I remember playing a few informal/friendly games (coats/jumpers for goal posts) against some of the Burnley FC apprentices in Towneley park circa 1970. Their best player was someone called Brian Flynn

I once beat Anthony Shandran in the final of cuppies, he was mates with a lad down the street!

Andy Payton once beat me to a header for a goal up on Marl Pitts, truth be told I didn't even try to jump for it, think we managed to draw the game though

Played against Andy Wharton many times,funny enough his brother Pete was a better footballer he used to have his glasses fixed to his head with elastic bands,sadly no longer with us RIP Pete.

Not exactly a football match but in the days when you could just wander into Gawthorpe and watch the players train, Chris Pearce asked me (a 12 year old) to take some penalties against him after the training session had finished. I honestly can't remember if I scored any but I vividly remember the footballs being rock hard and wondering how the hell anyone could be brave enough to head it.

Steve1956 wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 09, 2022 12:16 pm

Played against Andy Wharton many times,funny enough his brother Pete was a better footballer he used to have his glasses fixed to his head with elastic bands,sadly no longer with us RIP Pete.

Yep.. Lived next door to these two heroes for years.. I played against Andy a couple of times and realised why he did it for money and I didn't. Peter was nippy and skilful but too slightly built to make it into pro football.

Andy was a real local lad in every sense of the word.

Shame he wasn’t a couple of inches taller but wore his heart on his sleeve even if he was playing on the rec… which he did on some of his “days off”. Can’t see players these days being allowed to play casual games like he used to.

I once nutmegged Andy Wharton in a Sunday morning game, whilst he was in the Burnley first team. He said “well played”. Buzzing for 24hrs.
I’ve played 5aside with Paul Fletcher at Hassy sports centre.
Played tennis against Doug Collins at Loveclough Park. Got truly thumped.
Also got hammered playing table tennis against Andy Wharton in the Rossy league.

Playing midweek cricket on Ringstone Crescent in Nelson and i had just taken a wicket. In walks the next batsman, none other than Burnley FC player Paul McKenzie. First delivery and i removed his middle stump and left myself on a hat trick for the one and only time in my brief amateur career (mainly as i played the majority of my games behind the stumps). Needless to say the hat trick never came and almost 30 years on I guess time is against me for completing one!

I did play a charity 5 a side tournament on a Friday evening down Gawthorpe through BFC in the community and I ended up on the same side as Derek Scott. What struck me was how much time he had on the ball and how easy he made the game look. I was quite chuffed when I pulled off what i thought was a more than decent save, and as i got back to my feet got a slap on the back and "great save lad" in a Geordie accent.

Always seemed to bump into Aidy Randall on the old pitches up townley where Unity is now. He would always join in with me and my mates for a kick about.

Also remember as a kid when Mark Monnington lodging in a house up Burnley Wood ( how times change). Me and my mates were always knocking on the door for him, didn't get a game of football but we managed to get him playing Kerby with us

I once played billiards against Vitinho in a bar in Rotterdam. We had to abandon the game though cos the bar got raided by the Dutch police and I never saw him after that.

I played Mouse Trap with Colin Carr-Lawton.

Played against Andy Payton a few times, including beating his team at school in the quarter final of the keighley cup.

Played against a number of ex players down the years including a whole team of them recently in a game against Burnley Vets (Roger Eli, Paul Smith, Junior Bent, Payts, Ashley Hoskins, Jamie Hoyland and a few more).

Not an ex claret but probably the best ex pro I’ve played against was Steve Heighway, the ex Liverpool winger.
It was a cup game and i was probably about 20. Steve Heighway was about 40. I thought I was decent and I was playing at a good level. Heighway was ridiculous. It was honestly like watching Zico he was that far ahead of everyone on the pitch. It was more than 30 years ago but I remember it vividly. He was also a really good bloke who clearly just loved playing football and was very good at it !!

i am obviously a lot older than previous posters as i remember Ralph Coates and Johnny Price joining in our kickabouts next to St Stephens school and what became the short second hole on Towneley golf course.

Raconteur wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 09, 2022 1:09 pm

Always seemed to bump into Aidy Randall on the old pitches up townley where Unity is now. He would always join in with me and my mates for a kick about.

I always seemed to bump into Ady as well.....usually in the Circ on the Friday night before a Saturday game.

Played opposite Billy Ingham a few times when he played for 110 Club.

Played against Willie Irvine in Burnley Sunday League in the 70s or 80s. He was playing for Bay Horse, the pub in Worsthorne, where he lived (and still does). Also played against Jimmy Robson in one of our Tuesday evening 5 a side sessions at the Thompson Centre. He played deep, you couldn’t get the ball off him, never wasted a pass, and it was like colliding with a stone column if you managed to get near him. He’d be in his 50s then.
Also played with or against (can’t remember which!!!!) Tony Parked in the five a side before Norman Bell’s testimonial at Ewood. He was sheer class (May 1984)

Billy O’Rourke opened the bowling for us in the Rossy workshops league. He was going out with one of our guys daughters at the time. He was a good quick.

jedi_master wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 09, 2022 1:20 pm

I played Mouse Trap with Colin Carr-Lawton.

