You Couldn't Make It Up

Queuing up to get into the ground on the day Howard Kendall passed away, I was telling my son about the tweet I had made a couple of days earlier showing the Everton team photo of the first team  as shown above that I remembered supporting regularly at Goodison. The conversation went something like this :-

They were all there, Dave Hickson, Bobby Collins, Dunlop, T.E.Jones, Brian Harris, Jimmy Harris..

The man in front of me turned around and said " That's me! "

It was Jimmy Harris.

I replied " It is! " " He was a good player " I said to my son.

" A sad today today ", I said to Jimmy. " The manager was Johnny Carey in your day, wasn't it? "

" Yes ", replied Jimmy, " but he didn't like the local lads, "

" You came from across the water, didn't you? " I asked .

" Yes ", said Jimmy, " But I had to serve National Service and didn't sign until I was 21. No training, I went straight into the team. I was paid only pittance in those days."

I replied, " I only paid 6d ( 2 1/2 pence ) to watch you in those days from the Boys Pen."

We separated and went into the ground, Upper Bullens, but I then saw him on the steps up to my seat and thanked him for talking to me, and he responded likewise.

That was a happy moment on an otherwise sad day.