Author’s tale of untold club history

DOGS had their day at River Dart Country Park in Ashburton as it hosted a Big Dog Weekend for furry friends and their owners this month. In the main picture are Kat Bush with Falon, Kelly Craft and Katie Parish with Holly, pictured above inset i s Will Clark and Lauren Poole with their French Bulldog Frank and right shows owner Tim Allen watches his dog Briene on the hay bale hurdles MORE than 400 people turned up when Torquay author David Scott’s sixth book was launched in Essex.

A flash of inspiration last November while leaving Exeter City’s ground resulted in former newspaper editor David writing the history of one of football’s oldest non league clubs.

David, a former Mayor of Maldon, Essex, was the guest of Heybridge Swifts Football Club when they played Exeter City in the first round of the FA Cup last year. Heybridge is the ‘village’ part of Maldon.

He said: “While walking back to my car after the game I realised there was a fabulous story yet to be told about the club which was formed in 1880.”

Many former players and managers were present at the launch held at the club’s ground.

The book – Heybridge Swifts: The Club That Refused To Die – tells the story of how six local families have been heavily involved for more than a century in keeping the club alive.

And while it is a record of past championships and memorable games, it is also a history of the area including the story of the star midfield player and club secretary who died on the Somme in 1917, the full-back who headed the ball in a cup final in 1952 and died and the battle to survive after the Swifts were kicked off their ground in 1962.

David said: “In the new year I began making regular trips from my home in Torquay to Maldon to work with Swifts secretary Chris Daines who had done a lot of research and obtained some remarkable records. I put out an appeal for people to contact us and we were delighted when a good number came forward with scrapbooks, photographs and other memorabilia. I then set to work interviewing 61 former managers, players and supporters who provided some wonderful stories.

“Once I started I could not stop writing, often working 12 hours a day researching, archiving, interviewing and writing. I am delighted with how the book has turned out. It includes 28 team photographs which should delight the families of

David Scott signs copies past players.”

All profits from the book are going to the club.

David retired this year after running his own journalism and law training company for 30 years. Previously he was editor and managing director of the Birmingham Daily News and an editor in Romford, Banbury and for Torbay Weekender.

Andy Uglow/Pyramid