A return to the days of Players and Gentlemen

Instead we were attending a three day FA seminar in Northamptonshire, or somewhere similarly southerly, to discuss re-structuring of what is now called The National Game.

The National Game replaces the admittedly unsatisfactory "non-league football" as a generic term for soccer below the Football League, swapping semantic rock for definitive hard place.

Both FA people and league officials attended. FA Council members had fruit, chocolates and bath robes in their rooms, were allowed to claim 40p a mile travelling expenses and were addressed on their name badges as "Mr."

We humbler creatures went without such little bedroom extras, were allowed just 25p a mile and missed out on Mr. It was reminiscent of the days of Gentlemen and Players when amateur and professional cricketers might not even descend the same steps from the pavilion.

Among the FA staff was Les Howie, who 12 years ago had been a Northern League linesman. His most memorable game, he said, was when Langley Park played Willington and referee Colin Revell sent off both goalkeepers for abusing their own defences.

It was in the Guinness Book for a while. "I was quite sorry when they took it out," said Les.

It would be good to report on the restructuring proposals so far as the Albany Northern League is concerned, but little concrete emerged. It all seemed a bit like the old definition of rhubarb growing, which can't be repeated here.

One of the likely outcomes, however, is that the word "level" - the Conference is Level One, the Northern League at level three - will be substituted, possibly by the word "tier."

Quite likely it's what it will all end in.

Lovely where we were, St Swithin's day proved so wet up north that the National Village Cup regional final between Sessay - Thirsk way - and Wolviston was again rained off. They try for a third time at Sessay on Friday evening, winners home two days later to Kirkley from Northumberland.

A couple of beers before migrating south with Robert Ellis and Paul Hodgson, twin towers of strength of Spennymoor Boxing Academy. (More of Hodgy, buffet king for the day, in today's Eating Owt column.)

The news, at any rate, is that after tours of New Zealand, Denmark and twice to Canada, the club is off to Chicago in November - an adventure which owes much to a sort of pugilistic chat room.

Chicago, Hodgy points out, was hitherto famous for Al Capone and for the St Valentine's Day Massacre. "After November," he adds, "it'll be most famous for us."

Was it the case, as last Tuesday's column wondered, that Burnley once played at St James' Park with a team entirely comprising North-East born players? Jimmy Robson, West Pelton lad, rather doubts it.

Jimmy, 62, began his football watching at Twizell United - "I used to cry if I missed a game" - was among many North-Eastern hopefuls lured across the Pennines by the late Charlie Ferguson and scored 79 goals in 202 Football League games between 1956-64 before moving, all the Bs, to Blackpool, Barnsley and Bury.

Quite possibly, however, a Burnley Reserves team which played at Newcastle in the 60s may have fulfilled the ultimate residential qualification.

Arthur Bellamy, Consett lad turned Burnley midfielder, might know - says Jimmy - but certainly there were occasions on which, rather than send his discoveries over in ones and twos, Ferguson would hire a mini-bus.

"Allan Brown hoped to produce a team of Geordies with maybe a few Scots thrown in," Charlie told the column in May 1987, the day of Burnley's last game reprieve from re-election from the fourth division.

Jimmy played alongside John Angus, later a prison officer at Acklington, future Sunderland manager Jimmy Adamson, England man Ray Pointer (formerly of Dudley Welfare) and ex-Stanley United wing half Tommy Cummins.

Now director of Burnley's school of excellence, he's quietly amazed at how things have changed. "When we won the old first division I don't think we even had a drink after the match, unless maybe it was tea. We just got changed and went home.

"The other thing was loyalty. Almost everyone would stay five or ten years, now it hardly seems five or ten minutes."

Arthur Bellamy, still the Turf Moor groundsman, has several times returned our call. Several times we weren't here. There may be more from the grass roots next time.

Concerned for spectator safety, assistant referee Paul Nicholson from Burnhope politely asked a little lad watching last week's England-Wales "Boys Club" international at Durham City to get back on the other side of the fence.

No less politely, the youngster rejoined his mother - and then pointed out that he was the ball boy.

Ground hopping further afield than is his enthusiastic custom, Alan Price went in search of Happy Valley FC in Hong Kong. Cheerlessly debarred despite wearing his Magpies shirt, he snuck in, nonetheless.

"I spotted an open turnstile," he admits.

Inside, he discovered Hong Kong's new league champions having a photo-call in the company of rather a lot of trophies. "How ye," said the goalkeeper - or words to that Sino-Geordie effect - "what part of Newcastle are ye from, like?"

Alan's from Wardley, Gateshead. The goalie, it transpired, remained a Whitley Bay lad, though for ten years a football seasonal visitor to Hong Kong.

Though he talked of his experiences with the likes of Spurs and Newcastle, Alan still couldn't place him, didn't like to ask, essayed a look at the name on the back of his shirt. Unhelpfully, it was in Chinese.

Finally, however, he was revealed as Peter Guthrie, hailed by the media as the next Pat Jennings when transferred from Weymouth to Tottenham in 1988 for £100,000, a "non-league" record.

His family is still by the North Sea side, unable to settle in Hong Kong. "I don't blame them, I don't know how he plays in such heat and humidity," says Alan. "He was covered in perspiration just for the photo-call."

Peter will be 40 in October, plans to play on for another two years and then to come home for keepers. If anyone asks whatever happened to him, you read it here first.

Coundon's near Bishop Auckland; Leeholme's near Coundon. "I have noticed that you like to write about all kinds of sport," begins a letter from Ron Raine - who lives in the former but leans towards the latter.

What, asks Ron, is the connection between Lord Thomson of the R101 airship disaster and the lieutenant general in charge of the notorious Chiang prison in Burma?

Ron appears not to be on the phone, is around in the mornings but at the bookies' after dinner. Since we've not been able to get out there, his club only adds to the consternation.

The clue, says Ron, is Leeholme....

THE lowest score that cannot be made with a single dart (Backtrack, July 13) is 23.

Brian Shaw from Shildon today seeks the identity of the very well known sportsman who in 1982 was - alone - made to undergo a medical examination before being allowed to enter the world championship, and who proceeded to win it.

Your health, at any rate, until Friday

Published: Tuesday, July 17, 2001