Jack’s singing drew applause from Poitier
The days of clubs embarking on long summer tours seem to have gone.
Top English clubs take part in lucrative games abroad as part of their pre- season, but most sides are content to prepare in more modest surroundings.
So how about spending three weeks in the United States, flying coast to coast and playing 11 matches?
It’s an adventure that Jack Trainer enjoyed back in 1976.
The Glasgow- born defender was part of the Cork Hibernians squad invited to take part in the American Soccer League as a guest team.
They were adding a touch of glamour that would appeal to Irish ex-pats in the States.
This wasn’t Jack’s first experience of playing abroad, as that’s how his career as a professional football started as a teenager.
He recalled: “It was an incredible experience flying to all these different cities in the US.
“There were another couple of Scottish lads, who were at Cork when I arrived – Sonny Sweeney and John Lawson.
“We also had guest players in former Manchester United defender, Shay Brennan, and ex- Chelsea striker, Bobby Tambling, who played for Cork Celtic.
“The Irish guys always liked a sing-song when we flew to games, and it always went down well with the cabin crew.
“They’d get out the champagne and give us all free drinks.
“I remember one time we got a round of applause from the film star, Sidney Poitier, and he walked round shaking everyone’s hand.
“Cork Hibernians had been a real top side earlier in their history, and had played in the European Cup.
“We didn’t know it at the time, but our fixture that ended the tour, a 4-3 win over Connecticut Yankees, proved to be the club’s last-ever game.
“Financial problems meant they folded not long after we flew back.
“I had a couple of offers to stay and play in America, but I was keen to play in the English Football League.”
Jack’s one season in Ireland came from a Scottish connection in southeast Asia.
He explained: “I was an 18-year-old boy from Possilpark in Glasgow when I left to play for Hong Kong Rangers in 1970.
“A Scot called Ian Petrie had set up the team, and he came home to look for players.
“There was a trial match at Hamilton Accies’s Douglas Park, and that led to three of us being taken to Hong Kong.
“The other two were Derek Currie and former Berwick Rangers forward, Walter Gerrard.
“We played in front of huge crowds in Hong Kong, and within a few months we were facing Santos of Brazil in a friendly.
“That meant three lads from Glasgow were lining up against Pele!”
It was a man best known for playing with Glasgow Rangers who inspired Jack’s move back to Europe after six years.
He said: “There were a few Scots who came to play out there, including Willie Henderson.
“Alex Willoughby was another who spent time in Hong Kong, and he seemed likely to become manager at Cork in 1976.
“He asked me to come with him and, although he didn’t take the job, I decided to stay.”
After that one season and the American jaunt, Jack joined Halifax Town under manager Alan Ball Snr.
He added: “I spent three years at Halifax and then embarked on a tour of different clubs.
“I went back to Hong Kong briefly, then played with Bury, Waterford in Ireland, Rochdale, Morecambe and also spent some time playing in Finland.
“The ability to play football allowed me to see so many places and sample different cultures.
“When I retired, I took my coaching A licence and have been working in football all my life. “These days, I’m a tutor with the FA.
“I’m 67 next weekend, but as long as I have my health and strength, I’ll keep doing what I love.”