When do you remember first heading a football? And your big brother or sister smacking the ball as hard as they can against your face does not count. They say that football is a ‘funny old game’ and you have to agree.
When you first see a football you instantly want to head it rather than kick it. Heading the ball was always something I enjoyed and in the early days I was more intrigued with those headed goals that were shown time and time again on TV.
An early memory of heading is that of the former Manchester United centre forward Frank Stapleton. He had a presence in the air and scored many brave headers.
Here’s a funny memory that’s just come to me. In October 1986, I think I remember United beating Southampton 4-1 or 5-1 and Stapleton bagged a brace. “I bet Stapleton scored some great headers Dad,” I stated confidently.
I then preceded to throw a tennis ball up high and head it against our shed door, I would commentate for myself in yelling that Stapleton had scored another one.
The playground sport of choice at that time was tennis ball football. It seemed that these matches were always a cup final and they mattered greatly. I am sure I spent more time kicking the floor in my school shoes than kicking the tennis ball.
These matches were similar to that of mob football and seemed like they were twenty a side. I used to be a target man in those days and I can still recall scoring a goal with my eye. The celebration was one hand in the air and the other hand covering my eye socket. This pirate celebration never caught on. Having scuffed shoes was a trend that unfortunately caught on to the despair of my Mum.
It was not all plain sailing for Man Utd against Southampton as a month or so later United lost 4-1 away in The Littlewoods (League) Cup. This was the day before the explosions of Bonfire Night.
The explosion was that Big Ron (Atkinson) was sacked as United manager. The shooting star of Alex Ferguson was appointed from Aberdeen. The next 27 years of my life were going to be absolutely fantastic with a glut of trophies.
This match actually was my first ever and although United lost I was awestruck with the players performing. The blue third kit on display was the only part of the performance that was appealing.
I loved watching the keeper, Chris Turner sidestep along the edge of his six yard box keeping warm in the brisk November air. I didn’t like the fact that Matthew Le Tissier and the Wallace brothers tore shreds in the United defence and rattled in the 4 goals.
Stapleton and his headers were nowhere to be seen. I learnt quickly that you don’t win four or five one every time against the same team.
Talking of headers, later on in that season, United were live on BBC One for the Sunday Afternoon match at home against Spurs. I am sure this was in December 1986 but looking back it’s probably my earliest memory of watching a live match at home.
Therefore, it always seemed a treat to watch a match on the box in those days. It was certainly a rare occasion to enjoy the match in the luxuries of my home environment. I wish I could say the same about my Mum’s roast dinner, I can still taste it now (joke Mum).
As mentioned this match is remembered for many reasons. Looking back it’s probably one of the best matches I’ve ever seen. It’s famous for a flying header from the diving Garry Mabbutt of Spurs. Of course I supported United but I actually quite liked the Spurs team of that season.
Particularly their experienced keeper Ray Clemence; the mazy winger Chris Waddle; the prolific goal scorer Clive Allen and the flamboyant mastery of Glenn Hoddle. Spurs’ 1986/87 Hummel kit with the arrows across the chest was an iconic kit and in another life I may have supported them.
However, my Dad had instilled United in me and I’m simply delighted that I stuck with them during those turbulent times. The turbulence was they were not guaranteed trophies and success. I liked the early days as there was always the hope rather than the expectation. I am applying that methodology to the United of 2020.
Back in 1986, United raced into a two goal lead but Spurs fought back to lead 3-2. I recall the shock as in those days I thought being two nil up guaranteed a win. Little did I know of the precarious nature of that score line.
In fact Spurs got two goals in consecutive minutes and the first came from Mabbutt. They had a corner which I’m going to say was delivered accurately from Waddle to the penalty spot. Here Mabbutt dived head first to make contact with the ball cleanly whilst horizontal and the ball flew past Chris Turner.
I could not believe my eyes. I’m sure I was diving head first off the sofa, my bed and maybe the top bunk of my brothers’ bed afterwards. Could explain a few things!
Clive Allen put Spurs 3-2 up with an equally brave headed goal. Again I can vividly see the influential menace of Waddle dribbling from side to side. His cross looped up and Allen bravely headed the ball home whilst eating a mouthful of an old football boot from a desperate United defender.
