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I agree, it was a really good read, and its great to hear about former players helping grow the game in other parts of the globe like that

Soccernet is often more sensationalistic with the stories they carry, but their interview/history pieces are generally great great reads. If anyone ever gets a chance, check out their "On This Day" feature for some great looks back to (sometimes recent) history. I will post a few links if anyone is interested, I just cant dig them up at the moment

 
I grew up a stones throw from the old training ground in Mitcham, the site currently occupied by Tooting and Mitcham's new stadium and previously Palace's training ground having taken it over from us after our first bankruptcy in 76. Anyway, living that close to the place meant that me and many of the local kids from Mitcham, Morden and the St Helier estate in Carshalton spent a lot of time down there. At this time the youth set up was run by Dario Gradi and Ken Shellito. I've often wondered if any of the kids from that team made it, Britton, Wilkins x 2, Stanley, Lewington, Finnieston and Sparrow. Ken and Dario were brilliant towards the local waifs and strays and would often allow us to have an 11 vs 50 or so match at the end of training, we never beat them once by the way.

I don't remember Ken as a player but have been told by my dad that if it wasn't for the knee injury that finished him off as a player then there would have been a Chelsea player in the World Cup final in 66 as Ken was widely recognised as being a better full back than Wilson or Cohen, can't remember which one of those two played in the same position.

I also remember Ken's short stint as manager of the team after taking over the promoted team from Eddie Mcreadie in 77.

 
MKBlue said:
I also remember Ken's short stint as manager of the team after taking over the promoted team from Eddie Mcreadie in 77.
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I do too and it wasn't so good. There was a depression hanging over the place in those days which was really hard to shake off.

Ken was a nice bloke who had a hard act to follow because Eddie had installed a bit of belief in the supporters, and when he went things started to slide.

Ive never forgiven Brian Mears for getting rid of Eddie, and often muse on what might of happened had he stayed.

 
MKBlue said:
I grew up a stones throw from the old training ground in Mitcham, the site currently occupied by Tooting and Mitcham's new stadium and previously Palace's training ground having taken it over from us after our first bankruptcy in 76. Anyway, living that close to the place meant that me and many of the local kids from Mitcham, Morden and the St Helier estate in Carshalton spent a lot of time down there. At this time the youth set up was run by Dario Gradi and Ken Shellito.
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I lived just round the corner from the old NAAFI Sports Ground too, back in the late '60's, spent many a day over there watching the team training and waiting afterwards for autographs. I was a Mitcham boy who went to school on the St.Helier estate, maybe we've got some mutual mates?

 
BlueBeard said:
I lived just round the corner from the old NAAFI Sports Ground too, back in the late '60's, spent many a day over there watching the team training and waiting afterwards for autographs. I was a Mitcham boy who went to school on the St.Helier estate, maybe we've got some mutual mates?
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So was I, born in St.Helier lived off Love Lane, Mitcham until I was two and then we moved to Fulham.

 
I'm tempted to say small world innit, but given the level of Chelsea support in that part of the world maybe not. I live in Peterborough Road, the first road on St Helier as you come up from Mitcham, it was the road you could see looking across the park from the NAAFI grounds. Moved out in 81 and have been in MK since 82, still go back a lot as all my family are still in that part of the world and it's good to see that it's still a Chelsea area.

Bluebeard, are you the same chap who used to have loads of good old Chelsea stuff on youtube?

Peckham, would that have been Garth school?

 
Oops, just read the thread again and it was Bluebeard who spoke of going to school on St Helier.

 
MKBlue said:
I'm tempted to say small world innit, but given the level of Chelsea support in that part of the world maybe not. I live in Peterborough Road, the first road on St Helier as you come up from Mitcham, it was the road you could see looking across the park from the NAAFI grounds. Moved out in 81 and have been in MK since 82, still go back a lot as all my family are still in that part of the world and it's good to see that it's still a Chelsea area.Bluebeard, are you the same chap who used to have loads of good old Chelsea stuff on youtube?

Peckham, would that have been Garth school?
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Bloody hell, it is a small world. Because I lived in Mitcham, I had to walk to my school in Welbeck Road on St.Heliers. I'd go through Poulters Park and then walk down Peterborough Road!

And yes, I did used to have loads of old Chelsea stuff on YouTube, but the b*stards started threatening me with legal action if I didn't remove them. Still got all the clips of course! ;)

 
BlueBeard said:
Weird, I lived off Love Lane, Mitcham for many years - which street were you in?
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Harwood Avenue, second or third house on the left. We lived upstairs in my Grandparents house until my Dad got a job in Fulham and the house came with it. My main memories of Mitcham are when we used to go back and visit and me and my brother would have to spend the whole saturday evening in the corridor at the back of the Black Bull while the family got pissed up in the pub. I think the Cricketers had a family room so I prefered it when we went there.

 
Weirder and weirder, as I said earlier I grew up on Peterborough Rd and went to school in Green Wrythe Lane Juniors and Gaynesford High that was in Welbeck Road, what years were you there Blue?

 
MKBlue said:
Weirder and weirder, as I said earlier I grew up on Peterborough Rd and went to school in Green Wrythe Lane Juniors and Gaynesford High that was in Welbeck Road, what years were you there Blue?
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I was at Gaynesford from 1968 till 1972 when I left just after my 15th.birthday, though I hardly bothered going in my last year - how about you?

 
Great thing about growing up in that part of the world is that the old supporters club, remember it, next to Fulham town hall, used to use a Mitcham company for the away games, so we could get down to Fair Green and get on there, and to get the back seats, 20 minutes or so before it picked up at the Bridge, as 14-15 year olds was quite a coup. I think the coach company was called Davis and they were at the back of Fair Green on the way up to Phipps.

 
MKBlue said:
Great thing about growing up in that part of the world is that the old supporters club, remember it, next to Fulham town hall, used to use a Mitcham company for the away games, so we could get down to Fair Green and get on there, and to get the back seats, 20 minutes or so before it picked up at the Bridge, as 14-15 year olds was quite a coup. I think the coach company was called Davis and they were at the back of Fair Green on the way up to Phipps.
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I remember Davis Coaches, they were next to the Nags Head

 
MKBlue said:
Weirder and weirder, as I said earlier I grew up on Peterborough Rd and went to school in Green Wrythe Lane Juniors and Gaynesford High that was in Welbeck Road, what years were you there Blue?
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I was there from 71 to 76 so my first year was your last, you may have known my sister who was 2 years above me. Pretty much the same sorry tale regards attendance, from the 3rd year on I only really turned up to get my mark before decamping to someone's house wihle their parents were at work.

 
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