South Yorkshire Times, October 31.
Denaby Under 18 Team of Potential League Club Trialists.
Tom Hill boys are full of promise, says their manager.
Back Row : B Davis, J Predergast, P Shephard, P Sanderson, J Collins and J Higgins
Front Row: G Walton, B Price, J O’Neill, K Logan and K Mincher
“Sooner or later it’s bound to happen – one of them is bound to make it.” These words of optimism refer to the lads of the Denaby Tom Hill Youth Centre under 18 football team, something of an enigma in local football circles.
The speaker was team coach/manager/secretary, Mr Charles Shephard, former captain and trainer of Denaby United, who last season helped the Tom Hill boys to finished as runners-up in both the Doncaster under 18 League and Cup competitions.
And when he spoke Mr Shephard was anticipating football league trials which are imminent for several of the team members.
“These boys make up the finest junior side I’ve seen around here in a long time,” Mr Shephard, who lives at 9 Cedar Grove, Conisbrough, told me this week. “Several of the lads are going for trials with League clubs in the very near future, and though they may have to come straight home again, there’s always a chance they will click – and sooner or later one of them is going to make it.”
Mr Shephard, who devote his working life to helping lads succeed as they pass through his hands at the NCB Area Training Centre at Manvers, is 100% behind the young Tom Hill players in their efforts to play successful soccer
Hopefuls.
He went on to name some of young hopefuls.
There is left winger Keith Mincher, who has played for the Doncaster League under 18 side, right winger Graham Walton, a Mexborough Youth Club player last season and centre forward Johnny O’Neill. These three boys, all 17, have trials lined with Blackpool.
Then there’s Mr Shephard 70-year-old son Barry, an apprentice electrician at Denaby, regular right half for Tom Hill, he has had five or six games with the Doncaster League’s under 16’s.
Barry will probably join insight forward Kevin Logan, another Doncaster League under 18 player, in trials at Derby.
Inside right Brian Price – “a beautiful ballplayer,” says Mr Shephard – joined Tom Hill from the Aston Villa groundstaff at the beginning of this season.
Other team members with a bright future are Philip Sanderson (goalkeeper), Brian Davis (right back), Roger Hammond (left back), John Collins (centre half), John Higgins (left half), and John Prendergast (reserve).
“The next step is a fine one of the club’s open dates – rather than split the team up – and all being well, we should be able to fix something up,” explained Mr Shephard.
And the theory.
“I got great thoughts of this team. The opportunities are there, and the theory is to give the lad some insight into what goes on in these big league clubs.”
The Tom Hill lads, playing on the Conisbrough welfare ground, has so far won four of their five matches this season, coasting to 7-1 victory three times and two and 8-1 win on the other occasion.
Mr Shephard complains that one of the Tom Hill teams problems is that they are so little-known .
“Most people don’t seem to know we exist,” he said.
But apparently that state of affairs is about to be put right.
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