The Rain and Spain in 1982

As the 1978 World Cup came to an end, I was to embark on the next stage of my journey through life – to university. Having studied economics in the Sixth Form at Arthur Mellows Village College, my ten minute chat with a school ‘careers adviser’ had concluded that I should continue with the subject at college so that the adviser could then continue to top up his tan outside.

My two UCCA selections were universities at Leeds and Newcastle. Though Tim was keen that I chose Newcastle so that he could at least come and stay in the same Post Code area as St James’ Park, I chose Leeds so that I would at least get to see the football team twice a month.

Although I was looking forward to getting away from Glinton, which now seemed to me to be quite small and insular, I was sad to see Mum and Dad head off down Woodhouse Lane having dropped off my record collection and me at Devonshire Hall near Hyde Park Corner, which would be my home for the first year. Dad was quite positive about it all. I thought he was putting on a brave face for me but realise now that he was anxious to start his new life with just Mum and himself, his children now being out of his sight.

As always, Leeds United came to my rescue and I was able to watch my first match – a 3.1 win against West Brom from the enclosure of the old Lowfields Stand. Only Paul Madeley and Trevor Cherry remained from the ‘Revie team’ with Eddie Gray joining in occasionally. However Tony Currie, Arthur Graham and Brian Flynn entertained me throughout my time in Leeds. Currie, the greatest showman I had seen since Pele in Mexico in 1970, scored a wonderful goal against Southampton that curved into the goal at the Kop end, where I was to watch most of the Leeds games, and it matched my new found confidence in life on my own as opposed to just being alone.

A girlfriend called Helen came and went and I began a friendship with Tim’s cousin, Elizabeth, who was studying in Aberystwyth but planned to come to Leeds to do her postgraduate teaching course. She was to become my second real love, after Leeds United, and my first lover. I watched the first World Cup game from her house in Leeds as Bryan Robson scored for England against the French after just 27 seconds.

After finishing my degree I spent some time working in libraries in Peterborough before taking up an MSC course in Information Science in Sheffield where I would go after the 1982 World Cup. I found it difficult being at home again after three years away and, though my mother made me feel as welcome as ever, I know that my father was just waiting for me to leave again. Old acquaintances from school were working now and Tim had a girlfriend, Carol, and so spent most of his time at her house in Northborough, just down the road from where my Grandfather had died six years earlier.

I did strike up a good friendship with Carol’s brother, Nigel, and we watched some of the World Cup games together including the famous Northern Ireland victory over the hosts and also the debacle of Germany and Austria’s new Anshluss.

After twelve years, I was really looking forward to seeing England play in a World Cup tournament again. In fact they’d made it as difficult as possible for themselves to qualify again, but a fantastic Trevor Brooking goal in Hungary had sealed it. I really needed this at the time as Leeds United had gone into a gradual decline and were relegated a year after I left the city which I missed so much and had felt such a part of.

Although England didn’t lose to either West Germany or the host nation, they didn’t win either and so were punished for not scoring enough goals. The West German goalkeeper – Schumacher – was not punished for flattening the French defender, Battiston, in their semi-final game and West Germany eventually got to the final after the first ever World Cup penalty shoot-out. Paolo Rossi had served his punishment for his part in the Italian match-fixing scandal and so played with freedom, scoring six goals to help Italy win their third World Cup, to match Brazil’s record.

The Brazil team including Zico, Socrates and Falcao were the best team from that country I had seen since 1970 and played an exciting attacking game full of South American promise that was only halted by Italian defensive organisation and hard work.

As I was about to embark on a career which would involve the organisation of data and hard work I wondered if my creative flair was already behind me and whether, like England or Leeds United, I was facing a wilderness or my wildest dreams.

See also:

1978: http://sportales.com/soccer/i-cried-but-not-for-argentina-in-1978/   

1974: http://sportales.com/soccer/by-the-1974-world-cup-i-had-grown-but-we-had-declined/  

1970: http://sportales.com/soccer/the-1970-world-cup-the-end-of-a-golden-age/   

1966: http://sportales.com/soccer/i-was-six-in-1966-and-thought-the-world-cup-was-just-for-fun/  

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