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Billy Day 1936-2018

1/23/2018

Cambridge United lost a link with its Southern League Cup-winning side of 1965 with the death, at the age of 81 on January 21, of Billy Day.

The speedy outside right, born on 27 December 1936, enjoyed a stellar career with his hometown club of Middlesbrough before moving to Newcastle and Peterborough and then becoming a favourite of the Abbey Stadium crowd for two seasons.

After signing for Boro from local club South Bank at the age of 18, he was dubbed the ‘flying winger’ for two reasons: his blistering pace and his habit, while on national service in Germany, of flying home every weekend to play. His son Colin told the Teesside Gazette: ‘He’d get home about 7am on a Saturday, have an hour’s sleep, and then be straight to play a game.’

His national service stint also saw Day become the forces champion in the 100 yards.

Day laid on countless goals for Ayresome Park legends Brian Clough and Alan Peacock, and scored 21 himself, during his 131 Middlesbrough games.

Signing for United in the summer of 1964, for an undisclosed fee from Peterborough, he made an immediate impression in a 2-1 pre-season friendly win over Colchester, and started the Southern League season on the right wing.

Despite coming in for rough treatment from defenders – notably those of Cambridge City and Folkestone – he was outstanding as the season wore on and United progressed towards a Southern League Cup final against Weymouth. He set up three goals in a 4-2 third round win at Nuneaton, and scored in the two-leg final as the U’s triumphed 3-1 on aggregate.

By the time the 1964/65 season had ended, Day had played in 70 matches, but his second season at the Abbey was fraught with difficulties.

Having vied with Wes Maughan for the right-wing spot, he was transfer-listed at his own request before Christmas 1965. Injured in a Boxing Day loss at Bedford, he did not attract any offers and later came off the list.

Billy Day: the flying winger in 1964.

A debilitating attack of pleurisy affected the second half of his season and he was released at the end of the term, having scored 11 goals in 100 appearances in amber and black.

Day then launched a new career in bookmaking. He started as manager of a betting shop and set up on his own as an on-course bookie in 1970, becoming a familiar figure for decades at horse and greyhound courses in his native North-east.

He died in hospital after a battle with dementia, leaving sons Richard and Colin, daughter-in-law Sue and grandchildren Sophia and Richard. Day’s wife of 61 years, Irene, predeceased him in December. The funeral will take place at 2.30pm on Monday, February 5 at Middlesbrough Crematorium.

Above, Billy Day is pictured front row left on 6 February 1965. Photo: David Campbell. Left, cartoonist Ken Robinson's view of Day in the Cambridge Evening News of 17 April 1965. Click on images to enlarge.

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John McGlashan 1967-2017

1/13/2018

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100 Years of Coconuts was saddened to hear of the death on January 10, at the age of just 50, of midfielder John McGlashan.

Although he made just one U’s appearance, as a substitute, and is perhaps best remembered for his part in a late Peterborough surge that earned them a 2-2 draw at the Abbey in March 1993, John was as much one of the United family as any player who ever pulled on an amber shirt.

Born in Dundee in 1967 – and a staunch Dark Blues supporter – he joined Montrose in 1988. Two years later he joined Millwall, from where he went on loan to Fulham and United before signing for Peterborough in 1993.

He spent three years at Rotherham before joining his boyhood heroes at Dens Park in 1997. There followed spells at Ross County, Arbroath and Dundee Violet before he began a management career, also coaching Dundee youths.

John McGlashan. Photo: Scottish Professional Football League.

He died following a battle against ill health.

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Flex that finger!

1/12/2018

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Voting for the 2018 inductions to the Cambridge United Hall of Fame begins tomorrow – Saturday, January 13.

To register your vote, head to cuhalloffame.org.uk and follow the voting link.

Or, if you prefer to register your preferences the old-fashioned way, you will be able to vote by paper ballot at a table beside the CFU caravan, in the Abbey's front car park, before tomorrow's game against Mansfield.

This year, U's supporters can choose player inductees in three categories: pre-1970, 1970-1989 and 1990-2005.

In the pre-1970 player category, vote for one of these: Harvey Cornwell, Terry Eades, Joe & Tony Gallego, Johnny Haasz, Wilf Mannion or Len Saward.

For the 1970-1989 inductee, the choice is equally difficult. It's between Brendon Batson, Alan Biley, Steve Fallon, Tom Finney, Andy Sinton and Dave Stringer.

