He once wrote about painting Borough Park during a journalists strike in the mid to late 1970s. Looking at the stadium, you can only think he was a much better writer than painter….
And he was an excellent writer. He was an evangelist for a sport that needs them, but always approached the game with a sense of humour. Was rugby league correspondent for the Independent during the 90s and 2000s.
And as South Stand says, he trained and even played for Blackpool Boroughs reserve team. He told a story that after a few pints one day he returned to Borough Park and was told that the reserve team was a player short. So he said he would play.
He packed down and found he was up against Jim Mills the fearsome Welsh prop who was on the way back after injury or quite possibly a suspension. Mills caught the alcohol whiff and went “let’s just take it steady, shall we? Dave Hadfield wrote that he took his advice..