Genuinely logged in just to like this.

I played a few games of Don (4 player card game) against Stan Ternent last week and got beat. If you don’t get the cards, you’ve no chance.

played for nelson for three seasons...padiham away,and who was centre forward for them ANDY LOCHEAD,big rough puts himself about,but no pace,
he got in a push and shove,[handbags] with our centre half,and before it got nasty yours truely pulled andy away before a booking looked likely.
Best player i ever faced,BRIAN DOUGLAS EX ROVERS AND ENGLAND,in a charity match[sorry clarets],he was fantastic and his protection off the ball
was superb you could not get near him,and he was 40 then. HAPPY DAYS. HERES TO A GREAT WIN ON SUNDAY, 4-0 WOULD BE GREAT

Tricky Trevor wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 09, 2022 2:33 pm

Billy O’Rourke opened the bowling for us in the Rossy workshops league. He was going out with one of our guys daughters at the time. He was a good quick.

who did he play for I used to play for BT in the workshops

Played quite a few times against the ginger pele when he played for the ksc club

Big Vinny K wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 09, 2022 1:21 pm

Played against Andy Payton a few times, including beating his team at school in the quarter final of the keighley cup.

Played against a number of ex players down the years including a whole team of them recently in a game against Burnley Vets (Roger Eli, Paul Smith, Junior Bent, Payts, Ashley Hoskins, Jamie Hoyland and a few more).

Not an ex claret but probably the best ex pro I’ve played against was Steve Heighway, the ex Liverpool winger.
It was a cup game and i was probably about 20. Steve Heighway was about 40. I thought I was decent and I was playing at a good level. Heighway was ridiculous. It was honestly like watching Zico he was that far ahead of everyone on the pitch. It was more than 30 years ago but I remember it vividly. He was also a really good bloke who clearly just loved playing football and was very good at it !!

You weren't as good as you thought you were then. The best player I came up against was Lev Yashin. He was only a teenager at the time. Some of the saves he made were just outrageous

In the early mid sixties me and my elder brother Francis often played matches on the back field in Rishton and Martin Dobson and his brother played. I was the youngest and would often get stuck in the nets. Dobo did as well because he was too good.!!
We’d be winning g 16.10 or something like that then Martin would come out of goal and 5 mins later they’d won 20.16!!

holdyourfire wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 09, 2022 6:56 pm

who did he play for I used to play for BT in the workshops

Fire Stn

I am the only person in living history to save a one on one after John Deary was put through on goal.

We used to arrange informal games against different lads from different areas of Clitheroe in the early 80's when we were kids..Bob Saxtons lad was a year or two above at school and brought a team over one Sunday, his dad (he was Bburns manager at the time) came over and had oranges for both teams at half time....I'd played well but looked young for my age....he asked me how old I was but soon lost interest when I said I was 12/13....he was a good bloke tho.

Played against Kevin Hird when at school, mainly school yard and school pitch. Best schoolboy footballer I have seen by a county mile.

I guess I must have played against Kevin Ball, but can't remember any specific incident. He sort of dropped out of normal school sports, I think that being something to do with his training with Coventry City.

I nutmegged John Deary and didn't end up in row z later.

Played in the Football Aid game at Turf Moor a few seasons back, great experience and great memories. Gerry Harrison was on our team and we were up against Big Vince. Andy Lochhead managed our team (away shirts) and Willie Irvine managed the home shirts.

and a couple of years later played against Kevin Ball at Sunderland. Had a really good chat with him after the game about his time at Burnley.

Played against Kevin Kennerley in my school footballing days. He was CF for Ellesmere Port and I was left back for Helsby. Very talented footballer but a rough one at that. We beat them that day but I think he scored. I do remember getting a smack in the mouth from a flailing arm from him that split my lip wide open. He signed for Arsenal not long after that but a certain John Radford and Ray Kennedy were in his way for the first team striker slots. I seem to recall he played for us in a League cup match against Liverpool which we won 1-0. I think he finished up as Captain for Port Vale.

fatboy47 wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 09, 2022 12:42 pm

Yep.. Lived next door to these two heroes for years.. I played against Andy a couple of times and realised why he did it for money and I didn't. Peter was nippy and skilful but too slightly built to make it into pro football.

Can you remember Pete being on the TV in a holiday show with Linda comedy gold and he more or less wore his Burnley shirt throughout it...lovely lad was Pete.