Candidates in the 1990-2005 category are Steve Claridge, Liam Daish, Andy Duncan, Alan Kimble, John Taylor and John Vaughan. No, you can't vote for them all.

Remember: you have one vote, and one vote only, in each category. You can be sure that, if you try to vote twice, you will be found out and forced to attend a Peterborough match.

Now get voting! And may the best men win.

Paul Wanless, John Beck and Dion Dublin with their mementos at the 2017 Cambridge United Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Photo: Simon Lankester.

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A foot in both camps

1/6/2018

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An edited version of this article first appeared in the 24-30 May 2017 issue of the Cambridge Independent.

Andrew Bennett’s definitive history of Cambridge United, Risen from the Dust (available from the CFU store) picks up where the first volume, Newmarket Road Roughs, left off in 1951, and ends with United being elected to the Football League in 1970.

It’s memory-stirring stuff for us old codgers for many reasons, but perhaps the most evocative passages are those that cover the old U’s-City rivalry.

Younger readers will probably struggle with this: back then, the battle for football supremacy in Cambridge meant just as much to supporters as those in Liverpool or Manchester. We lived in a divided city.

Eagerly awaited derbies drew massive crowds, and as a fan you were either a U or a Lilywhite. But there have always been players who were happy to be either.

It started in 1921, when Abbey United loaned top scorer Wally Wilson to Cambridge Town for a big FA Cup tie against Kettering. As United began to rise up the Cambs League, their players started to attract regular attention from the bigger, wealthier Town.

During the 1920s, Bert Langford, Bill ‘Pim’ Stearn, Tom Caldecote, Frank Luff, Cyril Morley, ‘Erstie’ Clements and Harold ‘Darley’ Watson were all tempted to cross the river; at a time of rising unemployment, Town could offer the players off-pitch jobs.

In 1936, striker Harry Mann scored hat-tricks in his first two games for United, whereupon Town snapped him up. The exodus continued before and after World War II as Reg Kimberley, Joe Richardson and Den Smith moved north of the Cam but, once the U’s turned semi-pro in 1947, the flow slowed to a trickle.

Former Town players Tony Gallego, Len Hartley, Fred Mansfield and Stan Thurston all signed for United, although not directly from Milton Road. A turning point came in 1950 when Town’s top scorer, Neville Haylock, defected to the U’s, and Bill O’Donnell, Ted Culver and Len Linturn also later crossed to Newmarket Road, the latter causing a minor sensation in turning pro.

Matt McVittie, who played for both Cambridge clubs, scores for United in a Southern League Premier Division local derby match on 29 September 1962. City won 2-1 in front of a crowd of 6,892. Photo: Cambridge Evening News.

In 1958 City turned professional too. They signed the skilful Eddie Robinson from United in 1959, and when the U’s began employing only full-timers in 1960, hitman Brian Moore, wanting to keep his job at Pye Telecom, moved to Milton Road.

During the 1960s the rivalry intensified but the player traffic continued. United signed City full back Dai Jones in 1962, and a year later City exchanged cash and Willie Devine for U’s forward Freddie Bunce. United captured Barry Smith, Roy Poole and Billy Wall from Milton Road, while Frank Allen, John Hiner, Norman Bleanch, Matt McVittie and Gerry Graham (signed by former U Roy Kirk) moved north.

The clubs’ paths diverged in 1968 when City experienced relegation for the first time. From now on, players signing for the Lilywhites, such as Gerry Baker (1969) and Wes Maughan (1970), were surplus to requirements at United. When the U’s were elected to the League, decades of rivalry effectively ended.

But cross-Cam dealings have continued. The clubs may now be four pyramid levels apart, but players will doubtless swap amber for white as long as they exist.

Cheerio
Harry

Tony Gallego saves for Cambridge United at King's Lynn. Photo: Lynn News & Advertiser.

It was apt that Joe and Tony Gallego should play for both senior Cambridge clubs – which, at the time that they first appeared, were known as Cambridge Town and Abbey United.

It was our city that welcomed the brothers as refugees in 1937, when they fled their native Basque country to escape Hitler’s deadly Condor Legion bombers.

The Legion, flying in support of Francisco Franco’s Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War, killed the Gallego children’s father when it bombed the Basque town of Guernica.

