Post by oldiepete on Apr 8, 2023 9:27:16 GMT
Hello to everyone. I might be in for some stick here but my first favourite team is Crewe Alexandra. Before you all jump on me, read my story. I was born in Edinburgh in 1944. The family moved down to Manchester in1949 when I was just 4. I went to school at St Paul's C of E primary which was originally just on the other side of Moor Lane from Salford City's ground. The school was demolished a long time ago. Back in the '50s the ground was, if my memory serves me correctly, home to a rugby team but I can't recall the name or whether it was League or Union. I do remember going to see a Lacrosse team from Canada playing a demonstration game against a British side on that ground sometime in the early '50s.
My dad was head gardener on a private estate known as Oaklands, which had an entry off Oaklands Road (surprise, surprise!) and another on the other side at the end of Vine Street. Oaklands was originally owned by the Cussons family of Imperial Leather fame. Their soap factory was at the bottom of Moor Lane at the junction with Littleton Road. At the junction of Moor Lane and Oaklands Road there used to be a police box just like the Tardis in Doctor Who. As I recall, that one was grey rather than the blue of the one in the TV series.
Anyway, at the end of 1955, when I was 11, we moved to Crewe and I've never been back to Salford since. I had an uncle who played for the Alex back in the '20s; he became a director of the club in later life and his brother, my dad, was a shareholder. Not having been all that interested in football in my early years, because of the family and friends connections, I eventually became a Crewe supporter. Most of the time it was a rough ride as they nearly always seemed to be struggling for re-election! I emigrated to Australia in1983 after which the fortunes of the team picked up.
I never knew that there was a football team in Salford until they suddenly appeared in Division Two. Then when I saw where their ground was I started to take an interest and check their results first thing after checking Crewe's!
So there you go. That's my, very much shortened, history and why I have an interest in Salford City F.C. It's nice to know that the moor hasn't been taken over by developers and covered in houses.
My dad was head gardener on a private estate known as Oaklands, which had an entry off Oaklands Road (surprise, surprise!) and another on the other side at the end of Vine Street. Oaklands was originally owned by the Cussons family of Imperial Leather fame. Their soap factory was at the bottom of Moor Lane at the junction with Littleton Road. At the junction of Moor Lane and Oaklands Road there used to be a police box just like the Tardis in Doctor Who. As I recall, that one was grey rather than the blue of the one in the TV series.
Anyway, at the end of 1955, when I was 11, we moved to Crewe and I've never been back to Salford since. I had an uncle who played for the Alex back in the '20s; he became a director of the club in later life and his brother, my dad, was a shareholder. Not having been all that interested in football in my early years, because of the family and friends connections, I eventually became a Crewe supporter. Most of the time it was a rough ride as they nearly always seemed to be struggling for re-election! I emigrated to Australia in1983 after which the fortunes of the team picked up.
I never knew that there was a football team in Salford until they suddenly appeared in Division Two. Then when I saw where their ground was I started to take an interest and check their results first thing after checking Crewe's!
So there you go. That's my, very much shortened, history and why I have an interest in Salford City F.C. It's nice to know that the moor hasn't been taken over by developers and covered in houses.