- The day the King of Afghanistan came to watch County at Edgeley Park Archived Message
Posted by zalby57
on 7/6/2020, 9:20 pm
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I posted this on t`other board a few days back, so here it is again for those who havent seen it - a true tale aswell. 6.30 pm on an early November Friday night in 1980, the mayors car arrived at an average crescent house on Bridge Hall Estate to pick up the guest that had been visiting that day. Amid twitching curtains, the driver got out donned his cap and knocked on the door which my Dad answered. "I`ve come to collect your guest and take him to his hotel" said the driver. " Feck the hotel" replied my Dad, " he`s coming to the match with me", and with that disappeared inside only to re-emerge with his guest. In a genuine display of friendship my Dad put his arm around his guests shoulder and looked at the driver " We`re going to County". Perplexed, the driver stepped back and said " I`ll have to drive you". My Dad rubbed his hands excitedly "Jeez we`ll be like royalty". (if only he knew). then the two men, both wearing County scarves made their way to the car and climbed in ready to be transported to Edgeley park for my Dads Friday night fix of his beloved County. After being dropped off in the club car park, both men made their way along Hardcastle Road passing the directors entrance when my Dad grabbed his guest by the arm and veered away from the ground , through the back alleyways on Worral St , over Mercian Way and onto Castle St where my Dad introduced his guest to The Windsor Castle pub. "Two pints of bitter" my Dad ordered, and despite protests that he didn`t drink my Dad insisted his guest sample a pint of Wilsons finest bitter saying, " Get it down ye, ye can`t go to County without first having a pint. Slainte" and proceeded to sup his pint, his guest tentatively sipping his. After finishing their pints the two men headed off to the ground stopping to buy a programme each from the seller outside the telescope shop on Mercian Way, then paid their money at the turnstile and made their way along the railway end and onto the pop side where my Dad took up his usual position about a dozen steps from the front and level with the railway end penalty area. "look at that " said me Dad with outstretched palms, " a view fit for a King". (If only he knew). The match ended bang on time at 10 past 9 County had beaten Doncaster 2-1 with both goals from Bob Mountford. My Dad and his guest left the ground and were collected as arranged in the club car park and driven back to Bridge Hall where, after handshakes and farewells, my Dad was dropped off before the guest was driven away to his hotel, the two men never to meet again. So who was this mysterious guest and how did he come to be visiting Bridge Hall? Around that time my Mam and Dad were heavily involved in community projects on Bridge Hall, they were members of the Social Club Committee ( not at the same time though), they helped set up the estate school nursery, they instigagted the pensioners drop in centre and were also hugely responsible for instigating a benefits check office within the school. Because of this community work they had a great deal of dealings with an up and coming Labour Mp Ms Ann Coffey. She liked my Mam and Dad, got to know them well and regularly popped round for a cup of tea and a slice of buttered fruit soda bread. Ms Coffey was given the charge of looking after an important overseas guest for a few days and after showing him the sights and interesting places in the town, suggested he might like to meet a humble local family. The international guest agreed and so plans were set in motion for Ms Coffey to bring the guest to my Mam and Dads house for afternoon tea. After a hearty plate of Irish Stew followed by some homemade buttered fruit Soda Bread washed down with a mug of tea, Ms Coffey left early to attend to some constituency business leaving the guest with my parents with instructions that he would be collected by the mayors car that evening. 6 weeks later Ms Coffey popped round to my parents house for one of her regular brews, but this time she was on an official visit. She handed my Mam an envelope with "House of Commons" heading on. Inside was a hand signed typed letter to my parents from "KASHEM of the BARAKZAI DYNASTY of AFGHANISTAN" , thanking them for their hospitality a few weeks earlier and went on to wish them well for the forthcoming Christmas time. The letter, headed in Royal green italic lettering was hand signed by Kashem, and was headed "KING HASSAN of AFGHANISTAN" A true tale of the day the King of Afghanistan visited County, I still have the letter in my possessions. |