Keep reading its not really football

When I looked back I did think at one time that I didn’t have much as a kid, but now, with the advent of eBay I realise that maybe I didn’t do so bad.

Some folk say that a smell can remind you of things that happened in the past, and it really can; but to me nothing brings memories of my childhood flooding back quite like the sight of a Kevin Hector football card, not because I support Derby County now, or did in the past, he was just a name I plucked from the air, I could have said, Peter Story or Ron Harris, all great footballers in their time, all of who I can still see staring back at me from a collector’s card.

The one thing that I remember, no matter which player it was, was the smell of the bubble gum that was inside the pack. A waffle thin slice of gum that had an odour all of its own, it smelt, if possible, of the 70s, of childhood, and went stale in a matter of minutes, rock hard and flavourless, but it was great.

I look on eBay now, just surfing through and filling my watch list up with stuff I hardly ever buy, but could if I wanted to, and I realise just how much I did have as a child.

Games such as Airfix Flight deck, escape from Colditz, Mastermind and Subbuteo are all games I had in my youth, and have since bought again, and, as is my way, sold on again. I find it amazing that I cannot remember what happened to the originals; did Mum throw them in the bin or did I swap them, and if i swapped them, what did I swap them for, and what happened to that?

I can remember many a football season was spent sitting on my door step with a bunch of mates swapping football cards, ‘got, got, got, ain't got, got, got was usually how the swap conversation started. I don’t remember having an album for the cards, not like the paper cards that you licked the top 1/4 inch of, and stuck them in an album, no, these cards where bigger than the paper ones, and actually made of card, they where made by A&BC, search eBay for them.

There are lots of resources on the Internet allowing us to see what we missed out on, or lost as happened in a lot of cases, I've spent many a happy hour looking back, its almost like virtual time travel.

We didn’t have computers in them days, wow, suddenly I sound old, no, we had to make our own fun, I've told my kids that and it bought a little smile to my face, a proper parents saying. I must have spent about 10 hours a day on our local green playing football with my mates. I can remember as soon as the final whistle went on FA Cup final day we would meet up on the green and all tell each other what player we would be. I was a goalkeeper at the time, and remaned one for the rest of my playing days, and for some reason I liked Kevin Keelan, he played for Norwich City and I would usually be him, not that they had any FA Cup success at all.

We played Cricket sometimes, but not that often, football was an 11 month a year sport for us, but, when we did play Cricket it wasn’t for long; the green you see was big enough for a good game of football, but Cricket, nah, a little on the small side. So after a couple of hours, and 5 or 6 trips to different neighbours houses to ask for the ball back it was stumps, and the big ball came out again.

We played, as I have said, on a green, unfortunately for me, it was only a goal kick from my house. Sometimes, well most of the time, the language got a little fruity, we may have been between 13 and 16 but that didnt stop our mum or dad giving us a clip round the ear, I think it used to be called having respect for grownups, something thats lacking today. I remember one occasion in particular when I called someone a really nasty name, I could type it here but whats the point, but if you need to know, it rhymed with Billy Hunt, within 2 minutes my mum was at the entrance to our square, “Oi Mick your mums over there”, off I’d trudge, head down, looking as guilty as sin, it weren’t me, I didn’t swear.

“What makes you think I’ve come down here about you swearing”?

Bugger I’d think, dropped myself right in it without any need, I went back and got my ball, usually to shouts from my mates asking to borrow it, and see you after your tea Mick.

 Won’t be out any more today, I'm grounded, bring it back when you’re done will ya!