Yes you are correct WS1. The head was a chess player-in fact he insisted that all first year pupils had a chess lesson which he personally took. I think this is how he recognized me walking passed the school that day. My recollections of his name are obvs not as good as the actual incident itself which took my parents aback.
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WalsallOne
I think it was Mr Kipping…a chess player of some renown who founded Chess Clubs in Walsall and Woverhampton. I went to Joseph Leckie and was in the Chess team and our Deputy Head,Joe Sturrock, wanted us to beat Wednesbury High more than anyone else mainly because he and Kipping were good friends and chess fanatics. Sorry to go off topic but I thought you might be interested in that bit of history.
Joe Sturrock was my headmaster at Bluecoat. I left in 1967, always wondered what he did after that.
His was Deputy Head at Leckie then became Headmaster at Blue Coat in the early sixties. I am not sure when he retired but when my eldest daughter went to Blue Coat in 1982 he had been replaced. In the seventies I spoke to him a few times in my role as a Personnel Officer. He was good man I thought who I respected.
A good man as you say. Met him on several occasions as I was at Whitehall primary and QM with his son. They had moved from Oldham to live in Delves Green Road probably why his son had no interest in football.
Following on from the school cap rule and Mr Kipping several pupils at QM including Jan Webster were in big trouble for playing soccer outside of school which was of course Rugby only at that time.
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1st Saddlers game was Rotherham United 0-1 Walsall, 11 January 1969 - Geoff Morris scored.
1st game at Fellows Park was Walsall 0-0 Tranmere Rovers 27 Sep 1969 - Phil Parkes was in goal
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September 1967, won 3-2 vs Swindon. I think that was it, either then or a couple of weeks earlier. Definitely start of that season though. Played some great football and I thought this was how would always be…
I had a few seasons where Dad took me to the reserves, which was great fun. At that time, the score from the first team game was given over the tannoy every 15 minutes.
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https://www.pressreader.com/uk/black-country-bugle/20190116/282024738435075
Wednesbury Boy’s High School became Wood Green comp - where I went (mid 70s - early 80s). The headmaster there when I started was Mr Cosham who was another chess fanatic (think he was a member of Cannock Chess Club) and a very big fan of Kipping. He was generally a bit remote from the students and we didn’t see much of him, but he knew me by name as I was Board 1 and Chess Captain for 4 years after one of the teacher’s set up a school team during my 4th year.
Congratulations on being Captain. I never reached those dizzy heights but played for the Leckie team for 2 years before I left at 16. I then joined Walsall Kipping Chess Club where I played for one of the minor teams for a couple of years before I realised that to get on I needed some qualifications so some day release and 3 nights a week studying took priority! I haven’t played much chess since although it is a wonderful game.
Thank you for the info on J C Sturrock (he signed my school reports using his initials…still have them).
Though I deserved the strap many times, I was only caught once and he delivered!
I remember that game !
First game April 1979 Oxford at home . Lost 1-0 and were relegated that season a few weeks later . I was 5 but the bug bit and there was no turning back .
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Can’t exactly remember very 1st game but was there the day Alan Baker got his career ending injury, my dad reckons he was best player he saw at Walsall. First game i remember was FA cup v Spurs in 1969 i think, sure Jimmy Greaves got the only goal.,?
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Hi mate welcome back 
Lost password again , registered again now, got ticket for Orient Saturday,
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Dad started taking me to FP in 1977, when I was a 6 y/old. I don’t remember who we played at my 1st game however there is 1 thing from the 77/78 season that has stuck in my mind:
Towards the end of that season the team regularly ran out to THE hit single of the time; Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty. Every time I hear this song my mind goes straight back to FP, the mighty Saddlers & a very young me standing on the terraces with dad.
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Ray Graydon played for Oxford that day.
I always remember us running out to Portsmouth by Mike Oldfield, bit of an odd choice really.
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Me too. And going home to another odd choice, “The Piper” by Abba.
I was there!
My first game was at Fellows Park in March (ish) 1985, Walsall 0-1 Doncaster or Darlington, completely forgettable as more or less erased from memory who we were playing.
I was very luck in the first full 3 seasons of watching Walsall at Fellows Park
W D L F A
85/86 - 15 7 1 59 23
86/87 - 16 4 3 50 27
87/87 - 15 6 2 39 22
Total - 46 17 6 148 72
Its actually laughable 
We lost only 6 in 69 games in 3 seasons 
No wonder Im always disappointed
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We never actually ran out to it but I recall hearing Don’t Walk Away Renee by the Four Tops being played regularly at half time at FP. I’m reminded of FP whenever I hear it, along with the Bovril in a polystyrene cup, a huge bag of plain crisps and a steaming hot meat and potato pie.
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