OLD STARS RETURN TO THEIR ROOTS...
■IT’S often said that football clubs forget about their old players, the heroes who achieved great feats and spilt blood for the cause. The FLP reports on how Southend United are one club attempting to buck the trend…
REWIND back to April 25, 1981 on a warm spring evening at Plainmoor, and a young student helps to chair star striker Derek Spence off the pitch as Southend United clinch promotion, capping a glorious season for the yo-yo Shrimpers.
Some 36 years later that same student calls up Blackpool FC knowing Spence works at the club, and wonders whether the likeable Irishman would meet up with him and his pals in town to help mark the occasion of him reaching at Bloomfield Road that holy grail of groundhoppers – the 92.
Journey
Spence obliges, fails to recall the impromptu escort at Torquay, but, over a few beers, agrees to pen the foreword for Andy Leeder’s book (‘Roots To The 92’) he is writing covering the long journey to his ground-collecting goal.
It was the start of a friendship which has led to many new footballing memories being created for a great many people. And Leeder has just helped Spence get his own autobiography “From The Troubles To The Tower” published.
A year after their initial meet-up, Spence came down to Roots Hall with his old mate Keith Mercer.
Leeder arranged the hospitality, and there was a wonderwhen ful introduction to the fans on the pitch for the old strike-duo who bagged so many goals for the Shrimpers at the start of the 80s.
It proved a great day for all, meeting up with former teammates, old fan friends and recalling times gone by.
During the day, conversation turned to the Shrimpers’ record appearance holder, Alan Moody, who had at the time recently undergone life-saving surgery resulting in both of his legs having to be amputated. Talking this over with others, Leeder sensed there was a strong feeling amongst Shrimpers fans to do something as a tribute to the club’s former skipper, who for ten years from 1972 had giving the club such loyal service.
After a discussion with club chairman Ron Martin, and enlisting the help of the supporters group, the Shrimpers Trust, the ‘Moody Blues’ campaign was born.
At the start of the 2017/18 season, Shrimpers fans rallied and numerous events led to money being raised to help Moody buy a specially adapted car to meet his new needs.
Campaign
He then travelled down from his North-East home with his daughter for a presentation and to meet up with a group of former team-mates and friends, many of whom he had not seen in decades.
The event went so well that the Shrimpers Trust viewed they should ‘do more of this’, and in January 2018 the Southend United Ex-Players Association (SUEPA) was born.
The last two years have been a whirlwind for all involved. Well over 200 former players/ coaching staff have joined the association, approaching 20 matchday reunion events have been held and many new memories created.
Leeder views it as a win-win for all, saying: “It creates good PR for the club, the former players get a huge amount out of it and the fans love to catch up with former heroes.”
The biggest SUEPA event held to date was last March Moody and 19 other former players from the Dave Smith managerial era attended a reunion.
“The impromptu standing ovation from the whole crowd as they all entered the pitch before the PA announcer had even had chance to draw breath was really quite emotional,” recalls Leeder.
Next month, in a 1960s themed event, there is one exShrimper coming along who hasn’t been back since a bad injury ended his career in a match in 1963.
Leeder feels that former player associations should be encouraged by all clubs.
Accessible
“A number of clubs do operate them, but not all are perhaps as accessible as they should be, and there are so many good things that these groups can do,” he said.
He is currently working with Spence and a fellow enthusiast at the Blackpool Former Players Association to see if the PFA can be encouraged to promote their development.
“In these days of high-tech, high-finance organisations, it is wonderful to see clubs, fans and players coming together in a basic but common sense way for the good of all involved,” added Leeder. “It just needs a bit of energy and enthusiasm to make it all work.” For more on SUEPA, check out: https://www.facebook.com/SUEPAssoc/ and https://twitter.com/ SUEPAssoc