It has been one of those days. With watching the FA Cup out of reach with no clubs in the South-west peninsular taking part in the Third round, I went to Dartmouth FC who play in the South Devon league.
In the clubhouse, which was very accommodating, I discovered the winner of the V.C. from the First World War. Theodore Veale was a goalkeeper and local hero, so he was well displayed on the clubhouse wall. There was much to be grateful for.
The game today was against Ashburton Athletic in the Premier division and it was a belter. Actually not, but it is always good news to catch up with non-league football. There was a sizeable crowd, the pitch was good, they had a clubhouse with local ale and plenty of photo on the walls.
I met Steven Hobson, who lives locally but comes from Bolton. I had much to chat to him about.
Steve is a church warden at Turton, which was the final resting place of Nat Lofthouse, the Lion of Vienna. Nat was a hero who won the FA Cup Final in 1958 by flattening the Manchester United goalkeeper, Harry Gregg, with some positive centre-forward play. It would not have happened today.
So Steve was responsible for "interring" Nat's ashes in his local church yard. Steve also came from a part of Lancashire where football has origins on a piece of ground as old as Hallam FC or Sheffield.
He also reminded me of John J Bentley, a local Turton lad, who was part of the founding of the Football League. Bentley was secretary of Bolton Wanderers, Manchester United, the FA and vice-president of the FA.
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