Published: 06/09/2007 00:00

Robbie's days - as a Rover

WE'VE RECEIVED a terrific reply from Robbie Bennett of Codsall regarding the feature we published on Sedgley Rovers a few weeks ago.

"What a great story you have put together about Mick Jones and Sedgley Rovers," he writes, "and you were spot on describing the club as an institution."

Robbie has many happy memories from his time representing Rovers on the football pitch and was even more chuffed to see the pictures we published alongside the story. He continues:

"What a bonus it was to see the action shots taken from Mick's collection. In the first part of the story I'm the Rovers' player winning the tackle, and the following week I was frozen in time rounding the goalkeeper and slotting the ball into an empty net. Needless to say there is nothing to beat the tremendous feeling of scoring a goal, as fellow footie players will undoubtedly agree. I recall that day really well. Photographers from a local camera club were in attendance, and a week or two later the whole team went to see an exhibition of their work, with Sedgley Rovers F. C. taking centre stage. I also appear in the team photo published in the first part of the story; second on the right of the front row.

"Last but not least, I mustn't forget to mention our goalie Barry Gorman, who appeared in one of the pictures with the caption, 'if in doubt give it a clout.' Barry was a work mate of mine and it was he who recommended me to the Rovers all those years ago.

Walsall

"I joined the Rovers along with Barry Gorman in 1975. He had taken me under his wing, as they say, when we were both working at Delta Rods on the Bilston Road, Monmore Green. I had been fortunate to sign for Walsall Football Club when I was 16 and played in their youth team, but without going into great detail I made the decision to leave. During my time at Walsall I can recall being promoted from the youth (3rd team) at very short notice, into what was probably the reserve team, but I can't remember the fixtures I played in. Barry was a stalwart of local amateur football, and fair play to him, along with other work mates he tried to get me to change my mind, but to no avail.

Whitmore

"After a couple of years he talked me into joining him at Whitmore Old Boys for season 1973/74, whereupon I had the honour of becoming their Player of the Year and tasting defeat in the cup final. The following season Barry was joining Sedgley Rovers and again he took me along. We had a great season, winning division one of the Wolverhampton Amateur League, and after settling down I found the set-up at Rovers was fantastic. By now we had another mate from Delta Rods tagging along. His name was Fred Lambert and he proved to be a loyal supporter, attending every game and all the weekly meetings. I managed to finish my first season as top goal scorer, and as well as celebrating promotion I had also been selected for "pick of the league" status. The following season the Rovers ruffled a few feathers in the premier division, and I had also established myself in the Wolverhampton Amateur League representative side.

"I left the Rovers after numerous approaches from higher league clubs, and eventually accepted an offer from Alan Wakeman at Bilston Town Football Club. I will have to rephrase that last line. In fact I had to dragged away from the Rovers screaming and shouting, and at the end of the day playing in a higher league was a formidable challenge I could not refuse. But Rovers had meant the world to me, and it was during that summer close-season on holiday in Devon that I felt more attached to the club than ever. Walking around Torbay I wore a specially made red vest with the words Sedgley Rovers printed across the front. I proudly puffed my chest out that summer and felt great wearing it as much as I could.

"It was Mr Wakeman who reported in the Saturday night 'pink' that I was obviously happy at Sedgley. He turned up at my in-laws' house when I was at a meeting in Sedgley and had a persuasive word with my wife and her parents. A later report stated that Mr Wakeman 'had got his man.' My time at Sedgley Rovers, no matter how brief in terms of its history, was very special, and I look back on those times with great fondness. They were more than an amateur football club, they were an institution."

Robbie remembers his time with the Rovers in a very special way and we are delighted to publish a poem he has penned about the time he spent at his beloved club.