These two headers demonstrated the grace, bravery and intrigue that a header can give a nine year old. I know I was diving around copying the diving header for days and weeks after.
My Mum used to compare me, my two brothers and my sister to that of the three sisters that lived opposite of a similar age. They were pristine and we were muddied urchins similar to some of Fagan’s gang.
She would frantically question “Why can’t you be like the sisters across the road?” It must have been partly my fault with me desperate to dive head the ball like Gary Mabbutt.
The United and Spurs match was not finished and more drama unfolded when United were awarded a last minute penalty and a chance to equalise. Peter Davenport stepped up and calmly side footed the ball to the keepers right.
I was ecstatic and this must have proved to my hysterical Dad that I was a fully-fledged United fan. Little did I know that this was a sign of things to come with United under Fergie (Alex Ferguson).
They would become legendary for scoring an abundance of last minute winners and equalisers through their never say die and committed attitude. Their late goals coined the phrase “Fergie Time” and this late goal in December 1986 may well have been the first ever “Fergie Time” Manchester United goal.
However, the abiding memory of this match was the diving header from Mabbutt and how I was keen to copy it for many weeks after.
Years later when I was able to string more than one touch together I used to practice keepy ups with a football. My party piece was producing consecutive headers in the air.
I still try it now at times and can keep it going for a couple of minutes but I start to feel dizzy. My headed record exceeded 100 (yes I did count my keepy ups, my record here was 1000 and I stopped…honest).
The final footballing party piece in my repertoire involves balancing a football dead on my head seal like. I could actually produce a balanced stop of the ball whilst in mid flow of keepy ups.
It took me the whole summer of 1994 to master this and I practiced every day. This was after watching footage of the flawed master, Diego Maradona. Here, he producing an array of skills that included balancing the ball on his head whilst in mid flow.
This skill never came in useful during my career as a goalkeeper but I enjoyed working on my fancy skills during any warm up. This was more fun than diving around in puddles.
The reason I’m highlighting these headers and my memories of headed skills are because heading the ball is contentious. Recently in the UK heading has been banned in training sessions for children of eleven and under.
I’m not here to discuss the merits and demerits of this important part of football. I am simply recalling the joy I had in learning and watching skills and goals associated with heading the ball.
I’m not suggesting these rules should be revoked but just reminiscing of my heading memories. I appreciate that footballs were lead weights during matches of yester year.
These are days before the 1986 diving heading master class of Gary Mabbutt at Old Trafford. Way before the subsequent days of me diving around the muddied grassy patches of Canford Heath.
I appreciate footballers from the 1970s and before have had a number of serious illnesses since their careers ended and there’s a strong possibility it’s associated with heading. I feel sad about this and support any measures put in place that help the health of future generations of footballers.
I’m just romanticising of a time where I first learnt to head the ball and get quite muddy as a consequence. I’m romanticising of my mother complaining of my muddy outfit. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
If reading this evokes similar memories please add some comments.
One of my memories is not a villa one but a Coventry one the fa final and kieth houchens diving header to draw coventry level. Never played for a team but always enjoyed watching.
Thanks for reading Martin – I bet you remember some Andy Gray headers or Peter Withe!! What a header that was. I should have put that in here as I have real fond memories of it.You must have some good footy stories to share Martin 🙂
It’s an interesting topic this and as you say, contentious…. Speaking as an ‘old fashioned’ stopper it has been said that in over 40 years of playing as a centre back, l probably headed the ball more times than I actually kicked it. I will of course refute this, but not too loudly as I knew I was better with head rather than foot. I was not a prolific goalscorer (sic) so most of my heading was out and away from my own defended goal. It was always a case of: get something on it before the ball goes to ground…never, ever let it bounce!
I shiver now at the thought of dealing with an opposition goalkeeper’s wind assisted punt and running in reverse from a rigidly held back-four line. I can still see the stars while thinking about some of those miscalculated leaps….but could always smile if I did get something on it, be it back or front of head. (In later years as seniority dictated, I would instruct my junior centre back partner to take the ball out in the air and I would mop up behind him in case he missed it, which they often did! This in turn meant my passing of a bouncing ball to the goalkeeper had to improve.