Their mother placed five of her kids in an orphanage, but they were soon on their way to Britain aboard the liner Habana. They settled well in Cambridge – and football played a big role in the process.

‘Football meant everything to us; it was the only thing we knew about,’ Antonio (known as Tony) told El Pais in 2012. ‘We got attached to Cambridge and made a lot of friends here through playing football.’

Goalkeeper Tony and winger José (Joe) signed for Town as teenagers. Tony moved to the Abbey in 1943 before rejoining Joe at Milton Road, spending time as a professional with Norwich and then returning to United in 1947.

Joe left Town for Brentford and went on to play for Southampton and Colchester, but came back to United in 1951.

The Gallegos stayed in Cambridge for the rest of their lives, Joe dying in 2006 at the age of 82 and 90-year-old Tony passing away in 2015. I’ve Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts rang out loud and proud at the funeral.

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The fame game

1/1/2018

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An edited version of this article appeared in the Cambridge United matchday programme for the game against Crewe Alexandra on 30 December 2017.

Fellow Cambridge United supporters! Prepare to exercise your democratic right to determine which playing heroes of the past 100-plus years should take their place in your club’s Hall of Fame.

It’s almost that time again. From Saturday, January 13 you will be able to vote via the Hall of Fame website (cuhalloffame.org.uk) or on paper at the CFU caravan before home games.

The results will be announced at a swish, star-studded induction dinner in March – stand by for announcements of ticket prices and arrangements. Last year’s dinner was a roaring success and tickets sold out in a flash, so best to keep that credit card close by you.

This year, you’re voting for players in three categories: pre-1970, 1970-1989 and 1990-2005. A Committee of the Wise has already decided on the identities of three other inductees: a manager, an ‘off-pitch’ personality and the recipient of a special 100 Years of Coconuts management committee award.

Your mission – and you really should choose to accept it – is to vote for one player in each category. From the pre-1970 shortlist, choose between Harvey Cornwell, Terry Eades, Joe and Tony Gallego, Johnny Haasz, Wilf Mannion and Len Saward.

From the ranks of the 1970-1989 heroes, you’ll be deciding between Brendon Batson, Alan Biley, Steve Fallon, Tom Finney, Andy Sinton and Dave Stringer. Those shortlisted in the 1990-2005 category are Steve Claridge, Liam Daish, Andy Duncan, Alan Kimble, John Taylor and John Vaughan.

Hang about, I hear you cry. Explain yourselves, Coconuts committee! How come my favourite U’s player of all time, Reg Barnwell, isn’t shortlisted? Why does Terry Eades figure in the pre-1970 category when his most impressive displays came in United’s first Football League era, after 1970? What does Dave Kitson have to do to get in the frame? I’m only 18; how am I supposed to know who the dickens Harvey Cornwell and Johnny Haasz are?

They’re all valid questions. To answer most of them, remind yourself that you’re voting in just one iteration of the Cambridge United Hall of Fame induction process, and there will be more. Perhaps your idol, be it the aforementioned and entirely fictitious Reg Barnwell, Dave Kitson or Devon White, will appear on a future shortlist. Perhaps he’s already been inducted. Perhaps the committee felt Terry Eades’s pre-League contribution alone made him worthy of nomination.

Harvey Cornwell, pictured playing for Thursday Wanderers: retired at the age of 59.

As for the question of how younger fans can hope to choose from a bunch of players they’ve never heard of, the answer is simple: consult your copies of Newmarket Road Roughs and Risen from the Dust.

The first two volumes of Celery & Coconuts, Andrew Bennett’s history of Abbey/Cambridge United, describe these players’ finest moments, and provide all the facts and figures you could want. I shouldn’t need to remind you that, if you’re one of the few U’s fans who haven’t already bought these essential books, you can rectify the error by visiting the CFU online store (cambridgefansunited.org/store/c4/Books.html) or the caravan on a match day.

I promise I’m not trying to influence your vote by using a photo of Harvey Cornwell on this page; I just thought you’d like to see it. It shows him playing his last game for Thursday Wanderers, on Jesus Green on 16 April 1955. The Wanderers’ opponents, City Police, showed scant respect for the 59-year-old Grand Old Man of Cambridge football by winning 13-1.

Cheerio
Harry

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Billy Day 1936-2018

John McGlashan 1967-2017

Flex that finger!

A foot in both camps

The fame game

Happy Harry's blog

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