Trawl of archives unearths talented footballer’s story

Fascinating account of pupil’s England bow

A school has trawled its archives to uncover a fascinating account of its former pupil’s England football debut.

Ron Saxby was asked to pen an account of the momentous occasion for Homewood School’s magazine and it has come to light when tributes were paid to the talented footballer after his recent death.

Saxby’s recollection include a match played with East Northumberland schoolboy Robert Charlton at Wembley in 1953.

Sir Bobby Charlton, as he is now known, has gone on to be recognised as one of the greatest players of all time.

Saxby recounts the day he stepped out on the pitch in his first England schoolboys’ trial at Worcester in 1953, which was the South versus the Midlands.

He wrote: “I was naturally very excited but before the match all the players went out of their way to make each other feel confident and cheerful.”

Saxby said it was fortunate that spirits were high as “conditions could not have been worse” with snow lying on the ground, though it did not deter the spectators who were to become familiar faces to him as they “belonged to the soccer scouts of some of the most famous English clubs”.

The day ended in a 3-1 victory for the South.

Further trials at Swindon and Maine Road, Manchester, resulted in Saxby’s selection for England schoolboys.

Following the Manchester match, Saxby wrote that he was unsure if his performance had been good enough: “I did not know my own fate until the journey home.

“The rule of the association is that a player may only be told officially that he has been selected.

“The first indication that I had been lucky was given me when a man came up and warmly congratulated me on the train.

“I cannot describe how I felt at that moment.

“I was almost too excited to give him a polite answer.

“I could not help thinking of the honour I had brought to the Ashford and Weald Association, my school, and my parents.”

Saxby appeared at Wembley for a schoolboys’ international match against Wales, having completed the warm-up at Arsenal’s old ground Highbury.

It was a televised match and he recalls how England went behind by two goals, before Robert

Charlton, struck two back in return.

The match, which attracted a record 80,000 crowd ended 3-3 and Saxby recalls: “Mr McKee, the chairman of the English Schools FA, told us that in his opinion the match was the finest Schoolboys’ International played at Wembley.”

England were victorious in the return match against Wales in Cardiff and the occasion saw Saxby awarded his first England cap.

Ron, 82, who was born in Tenterden, went on to play for Arsenal and in later life became the manager of Bexhill United and then Rye United, before becoming the Royal Mail’s south-east England team manager.

He died on November 14, 2019, and his funeral was held last month.

■ Did you know Ron? Write to Kentish Express, Unit 4, Park Mall shopping centre, Ashford, TN24 8RY or email kentishexpress@thekmgroup.co.uk

‘I was naturally very excited but before the match all the players went out of their way to make each other feel confident and cheerful...’ - Ron Saxby

Ron Saxby, who died late last year, pictured playing for England in 1953

Former Arsenal player Ron Saxby has died aged 82