"Past Masters."

A visit to the dressing-rooms at Wembley Stadium, and their "frowsy mixture of steam and sweat, liniment and antiseptic, boots, and bodies," prompted this nostalgic account of the world of Midlands football in the 1930s.

Bates recalls the pubs and clubs that sponsored local teams, the farmyard fields, and fans unbridled in their partisanship. He also reflects on the qualities of English footballers, including Albert Quixall, Stan Mortensen, and Stanley Matthews.

In the Sunday Times (Issue 6810, October 25, 1953, p. 6, attached).