Sunday 25 November 2012

25 November 2012 - My Hero, My Inspiration

ERIC TAYLOR
Penistone & District 
League Winner
1955 - 56

*****

Everyone in football, no matter what level, has someone they can say was their major influence in becoming a player, supporter, official, journalist, photographer etc etc ...

This is for our late uncle who passed away just over a decade ago. Today is his birthday, 25 November.

He is the reason why I and my brother, started off in this love affair with "The Beautiful Game".

He took me to my first ever match, encouraged me to become a goalkeeper, although I never played higher than the ranks of Sunday League, I knew he was as proud of me as he was on that first ever visit to Bramall Lane. We travelled with him up and down the football league, mainly down at first, but then up in the late 1980s and early 1990s. We shared the sweet victories, the bitter defeats, the anecdotes with him until his passing away.

It took me a few years to return to Bramall Lane, on my first visit back I made a point of sitting in the seat he had for years as a season ticket holder. Happiness and sadness all in ninety minutes, so much so that I can't recall who the match was against.

We miss his love, his gentle nature and his company.

The trophy he won back in 1956 sits proudly on a shelf at home, he was goalkeeper in the team that won the Penistone & District League in the 1955-56 season. I will be researching this season for a future feature in this blog.

Everyone who reads this, will have someone in their life who is an "Uncle Eric".
This is also dedicated to those people, that special person who influenced you as I was back in the late 70's.

For Uncle Eric ...
For mine, for ours, for yours ...

****************** 

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