RE: Tony Franklin of St. Johns

Team-mates

Tony Franklin of St. Johns

hucks mullett 29/04/2004, 9:19 AM
Tony Franklin the club secretary at St. johns football club, has decided to call it a day after 68 years! This man has been the rock on which hundreds of players have had their first experiences of football before moving on. I am quite sure that many of you have either heard of Tony, or played as part of the club which he has basically kept going single handedly for all this time.
If you have any stories or memories of Tony, hopefully the press will be doing a feature on him, and we would like to use these memories in that feature. We will possibly be having a retirement celebration for him, and dates will be posted in the near future, but for now, all I really want to say is thank you Tony for all the help I have recieved from you, and I wish you all the best.

Re: Tony Franklin of St. Johns

Kevin Marten 30/04/2004, 12:21 PM
Here! Here! Hucks. No one can say enough about the contribution Tony has made to St Johns and Norfolk soccer over the years. His drive and dedicaion are an inspiration to many I'm sure. After living here in Australia for 27 years we still keep in touch and on my occasional visits home, Tony will always organise a get together with a few of the boys. Sadly though I don't think I'll be able to get back for this one. Thanks Tony.

RE: Tony Franklin of St. Johns

Budgie 26/03/2005, 10:14 AM

Well, I'll be blowed! I just wrote some of my memories about Tony on another thread!

But I will try again here.

My name is David Blyth and I played with St John's from 1960-1966 and 1970 till about 1975 (after rturning to Norwich) and without fail each week there was Tony. What a man!

And, I believe, he is a former player with the club.

Always extremely fit, I seem to remember him running the line for several years and then taking up the sponge. Some sponge man! You could get a painful knock on the right ankle and while he was sponging down the left he would insist: 'Come on, you can carry on. We need you!'

Never once heard him complain or moan about anyone or anything.

In my era we were playing in the Business Houses League before moving on to the Anglian Combination Division Four on its formation. And there we stayed until I packed up playing. But he never minded.......he just loved his football and loved his St John's.

In fact, we all loved St John's. I had several invitations to join higher standard clubs (and I bet I was not the only one) but we all stayed with the club because we loved playing for them and playing with our former school pals.

All the best, Tony. It was always a pleasure to know you.

I might look darf but I ain't stuput!