Southern League Legends (Part Two)

More players who are legends of the league.

In 1965/66, Barnet turned semi-professional and were switched from the Athenian League, where they had just won the title for the sixth time, to the Southern League First Division.

Before the season started, manager Dexter Adams made two astute signings.

He persuaded LES EASON, then 21, to join from former league rivals Finchley and then acquired amateur international Barrie King from Hitchin Town, who became the first player to sign professional forms for the club.

Eason went on to score 31 goals in his first season as the club won the First Division championship at the first attempt.

He stayed with the Bees until 1974 and, after spending three seasons with Enfield in the Isthmian League, returned to Underhill for the 1977/78 season and finished his career with the club the following campaign, having made 648 appearances for Barnet, scoring 350 goals, making him one of the most prolific scorers in non-League history.

After leaving Barnet in 1979, he spent two seasons at Bishop`s Stortford, then a year with Cheshunt, two at St Albans City and then Kingsbury Town.

In 1985, he joined Mount Grace in the Herts Senior County League under Ronnie Howell and took over from his former Barnet team-mate as player-manager in 1986/87.

He resigned as manager in 1989, having made over 130 appearances and scoring 21 goals, leading the club to its first-ever cup final and guiding them to a highest league position of fourth.

Mount Grace became Potters Bar Town in 1991.

One of the main highlights of Eason`s career with the Bees was the 1972 FA Trophy Final at Wembley against Northern Premier League side Stafford Rangers.

Barnet beat Wigan Athletic 2-1 in the quarter-finals with a brace from Colin Flatt and then a Dick Plume penalty saw them through in the semi-final against holders Telford United.

However, Eason and his side were well beaten 3-0 on the day by a Stafford side who would go on to play in two more finals, winning one and losing one.

CARL HEELEY is a true Worcester City legend, having played 536 games for the club as a player and over 270 games in a management role.

Although his games as a manager and assistant manager were mainly when City were in the Conference North, Heeley has, nevertheless, represented the club in over 800 games.

He joined Worcester as a player in August 1994 under George Rooney establishing himself as centre half after spells with Great Wyrley, Alvechurch, Bilston Town, Dudley Town and Sutton Coldfield Town.

Second in the list of all-time appearances behind Bobby McEwan, Heeley was the last City captain to lift silverware for the club, winning the Southern League Cup in 2001 under John Barton, beating Crawley Town 4-1 on aggregate.

He was appointed manager in January 2010, having previously been the assistant manager and was awarded Vanarama manager of the month for November 2014 following the FA Cup run which also saw a first-ever win away from home over a Football League side after 2-1 win at Coventry City.

DENNIS ROACH`s story after his playing career was a fascinating one.

Roach was signed for Barnet in August 1964 from Hayes by Dexter Adams.

He made his debut in the Athenian League in August 1964 in a 2-2 with Woking.

In his first season, he made 55 appearances scoring just once, helping the club to the Athenian League title and was given a professional contract the following year as the club moved into the Southern League.

He was made club captain and with a further 54 appearances, the team cruised that Southern League Division One campaign in 1965/66.

The team played slick, fast passing football, building up from the back was a new style in the amateur game and most teams could not live with them.

They scored 114 goals in 46 games to win at a canter and Roach was the linchpin of the half-back line.

He featured in 69 games the following season in the Southern Premier scoring 3 goals.

In his final season, he featured in another 67 games scoring one goal for a total of 255 in four years, which in any era is unbelievable.

His final game for Barnet was in a 5-0 defeat at Wimbledon in May 1968.

After leaving Underhill in 1968 he joined Bedford Town until 1972 and he finished his playing career at Hillingdon Borough.

Allegedly, a chance meeting in 1973 while on a family holiday in Portugal he met and got to know the legendary Dutchman Johann Cruyff and it changed his life.

It seems Cruyff was so impressed with his business acumen he persuaded him to help with his future career.

Roach negotiated Cruyff's contract with Barcelona and virtually became a football agent overnight, forming PRO International Ltd which successfully ran until his retirement.

His list of clients is quite amazing including negotiating the first million-pound transfer which took Trevor Francis from Birmingham City to Nottingham Forest.

Terry Venables, Tony Adams, Paul Gascoigne, Glen Hoddle and Harry Redknapp were also on Roach`s books.

It is fair to say he became a controversial figure in a very challenging and high-profile world of football agents, but he was a pioneer and had a significant role in helping to promote the modern players to superstar status.

LEN HARRIS (pictured) is a true Yeovil Town great of the past.

He was part of some of Yeovil’s great FA Cup giant-killing moments during his phenomenal fourteen seasons at The Huish.

The former Crystal Palace centre-half appeared under six managers at Yeovil, from Jimmy Baldwin, who signed the defender, to Mike Hughes.

Harris won a number of trophies in his Glovers' career, including two Southern League Premier Division titles and the Southern League Cup twice before he moved on to play and manage Ilminster Town after making 691 appearances and scoring 26 goals.

RONNIE RADFORD started his footballing career at Sheffield Wednesday and later Leeds United, but did not make a first-team appearance for either club.

He joined Southern League First Division side Cheltenham Town where he was an ever-present in the 1963/64 season.

He spent one season at Southern League Premier Division side Rugby Town before returning to Whaddon Road in 1966 - the Robins were now in the Premier Division.

Fourth Division Newport County then paid £1,500 for him in 1969 and in his first season, he was voted player of the year by the supporters.

