Tuesday meeting 12.00 for 12.30 finishing at 14.00

                                                       ROLLING BACK THE YEARS

Wearing the original blazer he was given when joining Bolton Wanderers as a Youth Team player Bill Kerr reminisced about his career as a player. Both his father and uncle with scottish backgrounds had played for teams over the border but with the family now living in Bolton that was the team Bill joined.

He began as a right half but standing in as goalkeeper when colleagues were injured that became his eventual position. Bolton were an outstanding First Division side able to field a full international team from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. With England goalkeeper Hopkinson on the Club's books and a talented keeper in the Reserves rising through the ranks was a near impossibility but he still enjoyed his time in Youth, A team  and once for the reserves. He was in the Wembley crowd at the Matthews final which Bolton lost 4-3 though the real star with a hat-trick was       . Famous England International Nat Lofthouse was on the Bolton staff and years later, watching a game at York City, Bill was introduced to him by one of the Directors as 'an old team-mate of yours'. Though Bill was sure Nat did not have a clue as to who he was, he acted the perfect gentleman shaking his hand with 'great to see you again Bill!'

All players at the time were part-time needing to have an additiona job to complement their match fees so were all found positions by Club Directors. National Service interrupted his football career but footballers were given time off to train though they did play in occasional regimental games. Taking goal kicks was not his greatest talent but training with a medicine ball he developed the ability to throw the leather ball complete with lace up to the halfway line. He did attend a reunion years later after a feature in the local paper asking the public to find former players. This gave him the unexpected opportunity to meet the centre half for whom he had been best man at his wedding and his redoubtable wife.