It was one of the most magical matches in the history of Highland football.
So it’s hardly surprising that the ‘Wizard of the Dribble’ Stanley Matthews was among the sporting legends who cast the biggest spell during a special VE celebration game in the unlikely setting of Clachnacuddin FC’s Grant Park 75 years ago this week.
George Rodgers, who was a ball boy at the once-in-a-lifetime occasion – which attracted a remarkable 7,500 spectators who packed into the club’s little stadium – has spoken about his memories of watching the talismanic Matthews, his England compatriot, Stan Mortensen, and Scotland’s Bill Shankly, the fabled Liverpool manager, who were all involved in the action in the Highland capital.
And the Invernessian, who was just nine when the war in Europe ended, said he had never forgotten the details of the contest, which was held on Saturday May 19 1945 between an RAF National XI and a Queen’s Park select, with the former emerging as emphatic 5-1 winners.
The forces team featured several stellar luminaries, but nobody glittered more than ‘The Magician’ who later helped Blackpool win the FA Cup with a magnificent personal performance in the Matthews Final of 1953.
In 1956, he won the inaugural Ballon d’Or, the prize given to the best European footballer every year and, despite his career being interrupted by the Second World War, amassed 54 caps for England and played in two World Cup in 1950 and 1954.
Mr Rodgers, 84, said: “It was such an exciting afternoon and to be on the touchline watching Stanley Matthews was a huge thrill.
“He was quick, he could do anything with a football, and he was so quick-witted and imaginative that it was hardly surprising such a huge crowd came to watch him.
“A few of the RAF lads were based up in the north of Scotland, and that helps explain why the game was held at Grant Park, but there was a wonderful atmosphere around the town and everybody was still on a high from the VE Day celebrations.
“The result of the match wasn’t important, but to be there to watch Matthews, and Stan Mortensen and other big names such as Bill Shankly and (former Scotland manager) Bobby Brown was a wonderful thing for the audience.
“They packed into every corner of the ground and it wouldn’t be allowed today with the health and safety regulations. But we all watched and marvelled – and we sang and cheered every time Matthews and Mortensen were on the ball.”
Mr Rodgers, whose father, George Senior, was a distinguished footballer in his own right and paraded his talents with London powerhouses Chelsea, was too young to have early memories of blackouts and bomb shelters, but vividly recalled the “big bonfire in front of our street” on VE Day.
And, by the stage the top-flight players arrived in the Highland capital, he was already passionate about the sport and might have followed in his dad’s footsteps to England if he hadn’t been so dedicated to his roots.
He added: “I grew up in and around the Clach club and although I served with the RAF in Egypt, and was offered the chance to sign for Newcastle, I couldn’t wait to return to Inverness and I got married at 22.
PICTURES: ‘Catastrophic damage’ as firefighters tackle blaze at Highland League football stadium
“We won a lot of medals in the years after that and I was made a few offers by other Highland League teams, but Clach was the club for me.
“I was approached by Inverness Thistle and I suppose I could have earned more in one season than I did in 15 at Grant Park.
“But the money wasn’t why I played football.
“And I have always cherished the time Stanley Matthews showed us just how good he was in our very own stadium.”
The magic of Matthews for just £50 a game
The Englishman was one of the first footballers to be knighted, and achieved many records during his brilliant career, but his shining moment came in the dramatic climax to the 1953 FA Cup final at Wembley.
He and his colleagues were just 20 minutes away from defeat with his team 3-1 down to Bolton. But then, his dazzling footwork carved out the last two goals of a hat-trick for Stan Mortensen, and Matthews subsequently set up the winner for Bill Perry with 20 seconds left of a pulsating contest.
Despite Mortensen’s treble, it was a game which has always been remembered as the Matthews final.
At his 80th birthday celebrations in 1995 – he died in 2000 – the former England captain Jimmy Armfield praised his sublime skills and unstinting sportsmanship.
He said: “You could kick him and you could do anything with him and he would never retaliate because he wanted to concentrate on his football.
“He was the perfect example of self-discipline. I never remember a referee speaking to him once – and he didn’t speak to them either.”
Matthews was a crowd-pleaser to generations and helped attract what remains a British record crowd of 149,547 fans to Hampden Park in Glasgow in 1937.
But, astonishingly for those who follow football these days, he never earned more than £50 a week, plus £25-a-game bonus.
Shankly was a force of nature and a hero to the Kop
This redoubtable Scot transformed the whole ethos at Liverpool, combining superb man-management and tactical acumen with such immortal quotes as: “Football’s not a matter of life and death – it’s much more important than that”.
Between his appointment at Anfield in 1959 and his retirement 15 years later, he transformed a struggling club, stuck in the lower ranks of the Second Division, into the finest team of its generation, winning three First Division titles, two FA Cups, a Second Division title and the UEFA Cup.
While he was in charge at Huddersfield, his infectious personality and knack of developing outstanding youngsters, such as Denis Law, got him noticed by bigger clubs.
In November 1959, Shankly was approached by two men with a proposition which changed everything in English football for the next 30 years.
One was Tom Williams, the Liverpool chairman, and the other Harry Latham, a director.
“How would you like to manage the best club in the country?” asked Williams.
“Why?”, replied Shankly.
“Is Matt Busby packing it in?”
Just a few days later, he was unveiled as Liverpool’s new manager and the rest is history.
The big-name stars who thrilled north of Scotland crowds
There was no shortage of leading players who were prepared to show their skills around the north-east and the Highlands during the last 12 months of the war in Europe.
A British Army team launched an extensive tour at Dens Park, Dundee, on August 5 1944 and subsequently embarked on a taxing schedule to a variety of communities before they finished their endeavours in Inverness.
George Graham, secretary of the SFA, arranged the fixtures and the team included the likes of future Manchester United manager Matt Busby, accompanied by other internationalists, such as Archie McAulay, Jock Kirton and Frank Swift.
The army personnel participated in the following programme:
August 5 v Dundee, on behalf of Lord Provost’s Fund for War Charities
August 7 v Aberdeen, for the Army Welfare Fund
August 8 v Fraserburgh
August 9 v Elgin
August 10 v Fort George
August 12 v Inverness
The last four games of the tour were organised to benefit prisoners of war funds.
And, once the conflict was finally over, a range of other matches were arranged as part of the victory celebrations throughout Britain, culminating in the Victory Internationals in 1946.
Clachnacuddin are trying to rebuild from the ashes
Highland League club Clachnacuddin are still trying to recover from a fire which caused catastrophic damage at its stadium just before Christmas last year.
The club admitted it faces a major refurbishment project to fix the damage and, prior to the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, had started playing games at Highland RFC.
But, in the longer term, chairman Alex Chisholm is determined to ensure Clach’s return to the home which has been their base for more than a century.
He said: “The club have been in contact with the SHFL and will continue to keep them updated on what will now become a major repair and refurbishment project.
“The club is now contacting the various bodies and organisations who will be involved in this major project.
“This is a huge setback, but we will be back on our feet and will continue to ensure the club continues as a cornerstone of the community and football in Inverness and the Highlands.”
If you or any of your family members were at the Queen’s Park versus RAF match at Grant Park in 1945, please share your memories by contacting neil.drysdale@ajl.co.uk
