Memories are coming in !

 With the club entering it’s 40th year, it’s great to know that so many ex-Lions and Lionesses hold such fond memories of their time as players,coaches, volunteers and officials. We’ve been working to archive material sent to us, so if you have any memorabilia/photo’s/stories or know someone who might, please ask them to get in touch (robert.hill62@btinternet.com)

In the beginning

Lido swim helped kick-start club

Back in 1976, the founders of our Club were faced with many challenges. Funds were needed to secure the use of the old Timber Lane playing field in Woburn for home matches, whilst the boys also needed some kit.  Subs were paid on a weekly basis, soadditional funds had to be found and a sponsored swim at Woburn Lido was one of a number of creative fundraising ventures.

Pictured above is a similar event ahead of the 1991 trip to Florida, but does anyone have any pictures of the original event ?

Rental on Timber Lane was paid, and a kit was purchased…….. but not the claret & blue we now know.

Future installment to include details of that first match in that first kit with links ‘North of the border’.

Lions 78-83

Thom Crabbe recently got back in touch with the Club. Having spent some 20 years in London, he moved back to the area 7 years ago and now lives in Aspley Guise.  Thom played for the Lions from about 1978 – 82/3 including a couple of years as captain. These are some of his memories, together with pics and further memories from Nick Alderson (his son & daughters all playing for Lions and Lionesses teams today).

“We played initially in the MK league usually coming runner up to Water Eaton – bit tougher than us! I remember beating Saffron Cubs 17-0 once. We then played in the Chiltern League mainly against teams in Luton and round about. That league was stronger and we were more mid table. St Joseph’s, an Irish Club team, were dominant and included a young Kingsley Black -later Luton, Forest and NI international – he was excellent”.

We won a couple of five a side tournaments. I remember winning an evening competition organised by Luton Town where their first time players were guest coahes for the night. We had Radi Antic who was really enthusiastic. After us he went on to manage Barcalona many years later. He also scored the goal that kept Luton in the old first division and prompted David Pleat’s famous skipping routine.”

“The team was run and coached by Simon Spoor, training at Aspley Guise Common and indoors at Lord Grey School in Bletchley. He had a little Fiat 126 which lads crammed into and we used to have a flask of coffee at half time. We played home games first at Fulbrook Middle School, then at Timber Lane in Woburn now an overgrown field and the old changing room still there, it was a bit of a slopey and heavy pitch. End of season awards at Aspley Village Hall”.

“We did tours to Belgium…. exciting as we played under floodlights and under age drinking! Also a team of German lads came over to play us”.

Nick Alderson also recalls playing the Belgiums both away and then at home, 11-a-side. “It was pretty unique for any team to have their own coach” (wheeled variety in the background).

“Mainstays of the team were Steve Lichfield, Paul Read, Nigel Pattison, Nick Circuit, Andy and David Stocker (twins- one in goal one striker!) Mark Whittle, Jonny Corbett ( who I think played for Aylesbury later). Quite a lot of lads actually from Woburn and think we had three teams at that time”.

Thanks to Thom & Nick for sharing their memories.  If you have any memorabilia, pics, stories etc, or can just help fill in the gaps….. please get in touch:- robert.hill62@btinternet.com

40 YEARS OF AWAY DAY TRAVEL

Like most football clubs, methods of getting to matches have been varied to say the least!

In the early days it was not uncommon for up to 7 players to cram into Simon Spoors’ Fiat 127 !  “Lucky it had a sun roof so they could stand up” recalled Simon.

Not sure if this was strictly part of Pat’s run, & no sign of a black & white cat from this shot of Paul Mowat’s team in the 80’s.

However, some away day travel has been more upmarket. Certainly the Virgin Jumbo that took the boys to Florida in ’89 was pretty impressive.Even in the early days, coaches (with wheels) did feature in Woburn Lions matches.  “Not for us lot to travel in…. it was hard enough to get kit for everyone” commented Nick Alderson (70’s player and current parent).  “But a touring Belgium side turned up in one at Fulbrook School to play us…. very unusual in those days.”

More recently it has become a regular away day for several of our teams on a double decker coach for the Hatters Cup in Luton.

I’m sure there must be loads of other travel tales…. and maybe even some pics ?  If you have any, please get in touch:- robert.hill62@btinternet.com

Off to a winning start.

ack in 1976, Woburn Lions had attempted to enter the then Beds Youth League. However, with a 2 year age range of players (10-12 years), the application was rejected.  The newly created Milton Keynes Youth League was far more flexible, and so the first competitive match the Woburn Lions were involved in was away at Great Horwood in that league.  By all accounts, the boys gave an excellent account of themselves winning 11-2 !  The score could well have been even more impressive had the opposition manager not decided his team had had enough of the conditions (nothing to do with the goals conceded then) and decided to call an end to proceedings.  That first season Woburn Lions finished a highly credible 4th.  Also starting out that season in the same league was Water Eaton…. marking the beginning of many encounters and rivalry between 2 successful clubs.

…… and that first kit ?

 Not the customary claret & blue we are all so familiar with.  Instead a touch of ‘rhubarb & custard’ as worn by Partick Thistle !

Does anyone have pictures of that first match/kit, or even a shirt ?  Please get in touch:- robert.hill62@btinternet.com

‘Probably the most successful Lions team’

Success, they say, is relative.  Certainly Simon Spoor’s emails remind us that ‘Money can’t buy happiness…but it sure makes misery easier to live with’!  From the perspective of our Football Club, we try to see our mission as delivering an enjoyable footballing experience to as many youngsters as possible, for as long as is possible, and in so doing help them to achieve their full footballing potential. Success is measured in life skills, friendships, team work and giving back to our community.

But there’s no getting away from it, winning certainly helps to make all those other things happen.  So it’s important to celebrate, and we’ve been reliably informed that one Lions team that has probably done that more than any other is Paul Mowat’s team of the 80’s and 90’s (unless anyone else knows differently).

Paul still lives in Woburn Sands, and we are indebted to him for all the pictures and press cuttings he has made available to us.  His team went on to win just about everything that was going, however the pictures really do tell the stories.  For all our current and future players, coaches, volunteers & parents, undoubtedly inspiration for all of us:-

If you were in Paul’s team, we’d really love to here from you. What were your memories of what must have been a wonderful time ?

Email:- robert.hill62@btinternet.com