He made 68 appearances and scored 7 goals for Newport before returning to the Southern Premier Division with Hereford United.

Radford was a regular in the Hereford midfield and was part of the team that went on that incredible cup run from the Fourth Qualifying Round to the Fourth Round Proper.

He became a household name during that cup run after scoring THAT goal in the Third Round against First Division Newcastle United at Edgar Street which is shown every year when it`s Third Round day!

Hereford eventually finished runners-up in the Southern League and were elected to the Football League.

Radford stayed at Hereford until July 1974, making 61 League appearances with 6 goals.

He became player-manager at Worcester City, then in the Southern League First Division North in 1974 but that lasted barely a season before he was replaced by Nobby Clark.

He later played for Bath City in the Southern Premier and Forest Green Rovers, who were then in the Hellenic League, but an Achilles tendon injury ended his playing career and he moved back to his native Yorkshire.

But Ronnie Radford will always be remembered for one goal on a mud heap recorded for posterity by the BBC and commentated by a young John Motson.

SHAUN O`MEARA enjoyed a terrific career with Bromsgrove Rovers which ended in 1994 with 763 appearances to his name.

The defender had three spells with Bromsgrove, separated by stints with Alvechurch and Stourbridge and then with Worcester City, for whom he played 66 times between 1988 and 1990 before returning to the Victoria Ground.

He helped Rovers to win the Southern Midland Division in 1985/86 and, after finishing second in their first season in the Premier Division, in his testimonial year of 1991/92, O`Meara enjoyed the best season of his career at the age of 35, playing a major part in the club winning the Southern Premier Division title and promotion to the Conference.

When ROY CLAYTON scored Kettering Town`s winning goal in an away match against Redditch United on April 1st, 1978 he became the first-ever player to score 100 goals for the Poppies in Southern League matches.

It was almost inevitable that such a quiet and unassuming man should make his mark in the record books in such a quiet, unassuming way.

The match had little significance except for the two points available and was played in front of only a handful of spectators, as circumstances had caused the venue of the game had to be switched to Stourbridge only hours before kick-off.

To score a century of league goals for one club it is necessary to be fit, loyal and skilful – qualities that Clayton had in abundance.

A team-mate of Ron Atkinson`s at Oxford United, Clayton made 53 appearances in the old Second Division, scoring just 8 times.

Atkinson took over as Kettering`s player-manager in 1971 and immediately guided the Poppies to the First Division North title.

Then, in November 1972, Atkinson persuaded chairman John Nash to part with what was then a substantial £8,000 fee to bring Clayton to Rockingham Road.

Many people, especially Oxford fans, said that Clayton should never have been allowed to leave.

At the time of his departure, his last first-team appearance for the U`s had been a League Cup tie against Manchester United and it was his goal that secured his side a lucrative replay at Old Trafford.

Clayton made an instant impression on Kettering fans. His second game was an FA Cup tie at Third Division Walsall that ended in a memorable 3-3 draw.

Within 2 minutes of the start, Kettering were one up and the name on the scoresheet was Clayton.

After Atkinson left for Cambridge United in 1974 and embark on a fantastic career as a manager, Clayton, who turned down the chance to reunite with his old boss at the Abbey Stadium, went on to partner another player-manager, Derek Dougan, in attack on occasions – the former Wolves legend, however, like Tommy Lawton years earlier, didn`t often don his boots though.

In 1979/80, Kettering became founder members of the Alliance Premier League, so Clayton`s striking skills would now be tested against some different opponents.

However, despite some of the former Northern Premier League clubs` defenders trying strong-arm tactics to stop the striker who, despite being no more than 5`8”, was superb in the air and scored some fantastic headed goals, he still blossomed in the new league.

When he finally left Kettering in 1981, Clayton had scored 187 goals in 418 appearances – the vast majority of those goals and games coming in the Southern League.

He continued scoring goals for Barnet in the APL and Nuneaton Borough, who he helped to win the Southern League Premier Division title in 1981/82, although he had been sold to Corby Town, then managed by his former Poppies boss Colin Clarke, before the end of that season.

He also had a short spell with VS Rugby in the Southern Midland Division before retiring in 1987.

LENNIE LEE is another prolific marksman in the Southern League.

He first came to the fore with Margate in Division One South in 1977/78 after joining from local Sunday league football.

During the summer of 1981, Lee moved down the coast to Folkestone and scored on his debut in August 1981. However, that turned out to be his only goal for the club and in September 1981 his contract was cancelled, and he signed for Kent League side Ramsgate.

In April 1982, he re-joined Margate – know known as Thanet United – on loan before signing on a more permanent basis in summer of 82.

In February 1983, Lee left Thanet to join Herne Bay following a row over playing Sunday football.

But he returned to Hartsdown Park once more in the summer of 1983 after a change of management and he scored his 50th goal for the club in September 1983.

Another change of management though saw Lee leave for Dover in January 1984 before returning to Thanet once again in September 1984.

After passing the 200-game mark for the club, he was off again to Dover, now known as Dover Athletic, in the summer of 1985 and he went on to become a legendary figure at Crabble as the Whites enjoyed a meteoric rise under Chris Kinnear.

Two broken legs in quick succession in 1991 set Lee back though and he was released by Dover at the end of the 1991/92 season having scored an all-time club record 169 goals in 363 appearances.

He re-joined Margate in August 1992 but just a month or so later, he re-joined Ramsgate and became the Kent League side`s player-manager at the beginning of the 93/94 season and continued in that role until resigning at the end of the 1995/96 campaign.