a coffin!  Not sure whether fact or a 'jest' as John did have a habit of dropping the odd cross / shot!!!  

Bartin was probably great at 16 but he never got any bigger. He was way too short to be a keeper.

[Mercer]

56 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Bartin was probably great at 16 but he never got any bigger. He was way too short to be a keeper.

In those days, generally, goalies in the main weren't that tall!

Think Barton was similar height to Fred Else (who he replaced) who played hundreds of games for PNE & Rovers - would think both a couple of inches short of 6 feet.  Even Roger Jones wasn't quite 6 feet.  Think burly Adam Blacklaw measured in at just about 6 feet.

Even the great Banks was only about 6 feet (as was Shilton who replaced him as England's goalie).  Seem to recall likes of Bonnetti, Stepney, Lawrence etc all sub 6 feet with international honours.

Doesn't matter whether a goalie or outplayer though, the old adage still rings true, a good big 'un always beats a good little 'un !!!

Edited February 25, 2024 by Mercer

[arbitro]

1 hour ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Bartin was probably great at 16 but he never got any bigger. He was way too short to be a keeper.

He did get bigger though. It was just in the wrong part of his body 😂😂.

[USABlue]

I remember Sir Rog going full length dive tongrab a ball going in the top corner, parry it behind? tip it over? punch it back into a bad area? no not Roger he held it, was amazing save

[USABlue]

Just now, USABlue said:

I remember Sir Rog going full length dive tongrab a ball going in the top corner, parry it behind? tip it over? punch it back into a bad area? no not Roger he held it, was amazing save

RiP Paul you were good and was sorry to see you go.

[onlyonejackwalker]

RIP Paul Bradshaw. The first goalkeeper I watched at the Rovers.

[sympatheticclaret]

10 hours ago, Mercer said:

In those days, generally, goalies in the main weren't that tall!

Think Barton was similar height to Fred Else (who he replaced) who played hundreds of games for PNE & Rovers - would think both a couple of inches short of 6 feet.  Even Roger Jones wasn't quite 6 feet.  Think burly Adam Blacklaw measured in at just about 6 feet.

Even the great Banks was only about 6 feet (as was Shilton who replaced him as England's goalie).  Seem to recall likes of Bonnetti, Stepney, Lawrence etc all sub 6 feet with international honours.

Doesn't matter whether a goalie or outplayer though, the old adage still rings true, a good big 'un always beats a good little 'un !!!

Just to illustrate your point, Colin McDonald, now 93, was England's 'keeper in the 1958 World Cup. He broke his leg badly in a Football League v League of Ireland game at Dalymount Park in 1959, and never recovered ... A few years back, he was invited to Gawthorpe for a lunch and had a picture taken with Joe Hart, Nick Pope and Tom Heaton, during that short spell when we had 3 England Goalkeepers on the books .....

 

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

32 minutes ago, sympatheticclaret said:

Just to illustrate your point, Colin McDonald, now 93, was England's 'keeper in the 1958 World Cup. He broke his leg badly in a Football League v League of Ireland game at Dalymount Park in 1959, and never recovered ... A few years back, he was invited to Gawthorpe for a lunch and had a picture taken with Joe Hart, Nick Pope and Tom Heaton, during that short spell when we had 3 England Goalkeepers on the books .....

 

 

He would have taller in his prime. I’m about 2” shorter now than I was in my playing days. Wear and tear on your discs etc. I take your point though, goalies now are taller.

I went to his benefit game back in the early sixties. Burnley v An England 11.

Burnley 

Blacklaw

Angus Joyce

Adamson, Cummings, Miller

Connelly , Robson, Pointer, ? , Harris.

Elder and McIlroy were playing. For N Ireland.

England 11

Macdonald

Armfield, Wilson
Clayton, Swan, Flowers

Douglas, Hunt, Lofthouse, Cheeseborough, Finney

England won 6-5. Lofthouse scored with a Shearesque rocket and Douglas and Connelly both got booked after a scuffle. Finney had just retired but he was still brilliant as was Macdonald in spite of the score line.

Edited February 25, 2024 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[sympatheticclaret]

3 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

He would have taller in his prime. I’m about 2” shorter now than I was in my playing days. Wear and tear on your discs etc. I take your point though, goalies now are taller.

