BRISBANE HERE, BRISBANE THERE, BRISBANE CROPS UP EVERYWHERE?

YDavid Coles worked for the BBC and is now resident in Brisbane, still working in media and enjoying the coverage of the EPL on Fox TV. He played youth football in Wales, his home country and when he was able to go into pubs, he joined his local London pub team, Greenwich Old Friends, managed by Pat Welton, who owned the pub in Greenwich. 

Pat was a well known footballer in the East End after playing 263 games in goal between 1949-58 for Leyton Orient, who coincidently play at Brisbane Road. He then turned out briefly for QPR before going into management with St Albans City in the world of amateur football, as it was then known.

From 1959 for a decade, he was a PE teacher at Forest School, Snaresbrook and links within the school circuit led him to coach in the Isthmian and Athenian Leagues at Clapton FC, Walthamstowe Avenue and eventually Corinthian Casuals in 1968-9.

In 1963-64, Pat worked for the FA, who regarded him highly and led the England U18s to two consecutive UEFA championships, probably his greatest achievement. John Sissons would have been one of the successful squad. I can remember watching a qualifying match at Horsham FC during the tournament hosted in and around London in 1963. Playing in the squad was Lew Chatterley who was the coach to Winchester College footballers for many years.

He joined Keith Burkinshaw at Spurs during his reign at White Hart Lane (1976-84) and then went to the Middle East with Burkinshaw as assistant manager to the Bahrain National side until 1986.

In his later years, Pat ran the Old Friends pub in Trafalgar Road, met David Coles, a friend of a friend of mine and through these various links, I know I can email several other footballing colleagues who will have been influenced by Pat. He died at the good age of 82 years. 

Here is Pat in the middle at Brisbane Road, a ground I played on once!