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Getting to the top 1: a brief account of Kevin Grimsley’s football career
Kevin Grimsley began his studies as one of the September 1969 intake and was placed in form 1G, gaining form and subject prizes at the 1970 Speech Day ceremony.
He played for the school’s football teams from the first year onwards, initially as an old-fashioned centre half but from the third year onwards as centre midfield. He captained the side throughout all years.
In 1972 (third year) he played for the East Area team along with fellow Gregorians John Lowey, Malcolm Murray and Neil Girling, and played the occasional game for Manchester Schoolboys Under-14s. John Lowey and Malcolm Murray were regulars for the Manchester U14 team and also (in fourth year) for Manchester Boys Under-15 team the following season. Although renowned for his powerful heading ability, Kevin attributed his omission from the Manchester Boys team in fourth year to a lack of height at that time and a recognition that he was a late developer. In 1972 he signed for Manchester City on associated schoolboy forms and from then until 1976, when he left for university, played regularly for the B and A teams. Malcolm Murray had left school in 1974 to sign apprentice forms with City while John Lowey did likewise at Manchester United.
The arrival of Mr Mike Wilmot in September 1972 as head of PE brought about an improvement in the fortunes of Kevin’s team. Under his guidance and coaching the team was better organised and more successful in the fourth and fifth years and resulted in a number of boys gaining representative honours with Manchester Catholic Boys, Manchester Boys and Greater Manchester Boys. Regular training and coaching, especially from professional clubs, also helped to raise levels of fitness and standard of performance.
Kevin’s Greater Manchester County Schools’ Football Association badge
Brief record of some representative matches:
1973 Manchester Catholic Schools v Bury Catholic Schools at Old Trafford (K. Grimsley, Neil Girling, Malcolm Murray).
1973 Manchester Catholic Schools v Liverpool Catholic Schools at Old Bedians’ Football Ground. 1st leg of Cromford Cup Final (M. Murray, N. Girling, K. Grimsley).
1973 Liverpool Catholic Schools v Manchester Catholic Schools (2nd leg) (M. Murray, N. Girling, K. Grimsley).
1975 Ayrshire Schools U18 v. Manchester Schools U18 at Kilmarnock (A. Witowski, P. Selley, K. Grimsley all from St Gregory’s).
1975 Manchester Boys U18 v Glasgow Boys U18 at Old Trafford (K. Grimsley, captain).
1975 Humberside U19 v Greater Manchester Schools’ Football Association U19 at Hull University Sports Ground (K. Grimsley, captain).
International honours: Representing ENGLAND, 1976
After a series of trials and matches against teams such as the Army and Royal Navy, Kevin was selected to play on the England Under-18 team for the international games against Wales and Scotland in April 1976. The match against Northern Ireland, which ought to have been played in Belfast, was not staged because of the security fears at the time of The Troubles. What follows is a display of material relating to those historic occasions.
Kevin’s father and Mr Wilmot travelled down to Swansea to give support and stayed in the same hotel as the England players and officials.
Result: Wales 0 England 4
A coachload of boys, accompanied by several teachers, watched the game and supported Kevin.
Result: England 2 Scotland 2
England U18 squad and officials, 1976
Dressed in a blue tracksuit and sporting the England badge featuring three lions, Kevin Grimsley is seated fifth from left.
On 25th April 1976, under the auspices of the English Schools’ Football Association, Kevin was selected to play in a match between a Festival XI and a Football Association XI at Skegness Town Football Ground. The Festival XI side played in white shirts and black shorts and were, to all intents and purposes, the England team in all but name.
Kevin Grimsley in England strip
Kevin’s English Schools’ Football Association badge
Kevin’s England badge, featuring the initials ESFA and the three lions, was attached to his black blazer. Also worn as part of the official uniform was a tie with small images of the three lions extending from top to bottom.
England cap
One cap was awarded to cover all of the season’s fixtures. Kevin’s England cap was displayed in a glass cabinet in the school’s entrance hall until the end of the summer term, when it was returned to him on leaving. He had the distinction of being only the second Gregorian to represent England at football, the first being William Walsh in 1935.
Glass cabinet at home containing Kevin’s England cap, photograph and newspaper cuttings.
At Swansea University, 1976-79
In spite of his many footballing commitments in terms of training, playing and travelling, Kevin maintained his academic studies throughout and achieved good A-level results which gained him a place at Swansea University to read history and politics. Mr Mike O’Brien, a former student at Swansea, had been influential in Kevin’s choice of university.
Kevin quickly established himself and became captain of the 1st XI football team: he also captained the Welsh Universities’ team. He was also selected to play on the Universities’ Athletic Union (UAU) team in 1977 and 1978. In addition, he represented Wales in the British Universities’ Sports Federation annual soccer tournament.
At Manchester University, 1979-80
Having graduated at Swansea, Kevin enrolled at Manchester University to undertake a Master’s degree, his thesis being on the black civil rights movement and capitalism in the USA in the Sixties.
Kevin’s career ambition had always been to be a teacher, especially of history. This led him to apply to Cambridge University to study for a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), a further motivation being that he also had a desire to play football at Wembley Stadium – something that would be achievable in the annual Cambridge v Oxford match.
Kevin’s British Universities’ Sports Federation badge
At Cambridge University (St Catharine’s College), 1980-81
Cambridge University Association Football Club (CUAFC), which was founded in 1856, is the oldest football club in the world and, as before at his previous places of study, Kevin quickly established himself on the first team. One of the highlights was playing in November 1980 against an F.A. XI. However, the annual match against Oxford was the really big one because it was played under the twin towers of Wembley Stadium and would qualify players to be awarded a full blue. The game took place in December in front of 10,000 or so spectators, mostly vociferous schoolboys. Also in attendance were dignitaries such as Walter Winterbottom, the former England manager, and Sir Harold Thompson, chairman of the FA, who kindly presented the “Loving Cup” to the captain of Oxford, who had won 2–0. A few pages from the match programme are included here as a reminder of the occasion.
Kevin sporting his special full blue attire
The blazer, which was actually a light green colour, was very expensive and was purchased in a special tailor’s shop in Cambridge along with the silk tie and pullover.
Incidentally, other Gregorians known to have studied at Cambridge included Peter Till and Michael Anthony (formerly Angelopolus) in the 1960s.
And so that concludes a short biography of a popular pupil – of a boy whose sport took him to represent not only the school but Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, Wales, the UAU and Cambridge University and to have played at some of the most famous football grounds in the country.
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