McCreesh doing the rounds

"Aye," says a teammate, "but only round and round in bloody circles."

Almost a quarter of a century ago, young McCreesh probably believed that he could run for ever.

It was Tuesday, September 1 1981, the 18-year-old full back's First Division debut for Middlesbrough - against Liverpool, European champions, in front of 51,000 at Anfield.

Now he's watched by a couple of dozen at Easington, plays for a pub side on Sundays, has lost a yard or three of pace but none of his enthusiasm.

"I still wake up on Saturday mornings and I'm like a kid, I can't wait for the match," says Andy.

"My head knows what to do but my legs won't really stretch to it. I just love football, end of story."

David Shearer had given Boro an early lead, Jim Platt saved Terry McDermott's penalty - awarded for a foul on Kenny Dalglish - before Phil Neal converted a second penalty, again after an alleged foul on Dalglish.

The transgressor, it was said, was young McCreesh.

Then as now, he denies it vehemently. "I just couldn't believe it when the referee came over pointing to the spot. I'd just put the ball out for a corner."

The following morning's Echo laid no blame.

"McCreesh can look back with satisfaction at his debut on a famous ground," wrote Ray Robertson.

He also played at Brighton four days later, the 2-0 defeat anchoring Middlesbrough to the foot of the table. Boro manager Bobby Murdoch blamed lack of communication between his players.

"Some of them wouldn't even scream for help if they were drowning," he said.

Before the season finished, the impoverished club released 15 professionals, McCreesh among them.

He never again pulled on a first team shirt, his Football League career over before his 19th birthday.

"I was a Billingham lad and Middlesbrough were always my club, bigger than Real Madrid, bigger than Barcelona. Playing for them was an absolute dream come true.

"It was absolutely devastating to be binned and it took me two years to get over it. I was too embarrassed to go over the doorstep, just stayed at home crying.

"Bobby Murdoch was a great feller and it was probably no less heart-wrenching for him, but if it hadn't been for my dad's support and encouragement, I don't think I'd have played football again."

He eventually played in Australia and in Africa and is now Easington Colliery's assistant manager in the Albany Northern League second division - with Graeme Hedley, in the Boro midfield that Anfield night, as team boss.

Also with Sheffield Wednesday, York and Darlington, Hedley now helps his wife run the village shop and post office at Wolviston, near Billingham. McCreesh has a florists and fruit and veg shop in Billingham.

"He came into our shop one day while I was out, got talking to my wife and asked what the old man was up to," recalls Graeme.

"He said that I was good at writing letters and talking, so that if we got an interview at Easington we'd get the job. That's exactly how it worked out and I love it.

" The committee are the salt of the earth."

Both vividly recall the 1-1 draw with Liverpool. "Andy was a good, solid, hard-working footballer and a good lad to boot," says Graeme.

"It's such a shame that he wasn't given another chance. I just hope he got to Kenny Dalglish quicker than he did some of the lads from South Shields."

A week before the season began, Easington had just four players.

"The rest had walked away for some reason but the committee have been really patient and stuck by us," says Andy.

The respect is mutual. In the swing-a-cat clubhouse on the Welfare ground, chairman Allan Barkas - a shopkeeper in St Helen's Auckland - is standing the drinks for his delighted players.

"You saw Andy tonight," he says. "He'd have tortured Liverpool like that."

The especially attentive will have realised that Andy McCreesh has the same surname as one of the column's scarlet pimpernels.

Brendan McCreesh was the 16-year-old from Newton Aycliffe who, striding to bat through the mists of the future, featured at the start of Durham County Cricket Club's promotional video for first- class status.

Whatever happened to the young 'un? We never did find out.

First week of September 1981? Bottom of the second division Newcastle United were contemplating a £50,000 bid for Sunderland's John Hawley, Boro goalkeeper Jim Platt was searching for George Best to play in his testimonial match - not for the first time, Georgie couldn't be found - Ian Botham won the man of the series award against the Australians, Guisborough won the NYSD League and 38-year-old Billy Pratt from Crossgate Moor, Durham, won the world shove ha'penny championship at the city's workmen's club.

