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Can you help find Tommy Horsfall or Dave Chambers?

6/5/2020

Cambridge United 1968/69. Back from left: Robin Hardy, Peter Robinson, John Gregson, Jackie Scurr, Alan Payne, Gerry Baker; middle: Bill Leivers (manager), Tony Nicholas, Keith Barker, Dennis Walker, Rodney Slack, Mick Brown, Dai Ward; front: Rowland Horrey, Alan Lord, Keith Lindsey, Brian Grant, David Chambers, Richard Habbin, John Saunders. Photo: Cambridge Evening News.

100yearsofcoconuts are looking for your help.

We are have been asked if we know the current whereabouts of two former U's players Tommy Horsfall and David Chambers.

We believe Tommy who played the club during the mid seventies may possibly be living in Kent.

We have no information about Dave Chambers. He was born on 6 June 1947 in Barnsley. He also played for Rotherham, Southend and York during his career. His full name is David Martin-Chambers

If you can help please contact the team via email @ [email protected]

If you also know of any former players who would like to join the Former Players Association, then please do get in contact with us

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The boys of 1969/1970 - What happened to the players? Part 2

6/5/2020

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It is now fifty years since Cambridge United won the Southern League for the second time in succession and then were elected to the Football League this was achieved with a squad of primarily sixteen professionals most of whom stayed on for the first season in the Football League.

If we look at the team photograph above, what happened to the players after they left the club?

Below is Part 2 of a series to provide some information of what happened as the players moved on.

Today we look at Jimmy Thompson, Mel Slack, Peter Leggett, Keith Barker

James ‘Jimmy’ Thompson began his Cambridge United career when he was signed on loan by Bill Leivers following a period of time spent playing for South African club Port Elizabeth City on the Algoa Bay in Eastern Cape Province. Previous to moving to South Africa Jimmy had played for Grimsby.

He made his United debut at right back in a goalless draw against Chelmsford replacing full back Keith Lindsey who had moved to Southend.

Jimmy became an almost ever present in Bill Leivers side during the remainder of the 1968/69 and 1969/70 Southern League championship winning sides.

He was always a regular choice in any Bill Leivers side and along with Terry Eades would be the only remaining players from the final Southern Leagues league match that played against Margate to then play against Mansfield when Cambridge United club won promotion to the Third Division. Sadly, he would never play another competitive League match for the club.

During pre-season James had a cartilage operation that sadly did not go as well as hoped and he was advised to retire.

The club paid off his contract and his insurance company paid a small amount arguing that the knee had already deteriorated. Bill Leivers was furious at the decision made by the company. Cambridge United made him a field manager for the clubs spot ball competition.

On the 2nd May 1975 a testimonial was organised for him against Norwich. An excellent crowd of 7257 watched an All Stars side play against Norwich City.

All Stars -- Walker P Worthington D Worthington B Smith Mancini Waldron Collins, Shinton Hutchinson Carr Armstrong Watson G, Tully

Goalscorers -- Watson G 70, Hutchinson 80

Norwich - Keelan, Stringer, Sullivan, Morris, Forbes, Powell, McGuir,e MacDougall, Boyer, Suggett, Peters, Steele,

In 2019 Jimmy attended the match between Grimsby and Cambridge United at Blundell Park. Sadly for Jimmy he is now sadly suffering from Dementia. It was reported he could still remember some details of his time at the Abbey Stadium

Jimmy Thompson was a player who was always reliable and was one of those players whose name is included first on the team sheet. Sadly his career was cut short before its time.

Mel Slack was a born in Bishops Auckland and started his league career at Sunderland. He arrived in Cambridge during January 1969 after Southend paid £5,000 plus Mel in return for full back Keith Lindsey.

He made his debut for the club on January 15 in the game against Chelmsford. It was in the same match as Jimmy Thompson had made his debut.

Mel helped the club to win the Southern League in both 1968/69 and 1969/70 seasons. In total for Sunderland, Southend and Cambrisge United he played 148 Football League matches scoring just 6 times. He was a hard tackling midfield player who was able to man mark players out the game.

Mel was a member of the Cambridge United side that played against Lincoln in the clubs first match in the Football League. Although playing in many of matches during the clubs first season in the league, Bill Leivers released him at the end of the season.

