It was May 1967 and Workington Reds were struggling towards bottom place in Division Three and relegation.
Booked for the drop they only had three games left and were hosting Reading, battling for promotion at the other end of the table.
I had only taken over coverage of the Reds a few months earlier following the departure of stalwart sports writer Dan Richardson.
In those days, before the advent of team sheets for the press, part of the reporter’s task was to knock on the opposition dressing room door and check with the manager for team changes to the programme and Christian names of his players.
As the press box rookie I usually did the job for the rest of the reporters covering the game but on this occasion Bryan Bone, a much respected freelance, took it upon himself to do the job.
Back in the press box we noted the names and changes given to him by the Reading manager, former Chelsea and England forward Roy Bentley.
A group of rather noisy Reading fans were sat in front of us and during the course of the first half it became apparent that the names they were shouting did not tally with what Bryan had been given.
At half-time I nipped down to sit with them and compare the Christian names – all eleven were wrong – and Bryan was furious.
Now he was the most meticulous of journalists, careful, professional and dedicated. On this occasion, though, he made an exception.
I was still sitting with him after the game when he was giving his match reports to the national papers and in each of them he referred to the Reading manager as Dick Bentley – a well known comedian of the time.
I should mention here that I also had to deal with Ron Atkinson when he was in charge of Cambridge United and he was absolutely spot on. Not just with changes, Christian names but extra information on recent signings and absentees.
Also, in covering rugby league games at Derwent Park in my earls days reporting, it was a similar story. I’m talking A team games where you often had A. N. Other and S. O. Else appearing.
I have lost count of the times a front row was given as Freeman, Hardy and Willis.