I went to his benefit game back in the early sixties. Burnley v An England 11.

Burnley 

Blacklaw

Angus Joyce

Adamson, Cummings, Miller

Connelly , Robson, Pointer, ? , Harris.

Elder and McIlroy were playing. For N Ireland.

England 11

Macdonald

Armfield, Wilson
Clayton, Swan, Flowers

Douglas, Hunt, Lofthouse, Cheeseborough, Finney

England won 6-5. Lofthouse scored with a Shearesque rocket and Douglas and Connelly both got booked after a scuffle. Finney had just retired but he was still brilliant as was Macdonald in spite of the score line.

Thanks for that, new information for me ... I'm 60, and was always just over 6'4" when I played Rugby for Blackburn. However, " anno domini ", and 35 years of marriage has apparently made me 6'3", according to my last " well man " check ...

Ironic that John Connolly and Bryan Douglas went on to be team mates at Ewood in the late sixties !

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

7 hours ago, sympatheticclaret said:

Thanks for that, new information for me ... I'm 60, and was always just over 6'4" when I played Rugby for Blackburn. However, " anno domini ", and 35 years of marriage has apparently made me 6'3", according to my last " well man " check ...

Ironic that John Connolly and Bryan Douglas went on to be team mates at Ewood in the late sixties !

Connelly was vieing for the right wing slot in the England team that Bryan Douglas held at the time so there was a bit of friction there. Finney was still a terrific player, he retired way too soon. After about 60 minutes all the the England forwards had scored a goal but for Cheeseborough so the other forwards tried to set him up. He must have missed about half a dozen easy chances and he still ended up without a goal. As you can imagine there was a lot of goalmouth action and MacDonald pulled off several brilliant saves, I was left wondering why he had retired. You could see he had been top class in his day.

It’s amazing what you can remember after 60 years.

[sympatheticclaret]

2 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Connelly was vieing for the right wing slot in the England team that Bryan Douglas held at the time so there was a bit of friction there. Finney was still a terrific player, he retired way too soon. After about 60 minutes all the the England forwards had scored a goal but for Cheeseborough so the other forwards tried to set him up. He must have missed about half a dozen easy chances and he still ended up without a goal. As you can imagine there was a lot of goalmouth action and MacDonald pulled off several brilliant saves, I was left wondering why he had retired. You could see he had been top class in his day.

It’s amazing what you can remember after 60 years.

Yes, Bert Cheeseborough was at Rosegrove Junior School in the same year as my Father-in-Law, he'd moved on to Leicester City by this time. His daughter, Susan, represented Great Britain at Gymnastics in the 1976 and 1980 Olympics ....

[lraC]

7 minutes ago, sympatheticclaret said:

Yes, Bert Cheeseborough was at Rosegrove Junior School in the same year as my Father-in-Law, he'd moved on to Leicester City by this time. His daughter, Susan, represented Great Britain at Gymnastics in the 1976 and 1980 Olympics ....

Was the late Brian Pilkington in that side, or had me moved on to Bolton by then?

[sympatheticclaret]

1 hour ago, lraC said:

Was the late Brian Pilkington in that side, or had me moved on to Bolton by then?

He moved to Bolton in 1961, the year before so would have played with a very young Frannie Lee. I think it's been mentioned before that Lee made his debut, as a 16 year old amateur, in one of Nat Lofthouses's last games. He in turn made his Bolton debut ( aged 17 ) in March 1941 in a Wartime League game ...

Edited February 26, 2024 by sympatheticclaret

[lraC]

Just now, sympatheticclaret said:

He moved to Bolton in 1961, so would have played with a very young Frannie Lee ...

Cheers.

I remember him telling a few good stories about Frannie Lee.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 hour ago, lraC said:

Was the late Brian Pilkington in that side, or had me moved on to Bolton by then?

No. Gordon Harris was at No 11. I can’t for the life of me remember who was at No 10, maybe Arthur Bellamy or Ian Towers, but it was the full Burnley first team minus Jimmy Mac and Alex Elder who were playing for N. Ireland that night. The England representative team had about half a dozen England regulars in it.

