Martin Dobson

McKinstry has just started the project, but from interviews already undertaken, he has quickly established the fact that Ramsey was a truly respected figure throughout football.

I came across Sir Alf only briefly. I was selected for the England U23s to play Bulgaria at Plymouth in a game we won 4-1, but it was a bit unsettling for me when I first met the great man because he shook me by the hand and said "Alright Colin, how are you?" I didn't have the bottle to tell him who I really was!

Although I was eligible to play the following year, a broken leg at Middlesbrough in a pre-season friendly scuppered my chances of adding to that one cap.

I next came across him when I was included in the Football League side in their fixture against the Scottish League in 1973 at Manchester City's Maine Road ground. On a miserable wet night, we ran out easy winners, scoring five in the process, and the majority of that team were called into the full England squad for the friendly against Portugal.

Alf was changing the personnel at the time after England failed to qualify for the World Cup in Germany in 1974.

After 30 years, the mind sometimes plays tricks but what I do remember is that Ramsey possessed many qualities, similar to my own manager at the time, Harry Potts.

Both had absolute respect from their players, they made the game simple and enjoyable and were extremely knowledgeable. Quietly spoken, they knew exactly what they wanted from each individual and had the clever knack of producing entertaining and successful sides. And both insisted the game should be played the 'right way'.

Discipline was a prerequisite. They would not tolerate bad behaviour from their players and any player in confrontation with the officials could also expect a showdown from the boss.

Leo McKinstry's last book, written about those footballing legends, Bobby and Jackie Charlton, zoomed into the best sellers top ten list and an interesting fact emerged during our conversation.

Both Bobby and Jack were voted 'Footballer of the Year', Bobby in the World Cup winning year of 1966 and Jack a year later. Incredibly another 'Footballer of the Year' heralded from the very same mining village of Ashington in the North East - our own Jimmy Adamson, who received the accolade in 1962 and which is now proudly on display in Towneley Hall.

Jim lived on Rosalind Street, just a hop and a skip from Beatrice Street where the Charltons spent their early years, although Jim didn't come across the boys too often.

Jim told me: "I was about six years older and moved down to Burnley when Bob and Jack were still at school. Brian O'Neil followed me from the village and Billy Gray the left winger, who also played for Chelsea, was another good player. It was a real footballing area."

Steve Harmison, the England fast bowler, also heralds from the village.

"Ashington is unique in that there are no pubs, only working men's clubs. At the time every one in the village was involved with the pit. A father or an uncle or brother would be down the mines or a wife or daughter would work as a secretary or clerk. There was nothing else, and when the pit closed it went into terrible decline," McKinstry told me.

One way they have partially recovered is to make it into a heritage sight. Jackie Milburn, the ex Newcastle striker, was another sporting hero from that neck of the woods and his statue was proudly unveiled by Mrs Cisse Charlton (Jack and Bobby's mum).

So maybe the next statue to be commissioned should be to recognise the achievements of those three other footballing legends, Bobby, Jack and Jim.

It would be a fitting tribute.

MARTIN

DOBSON

CLARETS LEGEND MEETS TOP AUTHOR LEO McKINSTRY

Sir Alf and Harry were so alike