Selkirk and Manchester City team up to remember Bobby Johnstone

David Knox • Published 30 May 2010 16:09 Comments 1 Comment

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SELKIRK enjoyed a Manchester City invasion at the weekend.

And the Lancashire guests left behind a lasting reminder of their trip by helping raise around £6,000 for charity - and present a memorabilia display to a footballer they all admired.

City's Life President Bernard Halford was guest speaker at a dinner in Selkirk Rugby Club on Saturday evening - where around £3,000 was raised for both Macmillan and Parkinsons charities.

And the following day, over the fence at Yarrow Park, he handed over a framed reminder of his great friend Bobby Johnstone to officials from the town's football club.

The secretary of Manchester City for 37 years had won a bidding war at a Burns Supper charity auction in January at the City of Manchester Stadium - paying £400 for the framed memorabilia.

Halford was secretary of Oldham Athletic when Johnstone signed in 1961 - and a life-long friendship between the pair was born.

He was accompanied by his wife Karen and a party of friends that included author John Leigh, who wrote Johnstone's biography three years ago.

As he unveiled the framed memorabilia, which included a cover of Leigh's book The Passing of Time and programmes from all of Johnstone's clubs, Hibernian, Manchester City, Oldham and Workington Town, he said: "I sadly never came up to Selkirk when Bobby was alive - but this is my third visit in recent times. I've been up with the team twice before this weekend.

"Bobby is not only revered at Manchester City but also at Oldham - 42,000 people went to see Oldham play against Liverpool when Bobby played. That was the impact he had.

"I've seen many great players but I'm glad to say I had a genius as a personal friend. It's marvellous to see that he is being remembered in his own town."

Halford arrived with Manchester City in 2003 to officially open the Bobby Johnstone Pavilion at Yarrow Park.

And he recalled another Selkirk friend he made during that trip. He added: "It is sad that Graham Bateman can't be here today. When I met Graham seven years ago we started talking about Bobby and he started to cry. I almost started crying myself.

"Selkirk is a special place and you have such a wonderful club - I really can't wait to come back again."

During the weekend trip, the Manchester party also visited a recently finished street, Bobby Johnstone Green, named after the 17-times capped inside forward.

Another framed gift - with photos and a programme from a tournament in Brazil where Bobby played for Hibs, was also handed over to officials at Yarrow Park from Evening News football writer Keith Anderson.

Anderson, who is a former Selkirk player, told Sunday's reception: "I'm proud to be from Selkirk. And I'm proud that when growing up at Knowepark School and in the playground we all wanted to be Bobby Johnstone.

"The only time I did see Bobby play was at Ancrum Fives when he came with the Famous Five from Hibs.

"They just walked about and easily reached the final against Ancrum. Being the type of players they were, they let Ancrum win their own tournament."

The last word of Sunday's dribble down memory lane was left to Selkirk's latest Life Member Jackson Cockburn. He told the guests: "I got to know Bobby really well in the 1990s - he would often come down to Ettrick Park on a Saturday morning where I would have up to 100 kids for coaching.

"I don't think the kids would believe me that this wee old man played for all these great clubs. They did eventually take it in that this was a superstar.

"I'm glad that he's getting all the recognition now that he deserves. If Bobby had been a rugby player and achieved what he did there would probably be a statue of him in the Market Place."

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Jim Whitworth
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Jun 1, 19:23
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Bobby scored the second goal on my first visit to Maine Road. Don Revie got the first against Blackpool in Sept1955. We loved Bobby Johnstone. I mention inside forwards and the kids today haven't a clue what you are talking about. Had we had Bobby in the season just gone we would have finished better than fifth.

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