‘Youth coach ruined so many young players’
Mark Walters exclusive
Iwas about 10 years old when I attracted the attention of arguably the most successful youth team in Birmingham at that time. Dunlop Terriers were recognised as the team to play for because the manager, Ted Langford, also worked as a scout for Aston Villa, which meant the club offered a pathway to Villa Park for those with talent and dedication.
That was an obvious attraction for me, that and the fact that one of my best pals also played for the Terriers, so I had no hesitation in joining when asked.
There were a lot of good, young players at the Terriers, and the club seemed to be well run – apart from one major issue, and it was a massive problem, which would ruin many young lives and turn the dreams these kids harboured into living nightmares.
Langford was married and had kids around the same age as his players. He did have genuine connections with Villa and often spoke of the players he had been able to get to the club for trials.
As a 10 or 11-year-old boy with the sole focus of one day playing for Villa, this was music to my ears. It was also exactly what guys like Dean Glover, who went on to play for Villa, Middlesbrough and Port Vale, did, while the likes of Bob Hazel (Wolves and QPR) and Brendan Ormsby (Villa and Leeds United) also came through the ranks at the Terriers.
We all wanted to be just like Bob and Brendan so we were desperate to be involved. This, in turn, made it easier for Langford to do what he wanted – and that was to abuse young boys.
He was a paedophile who preyed on the very kids he was supposedly looking out for. When I eventually
discovered what had been going on at the club, many years later, it made me physically sick.
This might sound a bit farfetched, but when I joined Dunlop Terriers it was the first time I had really mixed with white kids in such a closed environment. Up until then I mostly knocked about with West Indian kids so when I saw Langford cuddling the other lads and giving them love bites on the neck, I thought it must be normal.
It sounds absolutely ridiculous now, but there was even a part of me which felt disappointed that he didn’t like me, as he always gave his undivided attention to some of the other lads. Let’s be honest, when you’re a kid you want to be accepted, to be liked. Looking back, though, there was definitely a “type of boy” he preferred: the ones with that choirboy look, and sadly he molested quite a few.
That was obviously why my friend was molested, as he had that look. On top of that, he had been having a lot of problems at home and Langford pounced on that. He invited my friend to stay at his house “to get away from his problems” and that is when a lot of the abuse apparently took place. I remember vividly being in the showers after playing a match, and half of us still had our pants on. The showers were really wide and open, and Langford and his mate were walking along the front of the cubicles, Langford with his camera on his chest and clicking away, taking pics of all the kids. We were all shouting at them to get out, but we used to think of it as a joke, and would all just laugh about it and throw things at them.
Paedophilia is something you didn’t hear a lot about in the 1970s. I certainly didn’t know what it was.
When the abuse became public knowledge, and everything was out in the open, the monster was sacked by Villa, but not before he had done long-term physical and psychological damage to many kids.
I was just a kid myself and didn’t have a clue that this type of thing was going on. When I went home after a game, or training, I would never have thought to mention anything to my Mum. I had some great pals in that team and I loved playing for them but when I think of what these poor guys were going through it makes me very angry.
One aspect of the whole sordid episode that I still struggle to get my head round is that the people who were involved with Villa at that time didn’t realise it was going on. How could they not have had at least a suspicion? Even as children, at just 10 years of age, we might not have known the extent of the crime, but we did have an inkling that something wasn’t right, so as an adult you would definitely have known what was going on.
My mate asked if I will speak on his behalf during his court case, as he is taking the club to court. Rightly so as they must take their share of responsibility for the events that took place in the mid-1970s.
My mate wasn’t part of the initial court case against Langford in 2007, when he was jailed for three years for “sexually abusing a string of young hopefuls during the 1970s and 80s.”
So it was still going on long after I left the club.
It baffles me how someone can get away with such a heinous crime for so long. At the initial trial, the judge said the abuse, which involved four boys, resulted in them suffering psychological harm.
Apparently, Langford, who was 66 at the time, admitted three charges of indecent assault and four of gross indecency. It makes you wonder how many other charges could, and should, have been brought against him.
The monster died in 2012 and it would be nice to think that wherever he is at this precise moment, he is paying for the pain and suffering he caused.