JOHN HANSON ... A Tribute

By Follow the Swans (legacy user)3/12/2014 14:33Wed Dec 3 14:33:03 2014

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JOHN HANSON
3 January 1938 - 22 November 2014

Staines Town FC are saddened by the loss of its newest Life Member, John Hanson.

John was born near Hounslow, and had a colourful and eventful life both inside and outside football. He had a number of jobs, including a long stint as a sales rep for Walls' food and drinks firm, something that could be quite dangerous as he recalled being attacked while out on delivery. He also worked in retail, including at Brewer's the builders' merchants in Gresham Road, and did bar work for Staines Town FC. Until his retirement, he worked as the functions manager for the Thames Club, maintaining the Staines Town presence on site that was first held by Chris Wainwright.

Playing organised football from the age of 16, his first club was the Feltham-based Southville Villa (alongside the likes of Mick Clarke, Terry Mock, Maurice Williams, Bobby Westgarth, Peter Twitchen, Sid Russell...) who played in the Hounslow & District League - which has subsequently merged into the Middlesex League. John was a great organiser, and quickly set about adding star names like Cedric Bailey and Don Cross to an already powerful team, so much so that the side enjoyed a great run in the FA Youth Cup, eventually going down 5-0 to Brentford. In around 1959, he appeared for them in their League Cup Final against Staines Cardinals at Wheatsheaf Lane, and he was spotted and quickly offered the chance to join Chelsea as a junior. However, he failed the medical, and instead went to Athenian League Hounslow Town. In 1962 he was in the group which represented the club for the FA Amateur Cup Final at Wembley, but unfortunately he was not selected, and 'The Town' were beaten by Crook Town.

His next club was the mighty Southall, and he followed this with a spell in the Welsh League with the famous Abergavenny Thursdays AFC. Returning to the local area, he joined Petter Sports, the engineering firm located just the other side of Staines Bridge (formerly the site of the Lagonda factory, and where Sainsbury's now stands). Petter's home ground was located at The Glanty, so their matches with Staines Town were big Spartan League Christmas derbies. In 1963/4, he netted his club's fastest ever FA Cup goal to give them a shock lead in the 1st Qualifying Round against Guildford City after only 39 seconds. They led 2-0 with 20 minutes to go, but then collapsed and lost 8-2!
John signed for Cliff Lane's Staines Town side early in the 1964/5 season. He made his Club début on 17 October in a 4-1 home win for the Reserves over Addlestone Reserves. His First Team début came on 21 November, another home Spartan League win, this time 4-2 vs Marlow. Two weeks later, he scored twice in a 5-1 league win at Huntley & Palmers - his first senior goals for 'The Swans'. John remained with the Club for some five years, playing under Ray Wyld and Jimmy Clugston. Playing as either a left or right winger, he was involved in a number of noteworthy incidents that time, including the Wood Green tragedy of August '65, when he was the last player to tackle Dennis Haskow here, before it was abandoned after 37 minutes. Towards the end of that season, he scored twice against his old club, Petter, to help Staines to a 5-4 Spartan League win, added another in the next game against Wood Green Town, and then lined up for the delayed 1964/5 Southern Combination Cup Final away against Wingate, in which he scored to put Staines one up before the game was abandoned (also after 37 minutes). It was replayed in full later the same day, and he scored twice more, John scoring twice in a 3-1 win, to not only earn his medal, but gain the unusual distinction of scoring three goals against the same opponents on the same day, but not recording a hat-trick! He was also in the Staines side that defeated Marlow a year later to win (but of course not 'retain' this cup, as we had meanwhile been eliminated from the 1965/6 edition. There was a period in 1965-7 when John sometimes lined up in the same Staines team as his brother, George, a goalkeeper who later lived in Canada, but who passed away a number of years ago. In 1968, he appeared in the Spartan League Reserve Cup Final, in which we lost to Leighton Town at Chalfont St Peter FC, at the end of a season in which he and Malcolm Mowle were locked in the race to be the Reserves' top scorer. The arrival of Ken Ballard at the start of 1968/9 signalled the end of his regular place in the First Team, but he continued to perform with distinction in the Reserves through to the end of that season.

His Staines Town FC Record shows him playing 102 First Team games, scoring 20 goals, and an estimated 72 Reserve games with 25 goals. Much later, he made one appearance for our Vets on 18.5.1996, in the Brover Vets Vase match away to Spain's CD Mijas '92 (a 6-2 defeat).

John concluded his senior career by spending some four years 'over the bridge' with Egham Town. It was a successful period for our neighbours, as he helped them to lift the 1972 Spartan League championship, and may well have been involved in the Reserve League Cup success of 1970 (5-0 v Chertsey Town at Staines) and Reserve Division title (on goal average ahead of Staines Town) a year later. He retired from competitive football at 35, although he did continue to appear, under the nickname 'Ace', for the Chelsea Old Boys XI, a side which included his friends Ian Hutchinson and Ron 'Chopper' Harris.

During Staines Town's final years in what is affectionately referred to as 'the old club' - before the demolition of the former clubhouse to make way for our present facilities, John was a regular user of the bar, assisted with fund-raising, played pool and darts (and represented STFC at both), decorated the bar for Christmas, organised pitch-and-putt tournaments in the bar, and started his regular role as MC at numerous club events, such as Sally Payne's Xmas Draw and our annual presentations. He was a natural at this, He was also involved at Egham United Services Club, socialising with his friends Bea & Doug Greathurst. John returned to Staines Town in an official capacity when elected as a Vice-President on 11 August 1997, holding this titular post until it was discontinued at the 1999 AGM. However, on 7 December 1998 he was co-opted onto the Club's General Committee, on which he served for the rest of his life, having a brief sting as Acting Vice Chairman in 2004. Also during 1998/9, he took over as Manager of Staines Town's highly successful Veterans XI, doing this duty for nine seasons until the team 'retired' and become a golf society - in which he also took an active role, both as a player and as an organiser, and continuing to put on the legendary mid- and end-of-season 'do's for the Vets. He had a quirky sense of humour, and a wonderfully natural delivery, which allowed him to hit an amusing note when delivering even the most outrageous of lines.

John worked alongside Graham Gould, Jesse Richards, and Andy Jones in the upkeep of our superb playing pitch, and could often be seen trundling around on the mower, or organising supplies for ground maintenance.

John was married young, and was widowed shockingly early, but happily remarried to Maureen (née Jeffery). Maureen has been his lifelong companion ever since, and it was no coincidence that she shared his enthusiasm for Staines Town FC, her family having been involved since the 1930s. Living just a stone's throw from the club, they have a son, Lee, 41 (no relation to the former Staines player of that name), and a young grandson, Dylan.
Even in the last year or so, John rarely allowed his illness or his treatment to keep him from supporting the side, especially at home, and he maintained his unique persona while occupying his usual seat in the directors' box - cheering for his beloved West Ham (or, if the 'Hammers' were losing, then his beloved Chelsea), and raising a glass after the event. His is a presence which will be missed by all at Staines Town.

John's family, who are also regulars here at STFC, have advised us that his funeral will take place at 10:00am on Thursday 4th December at Hanworth Crematorium, and that afterwards there is an invitation back here to the Club. They request no flowers and no black dress, but that donations can be made to John's charities by visiting the Lodge Brothers' website and clicking DONATE ONLINE (www.lodgebros.co.uk).



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