After leaving the U's he joined Cambridge City where he played in the same side as Cliff Jones the former Tottenham and Wales player. Mel was a regular for City in both of his two seasons there.

After leaving Cambridge City, Mel played in the Cambs League and was well known as the landlord of The Rose & Crown in Teversham.

Mel died 6th August 2016 aged 72 years

Peter Leggett -joined the U's in March 1969, following the recruitment of ex-Chelmsford teammates Terry Butcher, Bill Cassidy and Terry Eades to the United cause

He made his debut against Hillingdon Borough but didn't become a regular in the side.

Peter was a player that supporters loved and mangers sometimes found frustrating. He was a winger of immense skill, excitement and was a joy to watch on his day. He was even called the George Best of the Southern League. Bill Leivers never sensed that the player could not understand just how much ability and potential he had.

Peter scored in United's first League win against Oldham on the 29th August 1970.

His last match was away against Workington in a 3-1 loss in February 1971.

Released at the end of the 1970/71 season. He had talks with Cambridge City but these broke down when he suffered a recurrence of a groin injury, and his professional career was over.

Peter later worked as a manager for the Britvic soft drinks company in Chelmsford.

Peter died on November 2nd, at the age of 72

A cabinet full of cups

6/4/2020

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This article appeared in the Cambridge Independent's edition of 6-12 December 2017 and on the 100cocnuts page 25th January 2018

You can imagine the engraver, burin in hand, squinting at the scrap of paper in front of him and trying to decipher the handwritten scrawl.

‘That must be C Alsop and he’s first, so he must be the goalkeeper,’ he mutters to himself. ‘That one looks like F Tuff … funny name; and that one must be … no, it can’t be … yes, it’s R Twirmore. Must be a foreign chap.’

Our craftsman was doing his best to inscribe the names of the Abbey United team that had just won the Cambridgeshire Challenge Cup for 1924/25. To be fair to him, he got most of the names right, although not necessarily in the right order.

But the C Alsop he inscribed should have read G Alsop, and he was a centre half, not a goalie. ‘F Tuff’ was actually wing half Frank Luff, and as for R Twirmore … how he arrived at that interpretation of Joe Livermore’s name is anybody’s guess.

To put the record straight, the Abbey team that beat Girton United 6-1 at Cambridge Town’s Milton Road ground lined up: R ‘Percy’ Wilson; Joe Livermore, Bill Walker; Jim Self, George Alsop, Bill ‘Pim’ Stearn; Fred Stevens, Frank Luff, Harvey Cornwell, Tom Langford, William ‘Fanny’ Freeman.

United club historian Andrew Bennett, in Newmarket Road Roughs, the first volume of his Celery & Coconuts history of Abbey/ Cambridge United, tells how Walker converted an early Abbey penalty.

Girton equalised on the half-hour but Cornwell put his side in front again before half-time. Bennett continues: ‘Inspired by a penalty save by goalkeeper R “Percy” Wilson early in the second half, Cornwell went on to complete his hat-trick, which included a superb score after sprinting half the length of the pitch.

‘Further goals from Langford and Freeman sealed a resounding 6-1 win and a third trophy for skipper Alsop to hold aloft in the space of eight days.’

A third trophy? It was indeed, and Abbey would add another before the season was out.

The Wasps set out on the trophy trail by playing the first of three cup finals in eight days on April 11.

In the Chatteris Engineering Works Cup, Cottenham United had no reply to three early second-half goals and Abbey won 5-0, with Cornwell claiming four.

Two days later, in the Cottenham Nursing Cup final, Watson put Girton ahead early on, but then Stevens crossed for Wilson to score and Alsop struck a majestic 30-yard winner on the half-hour.

Two weeks after the Cambs Challenge Cup win, it was on to the Creake Charity Shield final, against United Cantabs at Milton Road.

A goalless draw was followed by a 1-1 stalemate in the replay, with Alsop notching the Abbey goal. The clubs, understandably not wanting to play a second replay in September, agreed to share the trophy for a year.

United’s remarkable cup performances had established them as a force in Cambridgeshire football.

Above, the slightly battered Cambridgeshire Challenge Cup. Below, the 1925/25 inscription.

