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Couldn't believe this one! Tony Franklin STILL at the club? I played for St John's between 1960-1966, then 1970 to about 1975 (after returning to Norwich) and Tony was with the club when I first joined. And, I believe, he is a former player! He used to be our sponge man but as he was dousing you down would insist: 'Come on, you can carry on!' No substitutes in those days. In my era we were playing in the Business Houses League and went on to the Anglian Combination Division Four (where we stayed until after I left the club! Shame on us!) We had great times with some players who must be legendary in the history of the club: Neville Armstrong (something like 460 goals in 400 games), Roger McMahon (6 goals in the first half against Gothic and then sent off a minute after the restart!), Boogey Howman (leave that nickname to the imagination) and Mick Hawes (he was BIIIIG - and round). I remember the trainer of an opposing player shouting to his forwards about Mick: 'Treat him like a roundabout!' We never really took the game seriously outside the 90 minutes and discovered very early on that we would play like demons with three or four pints inside us! Most of us went to the same Catholic schools together and just seem to drift into the team together. I vividly remember the team playing in an inter-diocesan cup one year against an Italian team at Peterborough. I think the game was 4-2 to us (in stretcher cases that is!) That was the most riotous game I was ever involved in. Now I am approaching 60 memories still flood back of my great times with St John's (I have plenty of scars that ache now and then!) and I have religiously followed their progress all these years.
I might look darf but I ain't stuput!
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