I ENTERED MY FAVOURITE PLAYERS AND NAMED WHO I THOUGHT TO BE THE BEST MANAGER.
AS THE MEMORIES CAME FLOODING BACK, I DECIDED TO TRY AND FIND OUT A BIT ABOUT SOME OF THOSE OLD PLAYERS AND WHAT THEY ARE DOING NOW.
THE FIRST ONE I CHOSE WAS GOALKEEPER 'JIMMY ROLLO'-JIMMY PLAYED FOR US IN OUR MIDLAND LEAGUE DAY'S OF THE 1960's.
HE WAS, AND PROBARBLY STILL IS A LARGER THAN LIFE CHARACTER, AND HE ALWAYS HAD PLENTY TO SAY WHILE PLAYING. HE WAS EVERYONE'S FAVOURITE AT THE OLD "ATHLETIC GROUND" BACK THEN.
JIMMY WAS BORN LESS THAN 50 MILES FROM JOHN O' GROATS AND WAS A BAKER/CONFECTIONER BY TRADE.
HE SIGNED AS A PRO' GOALKEEPER FOR OLDHAM ATHLETIC IN 1960 AND REMAINED AT BOUNDARY PARK UNTIL 1963, HE HAD STIFF OPPOSITION FOR FIRST TEAM APPEARENCES FROM TWO OTHER OUTSTANDING GOALKEEPERS JOHN HARDIE AND JOHNNY BOLLAND. IN HIS THIRD SEASON WHICH WAS ALSO ATHLETIC'S PROMOTION SEASON JIMMY MADE ONLY 10 FIRST TEAM APPEARENCES, HE EVENTUALLY LEFT AND PLAYED FOR SOUTHPORT AND BRADFORD BEFORE JOINING SCARBOROUGH TOWARDS THE END OF THE DECADE.
I REMEMBER HIM WELL, EVEN THOUGH HE WAS'NT AT THE CLUB FOR TOO LONG A PERIOD OF TIME, HE WAS A GREAT CHARACTER, I WONDER HOW MANY OTHER FANS REMEMBER HIM.
UNFORTUNATELY IN LATER LIFE JIMMY DID NOT HAVE THE BEST OF LUCK, HE LOST HIS RIGHT LEG IN AN ACCIDENT IN 1989, BUT HE DID MAKE A REMARKABLE RECOVERY AND MOVED BACK TO HIS NATIVE SCOTLAND.
WHEN HE REGAINED HIS STRENGTH HE DECIDED TO TRAVEL THE WORLD, BUT MORE BAD LUCK WAS TO HAMPER JIMMY AS HE SUFFERED A MINOR STROKE IN 2004 WHICH RESULTED IN HIM LOSING HIS EYESIGHT.
THIS MUST HAVE BEEN VERY DIFFICULT FOR A SPORTSMAN LIKE JIMMY TO COME TO TERMS WITH, BUT COME TO TERMS WITH IT HE DID AND ACCORDING TO HIS DAUGHTER HE IS STRONG IN SPIRIT AND BUSY KEEPING HIS TWO GRANDAUGHTERS MESMERISED WITH HIS STORIES.
GOOD LUCK JIMMY AND THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES......
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