Derek Dooley Football Legend: Born & Bred In Burngreave 'United' Sheffield

Sheffield’s football legend Derek Dooley was born and bred in Pitsmoor/Burngreave. Public tributes, following his recent death on 5th March 2008, at the age of 78, showed he had achieved the rare distinction of being respected and admired by supporters from across Sheffield’s football divide, Sheffield Wednesday and United.

Derek Dooley was born on 13th December, 1929, and lived at 82 Bramber Street. This street no longer exists after its demolition in the 1960s to make way for flats which were themselves demolished and upgraded in the last decade. Bramber Street ran off Spital Lane and crossed Brunswick Road (where the old Irish Centre, now Spectrum centre stands) and met Montfort Street near Pye Bank School.

Star columnist, Martin Smith, described Derek Dooley as “a Colossus” though I suspect he is a Sheffield Wednesday fan! I will admit to this fact, because if you live in the areas around Hillsborough and to the north of Hillsborough – you tend to support Wednesday. If you live in the central inner city areas of Arbourthorne, Highfield/Sharrow you tended to support Sheffield United (when I worked in Abbeydale/Sharrow as a Youth worker, this fact was confirmed to me!). This is not an exact science – because Burngreave falls in the central inner city area. As I understand it, the other major factor was where you worked.

If you worked in the Cutlery trade (like my brother – you tended to support the “Blades” and “The Sheffield Wednesday” got their name because in 1820 the founders of Wednesday Cricket Club were local craftsmen whose weekly half day off was Wednesday. Nowadays, half day off/closing is on a Thursday within Pitsmoor/Burngreave!

Another, local born football hero was the Sheffield Wednesday/England footballer and local cricketer John Fantham, who attended Firshill Community Primary School. According to local history, young people used to play 20-a-side football kick-about in the days when Derek Dooley lived in the area. This tradition carried on and in the 1970s five-a-side football games were played on the grassed area behind Verdon Street Centre.

I can bear testimony to this fact, when I lived on Andover Street up to late 1976, playing (right back) in a defensive partnership with a local football player by the name of Trevor Matthewson (left back), (whose relatives played for both Wednesday and United, he signed with Sheffield Wednesday breaking into first team football briefly in the 1980s and eventually transferring to various league clubs including Lincoln City, Birmingham City, Preston NE and finally retiring from football in 1999 due to a knee injury). In 2005, Trevor managed a sports retail shop near Hillsborough. Other members of our five-a-side team were Leon (Leo), Allan (lives in Longley & watches Wednesday), and Danny who I assume lives locally in Burngreave and I am not sure where his brother Mark lives.

In the 1980s, I played football with other local Black and White youth at Abbeyfield Park and an indoor five-a-side at Earl Marshal School gymnasium through ‘All Stars Firvale Youth Group’. I also remember seeing Trenton Wiggan, a local Black footballer who had just signed for Sheffield United, displaying his skills in the park. As everyone knows Trenton played for Sheffield United’s first team and later became a local community activitist. I remember meeting him as a fellow-member of the Black Community Forum (BCF) at SADDACA. Currently, Trenton works for the NHS in Doncaster.

On a personal level, during the 1990s when I worked as a youth worker in Darnall/Tinsley with Asian youth from the Darnall Unity Centre (DUC) and with the Bangladeshi community, there were some very good footballers and many tended to support Sheffield United. In 1998, when Ron Atkinson was the Sheffield Wednesday Manager, for the second time, the then ‘Football in the Community Officer’, Steve Adams arranged a guided tour of Hillsborough Stadium including the famous dressing rooms. As the group opened the doors of the dressing rooms they saw the famous Benito Carbone and Paolo Di-Canio sitting on the bench. Despite Ron Atkinson’s fall from grace as a result of the accusations of racism, he was in fact, instrumental in bringing the first Black players to Hillsborough through Viv Anderson and Carlton Palmer. The Asian and Bangladeshi connection at Hillsborough was confirmed in February/March 2002, when Sheffield Wednesday signed their first player of Asian origin, Anwar Uddin a centre-half whom Wednesday decided to keep until the end of the season. The then Wednesday Manager, Terry Yorath described Anwar Uddin as “a very strong, physical player”. The high hopes of Anwar Uddin did not materialize and in Terry Yorath’s end of season clear out Anwar was released! However, these comments contradicted the general view held of Asian players by football scouts, coaches and managers as just good cricketers who did not have the stamina for football – due to their diet or culture or that they simply can’t play football. This view of Asian footballers was confirmed by research findings of the “Football Unites & Racism Divides” (FURD) project.

