Wigan's best amateur footballer or rugby player?

There's one or two on here who think they played with some good 'uns.
Who'd you have in your team, lads.?

good thread! my three

Best footballer – Jimmy Priest

Best Rugby Union player – Dave Cusani (later played for Ireland)

Best Rugby League player – Dave Regan

Pisolivadi, I think an old schoolmate of our takes some beating. He was in the year above us at Ince Central. You went to the clever school but I followed him to Rose Bridge. He had a brother in our year and 2 elder brothers.
I think he was good at all sports but chose Rugby League and had a good career at Leigh helping them to the double in '81

douglas,
Easy. He was the envy of every kid in the school. Step forward, Johnnie Taylor.

Billy Melling was one of the best schoolboy rugby players that Wigan has produced and although he Played for Wigan RL never reached anywhere near his full potential

Rio, Billy Melling and Johnny Taylor played in the same Wigan Schoolboys side

Rio you are correct - Billy Melling was one of the the best schoolboy players that I ever saw/played against but when he signed pro he was never the same dominant player

Caused quite a shock when he signed for Leigh first!

Proberly, because of drinking with Clarkie and Hollingsworth!

Good thread,
True amateurs and sticking to the thread,
Best footballer Paul Roby
Best Rugby Union player. John Heaton
Best Rugby League player a tie Martin McLoughlin and Gavin Corfield.

football Harry Andrews rugby union Perc Banks rugby league Frank O Leary hard choices to make so many good players past and present

fossil

Good call,Paul Roby,very taleneted,had the privelige of playing in the same team a few times

Billy Melling was awesome at school

Paul Roby was in the Wigan Amature team, that lost to my team Warrington 7-1 at Springfield park.

Kenny, I thought Billy Melling was a year older than us.
Did you see him play at schoolboy level?
At Rose Bridge we used to stay after school and watch the older lads play but I never knew the other players

from my era:
Best schoolboy footballer Neil Bailey

Wigan Ammy and sunday league:
for enthusism and longeviity: Freddie Markie
for cheek , graft and a bit of guile : Jimmy Atherton
for finding t' back of the net: Sid Wallace

( Bowt'n coulda done with all three today.)

Douglas, Billy Melling same year as us almost certain; he wasn't a bad fooballer, either, for Tommy More, but remember our lot beatin' 'em 5-0 away about 1969 just before we did Rose Bridge 6-1 at home.

pisolivadi, I'm sure you add another goal to your score every time you tell the tale about beating us (Rose Bridge)
We played Tommy More but don't remember him (Billy Melling)playing. He also played in the same team (Wigan Boys) as Johny Taylor so I assumed he was a year above me. Maybe he was just that good he was chosen to play for the year above his own age.
Syd Wallace gets my vote for footballer
Danny Wilson was also very good for his age at Double 7

I thought the thread was about amateurs

Wigan's finest got well and truly stuffed in this game.

Fossil. the lads I have mentioned were all amatuers at the time.

fireplace,
does that have the team sheets inside the page?

douglas,
What about the great amateurs in the Ince Cental side that swept away the Little Rose Bridge 9 - nil (Goals: S Price 4, K Finch 4, K Mitchinson. Assists: Green 9). A great side pity it got broken up

Douglas,
As far as I remember most or all schoolboys were amateurs,and I will own up to being completely wrong if the original post was aimed at anyone who became a professional!
I also thought Mark Taylor was a better player than his brother but he also became a professional!
No offence but I thought that was the original intention of the poster to illustrate the fact that a lot of good local players never got paid at different codes,and in fact a lot of semi pros played as amateurs!
Shame on them

yes it does pisolivaid.

do you want me to post it?

fp,
that'd be good. the names might jog some memories.

One of the best schoolboy's never to play Rugby League was Stand Off/Centre Francis Clough who went straight to Rugby Union and played for England RU.

When Bill McLaren read out the teams, he always said which private or public school they had attended. Being one of the 'old school tie brigade' himself, it must have been hard for him to say 'St John Fisher High School, Wigan'

Another outstanding schoolboy was a Prop called Frank Gaskell who in 1971 played in a Schoolboy's International at Central Park against a Australian team which included Les Boyd, Ron Reddy and Craig Young. Later signed for Warrington but never made it and I understand ended up playing for Shevington Sharks.

Wigan had some good players.

It was some thrashing, on your home ground in a final.

Ste McNally (R.I.P,) could have walked into any amateur rugby league or soccer team in Wigan in the late 70s or 80s.

tuddy is it the same lad who played for Ince parish when Ernie Bowen was in charge he had red hair and had a good left foot. good player.

Pisolivadi, I have only the vaguest memory of that game apart from the assists.
Did we play in the yellow and black shirts that made us look like bees?

fordie, No i'ts not the same Ste Mac, although they both had red hair, I know the lad you mean, I got invited on a few end of season do's with Ince parish, some characters in that team:Bowen, Hank, Culshaw, etc.

The lad I meant played R.L. and soccer for a few teams, went to live in South Africa for a while.

douglas

Billy Melling was deffo in our year

fp

I didnht know you were in goal for Warrington

pisolivadi, There was a lad who used to play rugby for The Sringfield in the 1980s, name of Thornly, I'm suprised he's not been mentioned on here. The last I heard he'd taken up music and turned his back on rugby league, spent his days stalking Hughie Green trying to get an audition on opportunity knocks. Any idea what became of him?

