Football has always been a big part of my life. My father had a very big influence on me and was always kicking a ball around.
In 1960 I met my wife Shirley. Shirley worked in the sample room at Lovells Confectionery factory and on match days at Lovells AFC Rexville, she would sell tea, coffee, cakes and sweets from the small kiosk at the rear of the stand.
I had a trial for Lovells AFC and signed to play for season 1957/8 and played on till they disbanded in 1969.
Although I never reached my ambition to play pro football for a football league side as my father did, I really enjoyed playing for Lovells. They were a great club and I made a lot of friends there.
Lovells AFC played on through the war with guest players, including Bill Shankly, later manager of Liverpool, Billy Lucas, later manager of Newport County, Archie Macaulay and Bert Turner of Wales.
In 1959 the club was forced to resign from the Southern League because of the crippling cost of running a semi-professional team coupled with heavy travelling expenses and low support. The first side would now play in the Welsh League.
From 1959 until the football club was disbanded, many of the players went on to turn full-time professional footballers for Newport County. John (Polly) Rowland, Len Hill, Roddy Jones, Alan Woods, Graham Reynolds, Maryn Sprague, to name a few.
Rexville the football ground is now a small housing estate called the Turnstiles. The main gate and turnstiles were there last time I passed.
your comments
George Barnes
I loved Merthyr playing Lovells in the Southern League. They were always good games - I got most of Lovells cup games on print.
Alan Paul, Ottawa, Canada
I played for Lovells and for Wales and sometimes played with Jim Griffin at Lovells. I am now eighty and would love to hear from any Lovells player.
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