I remember Ron Suart taking over from Joe Smith who had taken `pool up to the first division and given them their great years. Under Suart decline steadily set in, we deteriorated and Suart left us when Morty took over after nine years, in the season we were finally relegated after 30 years, including the war years, in which we had remained in the top flight. We`ve had our moments since but nothing compared to the late 30`s, 40`s and particularly the 50`s ,the decade in which I was lucky enough to first see them and quickly learned to love them . When I lay in bed as a young boy I would repeat the team to myself many times Farm ,Shimwell, Garrett, Fenton, Johnston, Kelly, Matthews, Taylor, Mortensen, Brown , Perry .What a team with ten internationals .
As a boy it had always seemed to me that we were a top club by right and would always remain one, so the gradual decline after those marvellous years, which was also influenced by the abolition of the maximum wage in about 1961, was hard to come to terms with but once the connection is made no matter what are the results, that`s it, they remain in your heart for the rest of your life.