As the dust settles on Tony Mowbray’s dismissal at The Hawthorns, and we all try to digest what has happened….I will now try and piece together special moments on a day, when talking about the football, or lack of it, is probably left for others. I want to remember the day prior to the match against Derby County finished.
It was a very poignant meeting up of course with Tony in the dressing room before the game, the ‘Boss’ arriving to have, in his words, “A quiet time” I was just lucky and privileged to be able to chat to him, and as always found him to be the charming, and charismatic man he has always been. How lucky was I?…..Catching up with Jacko, Dan, Curtis, Mick and Dave, the dressing room ‘gang’ is always one of the highlights of any trip to The Hawthorns on a match day.
Nigel Quashie, Martyn Bennett and Mark Grew were on match day duties in the East stand and Richardson Suite, where I also bumped into the Foundation squad recently back from Petra.
Also, and perhaps most importantly, a very special visitor to the Regis Suite was former player Dennis Martin, who scored two goals in 23 appearances for Albion between 1967 and 1970, eventually leaving for Carlisle United where he went on to make a staggering 275 appearances for the Cumbrians, scoring 48 goals and helping Carlisle to gain promotion to Division One in 1974. Former Players Chairman Ray Wilson was on hand to present Dennis with his cap, on behalf of the club and the association, and Dennis also found time to engage with very happy Albion fans, waiting to see him at the Press Room door.
Graham Harbey, Ally Robertson, Geoff Snape and Norman Westbury made up the rest of the Former Players contingent, with Dennis taking time out for a catch up with Tony Brown.
Included in this post are some special photos of Press Room Stewards Hannah Vincent and Mick Vincent’s son and grandson ‘JJ’ who was a mascot on the day, and I have included a few photos of, for me the true hero of the day standing pitch side, sadly for the very last time. As I said in my previous post, We will miss you Tony, thank you for your graciousness and humility. WE all wish you well, and I personally look forward to sitting down with you researching YOUR book, indeed OUR book, “When we were Champions”