In celebratory mood, players and officials, along with guests from the town council and Cambs FA, made their way to the Livingstone Hotel in Petty Cury. During the evening, the three cups Abbey had won outright were filled and passed round, and doubtless many a toast was proposed.

It must have been a jolly evening. Exactly how jolly, and what the trophies were filled with, we may never know. The Livingstone was a temperance hotel.

George Alsop, one of Abbey United's star players in the 1920s.

The name of George Alsop, the man who picked up the four 1924/25 cups on behalf of Abbey United, was seldom absent from match reports of the time.

The Barnwell-born lad had made an impression in 1921/22, and had spent the following two years at Chelsea.

He never made it out of the Pensioners’ reserves, and returned to his local club for its record-breaking season.

A centre half who could switch to centre forward to great effect, Alsop was a mainstay of the United side until the early 1930s. By the time his Wasps career finished, he had scored 62 goals in 160 appearances.

Two of those goals came in his first reappearance in amber and black, a 2-0 away win over St Ives on 13 September 1924.

After a 6-2 home win over Cottenham two weeks later, the local press hailed him as Abbey’s best player, adding: ‘He was originally a forward, and it was in that capacity that he was signed by Chelsea about two years ago.

‘He was then a good shot, but he has not only benefited by his sojourn with the professionals in that direction, but in all-round football ability.’

Alsop’s career was punctuated by periods when he concentrated on Thursday league football, and there were times when he seemed to be on the verge of signing for Cambridge Town.

But he occupies a prominent place in the list of the most influential players United have ever had.

Purchase a copy of the Newmarket Roughs Book Here

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The boys of 1969/1970 - What happened to the players? Part 1

6/1/2020

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It is now fifty years since Cambridge United won the Southern League for the second time in succession and then were elected to the Football League this was achieved with a squad of primarily sixteen professionals most of whom stayed on for the first season in the Football League.

If we look at the team photograph above, what happened to the players after they left the club?

Below is Part 1 of a series to provide some information of what happened as the players moved on.

Today we look at Rodney Slack, Robin Hardy, Bill Cassidy, John McKinven

Rodney Slack - When the season finished Rodney was released by the club he had joined in 1962; having previously been at Leicester where he was Gordon Banks understudy, and QPR . A popular player with supporters the decision to release him was met with shock and anger, with many fans writing to the local press to state their views. Rodney had played over 350 matches for the club. His final match at the Abbey Stadium was against the FA Cup holders Chelsea in front of a 14,000 crowd in May 1970.

His final Cambridge United match came during a tournament in Germany where the players found out that the club would playing next in the Football League

Many thought it was shame that a player who gave so much to Cambridge United in the Southern League years was not present at its first match against Lincoln,

Rodney went on to be involved in local football playing for Soham and served also the local community as a fireman.

He is often seen at the club nowadays and was a member of the 100yearsofcoconuts group until recently. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016, one of first former players to be inducted.

You can watch Rodney tell his story in a four part interview captured by 100yearsofcoconuts .

Robin Hardy - Robin was captain of the 1968/1969 side that had won the Southern League and continued to lead the side during 1969/1970 season, playing as a sweeper, centre back or in midfield as Leivers varied his teams tactics from game to game.

Unfortunately, injuries would restrict his starts during the 1969/70 season,. His is influence and knowledge of the game was still important to the side.

Robin was retained by the club for their first season in the Football League and played alongside Terry Eades in the first match against Lincoln. He had been replaced by Colin Meldrum as the captain of the side and through the season started just 15 league matches.

Although starting the season in the team by the end of the 1970/71 season he was one of the players not retained by the club as it looked to improve its competitiveness in the league. He had been in and out of the side all season. Never able to hold down a place for any length of time.

Before joining Cambridge United he was a professional footballer with Sheffield Wednesday from 1958 to 1965, Rotherham United from 1965 to 1966. However, he gave up football to become a landlord. He was lured back into football when Bill Leivers came calling.

Robin sadly died on the 16th January 2017

Can you help find Tommy Horsfall or Dave Chambers?

The boys of 1969/1970 - What happened to the players? Part 2

A cabinet full of cups

The boys of 1969/1970 - What happened to the players? Part 1

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