You a never been halley?

And in English

You are known for your childish ways halley,

Tough call this one.
Ernie Bowen, Jimmy Cullshaw spring to mind.Bob(Dick Tickle) as well. Dave Scas, Dave, and Peter(rip) Caterall,Steve Picton, Bill Green etc. The list is endless.
Two very talented players spring to mind here. I went to school with em both. Paul Kay who was prominent on the local football scene. Great player he was even at the age of 12 his talent shone through. Des Morris was another great player. Des played for Ashton Town

fireplace6899 (5898)

You a never been halley



kenny (4089)

And in English


fireplace6899 (5898)

You are known for your childish ways halley

fp
Just trying to understand WTF you are on about ok

Billy Melling was a year younger than the rest of the lads in this team

Typical prophead a photo with no info on it.


Yankee clown.

'prophead'? bit harsh

he may presume that most on here know its one of the most viewed photos on this site

see: sport in the album section

http://wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?id=3948

most viewed photos on this site


could well be, but most still dont know who the team are.or any of the players.

Hey up,wrong shaped ball again bryan,is it,or is it just that you dont like folk having "a pop" at a chum of yours

Syd Wallace went playing over in Ireland for a few years, I think it was Waterford. One particular year they were Irish league champions and Syd then played in the European Cup (as it was then ). Not many Wiganers can lay claim to that !

stevemul,
I think they won the cup,and Sid put a penalty home!
I went in a restaurant in Drogheda and I told the waiter I came from Wigan, he said Sid Wallace who he knew was from here was his hero,his goal was the reason Waterford won the cup

I think Sid also played for Wigan rugby union.

he may presume that most on here know its one of the most viewed photos on this site

Thanks wigvet for explaining it to the moron.

When I look at a photo, I like to know what team and who the players are. A typical yankee CLOWN cannot even do that.

There's at least three in the picture posted by Stuart , who have already got mentions on this thread, so they must have been good 'uns! Taylor, Melling and Hollingsworth.
It you cut and paste wigvet's link the team's named there. As it happens I saw Kieth Austin ( middle back row) across a pub enjoin' a pint last night.

FP,
thanks for posting the teamsheets.

Pardon my ignorance, but where is/was St Luke's, and would the left back have been ALAN Almond?

When I look at a photo, I like to know what team and who the players are.

He really is a stupid person, isn't he readers?

It would be nice to see names to the pics pisolivadi.

I dont think he his capable to do that.

I dont think he his capable to do that.

It's amazing how many times he shows his stupidity.

Only following you yankee nut.

Are you really so thick?

Doing it for a dare?

Steady, steady, GET ONSIDE

He's just a clown.He's not even got a mate in Yankee land, he has to come on here for some company.

he has to come on here for some company.

So says Mr Popular.

get in the handbags section Ladies yoiu are spoling a good thread!!!

some cracking players on that photo

Tuddy/Stev Mull I will be out with Wallace on Wednesday night as usual so I will pass on the comments on

Well said wigvet.

That yankee moron causes trouble every time he comes on here.

I think he means you Fireplace,good honest comment wigvet,it's a shame your thread has come to this

I will apology for my part in spoiling the thread.

I hope that yankee bigot does the same.

Fair play Fp,to the first part of your answer

Pisolivaldi, please accept my sincere apologies.

He needed a nudge in the right direction.

xxstuartxx,

TOM
Just got back in. You're right lad, got reminded tonight, St Luke's was/is Orrell.

Nice to see peace broke out in me absence.

fp,
I think Ashton Town had a very decent centre-half c1979 onwards, Alan Weaver. Played with him at White Swan in t'Sunday League.

douglas,
Talk about my memory! I DO remember them jerseys now you mention 'em. 1965/6, Jeez.

David Gaskell played in goal for St Lukes,before he went to Man Utd!

Danny Northey, Wigan Deaf, was a fine player, who played for England Deaf football team...

I played with him many times.

Anyone remmeber the Saint Pat,s team of the early-mid seventies? Some cracking forwards: Geoff Hilton, Johnny Maye, John Sharples, Jimmy Hicky,etc, some good backs also: Viny Charnock, Frank O Leary, etc. A few of that side turned pro.

jarvo

I remember playing against Danny,and also worked with him,he always carried his olympic medal {silver} with him from the disabled games from years ago

Danny Northey played for Makerfield mill in the 1962 Depot Cup Final

Somebody told me billy melling played for tommy more when he was still at st cuthberts dont know if its true.

Higher Incer , Dennis Killgannon weren't a bad un either. He didn't get a mention first time around on this thread

Not truly amateur,I supose played non league at Horwich

pisolivadi, its not Hollingsworth on xstuartx's photo, its Barry Hollinghead. (back row second from the right)

Does golborne count in this..fran cotton lived on edge green lane..played for England and British lions as an amateur

Read what Glyn Shaw said about being an "amateur" in those days. They were amateur in that they didn't pay tax on what was in their boot at the end of the game.

my mistake wizzer.
broady

Dougie Neil, God bless him, was a very good footy player. He could virtually turn his hand to any sport.

An all rounder with a wicked sense of humour, Dougie's practical jokes were legendary.

I always remember that he once tied a bed sheet to the back of Keith Chalmers' boiler suit. Keith, totally unaware of the fact, walked around with it for an eight hour shift...

R.I.P. Dougie and Keith.