The publication of Tony Evans Walks on Water on the weekend prompted Paul Williams , who has contributed to the Feedback section on here in the past, to contact me about his memories of pre season training with the City squad in the summer of 1975. Here’s what he had to say:
“A few weeks later, out of the blue there came a call, a personal call no less, from the then manager (head coach) Jimmy Andrews. He introduced himself in his soft, dulcet Scottish tones and asked me if I’d like to join the pre-season training, with the first team squad no less, who were just back together at the beginning for the 75-76 season.
So, barely able to believe what was happening, one sunny morning in early mid July my Dad dropped me off at the Guest Keen Sports Club, just down the road from Ninian Park, where the players were assembled. I went there every day for about a month and it was one of the single most amazing experiences of my life. There I was kicking a ball around and hanging out for a whole month with my heroes! These were the very players I cheered on every other week at home games, some of whose pics had been on my bedroom wall the whole time I was growing up.
I’d got there mid-morning and someone greeted me at the door and showed me around, where to change etc and gave me a locker. He then took me out onto the fields, where the players were going through their paces. I saw Jimmy Andrews was there, not 30 yards away. I saw his back first, he was talking with a couple of assistant coaches by the looks. The guy was ushering me in his direction and I realised I was about to meet him. He turned around and looked blankly at me at first, then once I said my name a big smile broke across his face and he shook my hand warmly and welcomed me along. ‘Ah, so you’re the goalkeeper’, he said.
He asked if I knew where everything was, I said yes, and he told me to go get changed, which I duly did. There was something dreamlike and utterly unreal about the whole scenario. It turned out there were only three non-first teamers there that month, of which I was one. The other two were kids about my age, but they didn’t seem interested in chatting and I never got to know who they were. They were gone after the first week anyway though, so for the most of that month only I remained.
All the familiar faces were there, but there were some unfamiliar ones too, which surprised me since as a big fan I thought I knew all the players. At lunch that first day I was sitting on my own at a table in the cafeteria when a guy I didn’t recognise wandered up with his tray, caught my eye and asked if he could sit down. He looked a little lost and I was only too glad of the company, so I at once said yes. ‘Is is your first day?’ he asked me. When I replied it was, he said ‘Mine too’.
Chatting there over lunch, he told me he’d just been released by Blackpool and was on two weeks trial, and that he was a striker. He seemed surprised to hear I was just 16 and still in school. He confessed he was nervous about whether it was going to work out for him at Cardiff but said that he was going to give it very best shot. And that he certainly did. It turned out to be Tony Evans, and he became a Cardiff legend that season, going on to score nearly 50 goals in four very successful years at the club.
He was about to form a very exciting and effective striking partnership with Australian international Adrian Allston and between them their goals fired Cardiff back into Division 2 that year. We shared a special bond after that, even though we didn’t see all that much of each other from then on, and it always made me feel chuffed that none other than Tony Evans had latched onto me at lunch on that first day.”
Thanks very much Paul – much appreciated.
