Shop H.E. Bates Online
ID
c153
Title
"Past Masters."
Genre
Essay
Page Count
1
Word Count
1100
Publisher
Sunday Times
Publication Year
1953
Document Types
Full-text Online
Autobiographical
Topics
Sport, Football

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).


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