It’s my opinion that I was never the same player after the back-pass rule was changed. I felt more comfortable (after the rule change) if my keeper would agree with me and and patrol around the edge of his 18-yard box. Many were reluctant to do this as the sweeper-keeper role hadn’t been invented then and therefore wasn’t considered trendy. Their arguments tended to be that a misjudged centre back’s header could sail over them and into an unguarded net. I could see their point, but for the life of me I cannot remember that actually ever happening to a side I was in! I would love to play with a sweeper-keeper today and manage another member of my back four club. I think this strategy would suit my playing style. All five club members though, would have to learn to head the ball well.
Never one for skilfully taking the ball down on my chest and spraying it out to the left or right. Others could do that. My job was to stop the opposition and whenever possible, keep the ball going forward. Strikers will always remember each of their goals, I would always remember a header won against a lump of a forward, a well timed challenge (and some less well timed ones too), the strategic foul and the number of off-side decisions I could trigger. It was all chapters in ones art (black and white) of defending manual…. And another thing, no #9 dared wear a ponytail when I was marking them. Red rag to a bull and great leverage at corners!
In my youth, I reluctantly admired Norman Hunter and Jack Charlton because I couldn’t be Bobby Moore. I hated Leeds but those guys broke up play with head and feet in the most efficient way possible – it was either safe or given to Johnny Giles. Latterly, I followed closely the careers of Tony Adams, Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini, each a mighty fine exponent of the art of defending; never frightened, if danger lurked, to hoof it into the stands. Who would you rather have in your team, a solid, no nonsense Franco Baresi or a fannying-about John Stones? You might appreciate this Si, no goalkeeper ever bo**icked me for booting or heading an attacking through-ball into the next village.
Many years ago Graeme Trevett and I spent some time with West Brom and England legend Jeff Astle. Now there was a man who could head a ball…but to what cost? Brain disease and a slow painful death. Would Jeff have had it any other way? His family for sure would have wanted things to have turned out differently, but I would hazard a guess, even knowing of the risks in advance, Jeff would not have changed anything about his career? That’s for management, not for players…
Dinosaurs like me are replaced now by defenders, even in amateur football, who try to carry and work the ball with their feet…this, I guess, has to be the right way to go. Footballers of my era and those professionals sadly with Alzheimer’s and other dementia’s are maybe testament to a by gone, less safe time. The game is definitely more technical now with much emphasis on tippy- tappy and less contact (certainly less heading) and to me that is a shame. I still believe that working a well drilled back four is a thing of beauty and if you can’t win 1-0, you as a defender should be moderately pleased with 0-0 and 24 well managed offside decisions (not that I ever counted).
The craft in timing a leap so perfectly to get height and distance on the headed ball, releasing pressure and buying time for your team mates to regroup, is 100% no different to some spotty 19-year old in green boots scoring a worldy.
Thanks so much for such a detailed response Cliffe. So many memories came back to me, one being all of the headers that happened from goal kicks, back in the day all keepers did was punt the ball hey. It is interesting that you say a defender remembers their headers, blocks etc. I suppose every player does. I still remember some of my saves, certainly remember the howlers haha. thanks so much for getting involved. Loved your stories and will give me ideas for the future.
Ps. Norman Hunter RIP – I had the pleasure of meeting him in 2004 at a Book signing in Leeds – was a real gent
Being young in the 60’s and early 70’s meant using one of those old leather balls with laces and I soon learnt that heading hurt! Perhaps that’s one reason I took up goalkeeping. That, as well as not having enough foot skills to survive anywhere else on the pitch. As a Spurs fan I fondly remember Alan Gilzean’s famous glancing headers, often from corners and often on to Martin Chivers to apply the finishing touch. They were the days!
Cheers for reading Andy – really appreciate it. I remember Gilzean stories when I was younger and how prolific he was with his head. Some legendary Spurs players there. I do not blame you going in goal – some have said it the same excuse for me!! However the Mitre Multiplex was hard but not as lethal as those old leather balls. It is a contentious subject hasn’t it but such a big part of many generations of footballers at any level!
I was always shit in the air, forever my weak point! I always let the ball bounce and relied on my pace get me out of the shit.