On reading the book entitled ‘The Wednesday Boys – A definitive who’s who of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club from 1880-2005’ by Jason Dickinson and John Brodie, the fact of Anwar Uddin’s signing seems to have been omitted for some strange reason. However, they do mention that Derek Dooley had first played football at Owler Lane School, leaving at 14 to work making hearing aids at a local company. He played for both the YMCA and Firth Park starting out as a defender but later finding his preferred position up front as a centre forward. In 1946 he signed for Lincoln City scoring two goals. Sheffield Wednesday persuaded him to sign for them in 1950. After completing his National Service in the RAF he returned to Sheffield Wednesday in 1951. He continued to play for Wednesday until February 14th 1953 when tragedy struck and he collided with the Preston NE goalkeeper breaking his leg. Subsequently gangrene set in and his leg had to be amputated. In 1950-53, he scored a total of 62 goals for Sheffield Wednesday and helped them to win promotion. He was a fearless centre forward and his ability to hit goals from any angle silenced critics of his physical methods.

With his career cut short and his livelihood threatened, Wednesday put on a testimonial match attended by around 58,000 spectators and making gate receipts of £7,500 with a further £2,700 raised by a local newspaper fund.

During 1953-54 Dooley worked as a journalist and then got a job at Gunstones Bakery in 1955, as a telephone switchboard operator. Here he rose up the ranks to become assistant sales manager for eight years. In those days, Gunstones Bakery was based not far from the old Sheaf Market in the city centre until its re-location to Dronfield in the 1970s. Whilst working at the bakery he also worked part-time at Sheffield Wednesday Juniors. In 1962, Eric Taylor, who was Wednesday’s Club Manager gave him a job to run the development fund. In February 1971 he was made Sheffield Wednesday Manager but cruelly on Christmas Eve of 1973 he was famously dismissed and left shocked and devastated. In 1974, he became Sheffield United’s Commercial Manager and later a Director. He never forgave Wednesday for his untimely dismissal until 1992, when he made peace with them and returned to watch a local Derby match. In 1999, he became the Chairman of Sheffield United. In 2003, he was awarded the MBE. In April 2006, he resigned as Chairman and became Vice-President. Dooley lived in Sheffield with his wife Sylvia in the house they have shared since 1950. He had a son, Martin and daughter, Suzanne.

Ironically, Derek Dooley’s passing away almost coincided with a local demonstration for peace, when people of Burngreave/Pitsmoor endeavored to bring peace and promote positive role-models through the Burngreave Peace March on Saturday 15th March. The marchers passed through the city centre via the Sheffield Cathedral whilst making their way to the Town Hall. A day earlier the Cathedral had been surrounded by around one thousand fans from both Wednesday and United who listened to the service through loudspeakers.

Former Sports Minister, Richard Caborn said, “Derek epitomized everything that was good about sport and he was the only person I know who brought both Sheffield Clubs together. He was respected by both sets of fans”. Tributes were paid by former Sheffield United Managers, Dave Bassett and Neil Warnock. Sheffield United’s first team squad, their Chairman, Directors, Manager, Coaching Staff, plus Sheffield Wednesday’s Directors and Senior Management, were among the mourners. All were ‘united’ in grief and gave their condolences to his wife and family.

The whole of the Pitsmoor/Burngreave community gives their condolences to his wife and family and we are proud in remembering that such a legend was born and bred here in Pitsmoor/Burngreave and united the whole of Sheffield. A fitting local tribute in Burngreave, could include re-naming Brunswick Road ‘Dooley Road’ or the old railway bridge at the end of, the now closed, Brunswick Road could be re-named ‘Dooley Bridge’, after all the ‘building of bridges’ was what Derek Dooley epitomized. More suggestions are welcomed!

MATLOUB HUSAYN ALI KHAN

(FREELANCE JOURNALIST)

© MCPR