Liverpool went on to regain the first division title they'd surrendered the previous season to Aston Villa. Middlesbrough, without Andy McCreesh, finished bottom.

When cricket was a game of courtesy

Ever the gentleman, Peter Charlton, long of Philadelphia's rapidly maturing third team, discovers in his attic a slim volume called Cricket Courtesy.

Written in 1954 by Lt Col Arthur Temple Burlton - five matches for Worcestershire, batting average 12.66 - it was Peter's prize when at Tunstall School, Sunderland, in 1962. Turlton offers 80 pages of avuncular advice, an exchange of pleasantries for young cricketers.

The book also unearths the interesting statistic that in the 163 Ashes Tests to the end of 1953, England had won the toss 82 times and Australia 81 and in the 752 games between Test-playing countries, the caller had guessed correctly exactly 50 per cent of the time.

The Beardless Wonder is unable to provide up-to-date information but guesses that Durham have lost the toss around two times in three during their first- class sojourn.

In the belief that manners maketh man, ten 50-year-old commandments from Col Burlton:

* Playing for a cup can turn the game into a grim business, liable to make more enemies than friends. If you can influence your committee to ban cup cricket, you might be well advised to do so.

* Catering ladies must not be allowed to carry heavy weights.

* It will not ruin your afternoon or your trousers to offer your desk chair to a stranger.

* Nothing can give such instant pleasure as the welcome given to the visiting side by the home captain....who goes with them to their dressing room and sees that they are as comfortable as he can make them.

* Hasten to the roller between innings; you will not be left to pull it alone.

* Another of cricket's delightful habits is the applause by the fielding side for a six.

* Avoid gesticulating with your arms or by some other method giving vent to your feelings when a ball just shaves the stumps.

* Facetiousness annoys many more than it pleases. What is considered to be funny by a handful of perhaps not very intelligent spectators may not really be awfully amusing.

* It should never be necessary for the young enthusiast to stop a ball with his foot.

* It should never be necessary to take the weight off your legs by sitting down.

Changing times? "You'd better believe it," says Peter.

RA men land cup after 30 years

Sixteen years ago, says Jim Shields, the column in its infancy wrote about his rather antique table tennis team, average age 54 and a half. They'd won the league and begged not to be promoted.

Now, average age getting on 64, his Darlington RA "C" team has won the Weeks Cup after 30 years trying - against a team whose aggregate age was less than their own youngest member.

Jim, 50 consecutive years in league table tennis, is now joined by 69-year-old Ron Brook )"still one of the best players in the second division"), John Mackeith, also 69, and Derek Bowman, who's 51,

"A mere bairn," says Jim.

The top of the table boys, left to right, are Derek Bowman, Ron Brook, Jim Shields and John Mackeith.

Following last week's "semi-professional" international at the Reynolds Arena, the Non League Paper devoted an editorial to the England team's impeccable behaviour - "a credit to their clubs and country, unlike a certain first division club which was in Darlington the same night." Whatever can it all mean?

More funny business, the Albany Northern League magazine tells of an unnamed club which informed the media that a player had hit a hat trick - to protect the identity of the third goal scorer who that morning had rung in sick to his workplace in order get to the game.

Steve Chaytor's book on Crook Town's extraordinary tour of India in 1976 - six games, half a million spectators - will be launched in Crook's clubhouse on the evening of November 27.

It's called "Can We Get Bobby Charlton?" - they didn't, long story, but a jet-lagged Terry Payne played in one of the matches.

Steve's hoping to reunite most of the squad at the do, but still needs to track Peter Weatherill, Colin Sinclair, Bobby Agar, Steve Bell and David Pearson. He's on 07789 481296.

And finally...

The first Frenchman to play in the old first division (Backtrack, November 11) was Didier Six, for Aston Villa in 1984.

Today, back to Andy McCreesh's debut at Anfield in September 1981, watched by the then managers of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Readers are invited to name them. We're back in the dug-out on Tuesday.

Published: 14/11/2003