I used to have that programme.

I was walking home from school and I saw the game advertised outside the “ Ellen Smith “ coach company ticket office. So it was a dash home for tea and then back for the coach over the tops.
It was a cracking game, end to end stuff, dozens of shots on goal. I can still see the Lofthouse goal in my minds eye. He chased a long bouncing ball down towards the corner flag. He caught up with it a couple of yards from the side line and about five yards in from the goal line. As it bounced up he caught it on the volley and it went past Blacklaw like a rocket. Like threading a needle.

 

 

 

 

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 hour ago, sympatheticclaret said:

Yes, Bert Cheeseborough was at Rosegrove Junior School in the same year as my Father-in-Law, he'd moved on to Leicester City by this time. His daughter, Susan, represented Great Britain at Gymnastics in the 1976 and 1980 Olympics ....

Cheeseborough was at Leicester then. He was the only un-capped player in the England representative team and in that company he looked out of place. Maybe he got called up at short notice.

Edited February 26, 2024 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[lraC]

8 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

No. Gordon Harris was at No 11. I can’t for the life of me remember who was at No 10, maybe Arthur Bellamy or Ian Towers, but it was the full Burnley first team minus Jimmy Mac and Alex Elder who were playing for N. Ireland that night. The England representative team had about half a dozen England regulars in it.

I used to have that programme.

I was walking home from school and I saw the game advertised outside the “ Ellen Smith “ coach company ticket office. So it was a dash home for tea and then back for the coach over the tops.
It was a cracking game, end to end stuff, dozens of shots on goal. I can still see the Lofthouse goal in my minds eye. He chased a long bouncing ball down towards the corner flag. He caught up with it a couple of yards from the side line and about five yards in from the goal line. As it bounced up he caught it on the volley and it went past Blacklaw like a rocket. Like threading a needle.

 

 

 

 

 

Sounds great that and no doubt the game changing into what it is today, has been at the detriment of what was enjoyed in those days.

Slightly before my time, but I heard some great stories about the sixties and early seventies from Brian, when we had our weekly catch up every Wednesday.

I don't half miss those chats and especially the people from all walks of life who used to pop into his office to see him and reminisce. 

[sympatheticclaret]

7 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Cheeseborough was at Leicester then. He was the only un-capped player in the England representative team and in that company he looked out of place. Maybe he got called up at short notice.

I thought the same, but he's listed in the printed programme as in the team ... so maybe just a call-up for a decent honest " pro ", especially as he was Burnley born, and possibly a mate of Colin's ?

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 hour ago, sympatheticclaret said:

I thought the same, but he's listed in the printed programme as in the team ... so maybe just a call-up for a decent honest " pro ", especially as he was Burnley born, and possibly a mate of Colin's ?

Yes, thinking about it he was down in the programme. Who was down as the No 10 for Burnley in the programme ? 

[sympatheticclaret]

23 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Yes, thinking about it he was down in the programme. Who was down as the No 10 for Burnley in the programme ? 

The only image I found on the internet showed only the England XI, although curiously Bobby Seith of Dundee, formerly of Burnley, is listed as the right half, again may well have been included as a mate of Colin's ...

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

2 hours ago, sympatheticclaret said:

The only image I found on the internet showed only the England XI, although curiously Bobby Seith of Dundee, formerly of Burnley, is listed as the right half, again may well have been included as a mate of Colin's ...

Mm, I was pretty sure Ronnie Clayton played at right half but it is 60 odd years ago.

I don’t recall any player being subbed either. I was only 13 then but I had the impression they all took it pretty seriously. Dougie and Connelly certainly did.

[sympatheticclaret]

3 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Mm, I was pretty sure Ronnie Clayton played at right half but it is 60 odd years ago.

I don’t recall any player being subbed either. I was only 13 then but I had the impression they all took it pretty seriously. Dougie and Connelly certainly did.

I've asked the question on our Board, and apparently the " missing man " was Andy Lochead .. attendance was 16, 826, and might the score have been 4-6, rather than 5-6 ? If Bobby Seith was unable to make it due to injury, then it would make sense that the great Ronnie Clayton, from just up the road might have been asked to step in ...