Back in 2011 the club received an email from Michael Thompson the son of a former Town midfield player, Alf Thompson (pictured opposite). Michael had been browsing the Town website and had spotted his dad pictured alongside his Town team mates, including Bert Trautmann, in a photograph which dated back to the late 1940’s. His initial inquiry was simply ‘did we have any further details of his dad’s time at Town’.

Club Secretary Jeff Voller was able to trawl the club’s archives and we were able to furnish Michael with his dad’s playing record which is detailed below and the club thought it would be an ideal opportunity to recount in brief the story of a man who served the new Town club in those early post-war years and who continued to follow the club for the remainder of the 20th Century.

Alf was born at Christmas (24th December) 1919 and eventually went to work, like many, in the mining industry. His work at Bold Colliery, which co-incidentally overlooked Town’s former Hoghton Road home, spanned the war years and beyond until he retired in the early 1980s. He was married to Winifred Bernadette Griffin at Holy Cross Church St Helens on 20th April 1946 and four children followed: Paul, now 65; Michael, 61; Mark, 56 and Mary born on Christmas Day 1960.

Alf, a fine midfield player, made his Town debut in a 0-1 FA Cup Preliminary Round reverse at home to Prescot Cables on the 20th September 1947. He was to open his scoring account on the 13th December the same year in a 2-1 league defeat at UGB and he went on to play almost sixty times for the club during the 1947-48 and 1948-49 season scoring five goals. During this time Alf represented the club in the FA Cup, League Cup, Lancashire Junior Cup and LCFA Challenge Cup.

During the email conversations with Michael it became apparent that Alf had been a much sought player. Michael recalled that his mother had told him that Sunderland FC had wanted to sign his dad, but after much deliberation he decided it would have been a move too far from home. During the Second World War years Alf guested for Liverpool, playing opposite wing half to Bob Paisley whom he got to know quite well, before eventually settling at St Helens Town

Unfortunately, illness curtailed Alf’s football career in 1951 and following a breakdown he was to fall into severe bouts of depression during which much of his playing memorabilia was discarded. Alf was to never make a full recovery and was reluctant to talk about his playing career. His sporting ability was to continue in other forms as he played cricket into his forties in the St Helens League and was regarded a talented snooker player.

Sadly, Alf passed away on the 24th May 1999 aged 79 but Michael recalls, “Dad had a real love for Liverpool and Town which lasted until his death and he would follow their respective results avidly.

“While Dad never really recovered from his illness some of my happiest memories were watching Town at Hoghton Road and their famous FA Vase Wembley win in his company.

“I remember the mid to late 1960s going with dad to exotic locations such as Droylsden, Padiham and Horwich RMI – happy days indeed!”

The club have been able to supply Michael with an electronic copy of the Town photograph he’d spotted on the website as his only item of memorabilia was the original newspaper cutting of the same. The club were also able to provide him with a copy of the match programme from Bert Trautmann’s final St Helens Town game which saw his dad play against Bangor City in the FA Cup.

Michael added, “The programme and my dad’s playing statistics helped to fill in a lot of blank spaces in his career and his life. Dad would be tickled pink to think that he’s still remembered all these years on.”