I was born in Olympic year, 1948 in very humble origins in Blyth Northumberland, home of Blyth Spartans. Both my grandfather and great uncle were directors of that club before the first war and I still have a directors pass from that period.

Football was prominent for two periods in my life. When I was young I went to see Blyth in the fifties when they drew big crowds especially for local derbies against Ashington and North Shields, and I remember the wonderful all conqueringPeterborough side of that period coming to Blyth. My uncle ,in whose school soccer team had been someone who went on to play in the 1923 Cup Final, took me to my first football League game in 1959 at St. James Park, Newcastle v Spurs and I was bowled over by the whole occasion especially seeing the superb Spurs side that would go on to do the double the following season. I went to a grammar school that did not play soccer, so never got involved as a player. I watched more and more soccer in the sixties going to over 400 games in my final four years at grammar school ranging from the World Cup Final in 66 to the humblest Sunday League games where I often ended up running the line. I saw my first international in 1965, Eng. v Scotland at Wembley in the days before segregation and was offered whiskey from a glass bottle by friendly Scots at the game. I fell in love with Wembley Stadium. I got to my first Cup Final in 1967 and treasure memories of many other games from that period like being in Berwick's record crowd to see them beat Rangers in the cup and watching the mysterious North Koreans beat Italy in 1966. I also went to every Blyth game , home and away ,in their worst ever season when they turned amateur.

A combination of life, marriage, jobs and increasing hooliganism put my interest on hold for quite some time. I ended up in Exeter teaching at Exeter School, another place that did not have soccer. I found Exeter a wonderful place and got more and more involved in various aspects of life in the City.

In 1989 I decided it was time to take my son to see some proper football so we went to virtually every game in what proved to be a truly memorable season in which we never saw Exeter lose a game at home. My passion was renewed and I found myself drawn into closer involvement with the club by being asked to run the programme sales .I had been pressing for soccer to be introduced to Exeter School and organising unofficial sides one of which got to a schools final at the Park. Having got to know some of the players from the league winning side I was loaned medals for display at the school by Steve Neville, Shaun Taylor came for lunch and did a talk to the pupils and Peter Fox brought a side , including  Banksy, for a charity game at the school and Bally was pleased when I was able to get the school to allow City the chance to train on their new astro turf prior to playing on such a surface at Preston. The school loved the media attention and I was pleased to have got to know someone I had watched win the World Cup all those years earlier.

I was a magistrate , and on one occasion had to stand down because a City Player came up in front of me; I was a councillor  and then Lord Mayor so got to come to a game on a Civic visit. I never got to host a reception in the Guildhall for a promotion, but enjoyed meeting the Brazilian Masters when we gave them a reception there. I became involved with the DCFA and wanted one day to become their rep on the national FA but that never happened and my health began to dominate after I was diagnosed with MS. I was lucky to be invited on board as memorabilia consultant with AXA during their four years as sponsors of the FA Cup and that got me some truly memorable experiences all over the country taking the trophy to road shows,even to my beloved Croft Park! I had an all areas pass for the final Cup Final at Wembley and was touched  to be greeted by Ken Wolstenholme at the last ever international at Wembley having got to know him after he moved to Devon.

I took over from Ivor Doble as Chairman of the Sunday League  which was an interesting challenge!

Finally my health got the better of me as was bound to happen, and that coupled with the ridiculous insistence of the petty bureaucrats at Exeter City on everyone having to have DBS checks made me give up going to games and just keep in touch through the Senior Reds.