MAGIC BOOTS

• I don’t know whether it was the ungodly smell of the dubbin or that grand feeling of invincibility whenever I pulled them on and stamped the ground in anticipation of tomorrow’s game. Pulling on your boots was a pre game day ritual most of us kids would do in 1950’s Manchester, England supposedly to feel if there was a nail coming through from the studs, but also the hear the important sound of these ankle-topping monsters as you tramped along the stone flags in the pavement along your street. These were the sights and sounds of heady beginnings that was to be a great love and lifelong passion for me. Back in the day when you travelled to the game on the same red double decker bus as your heroes; when the most these same heroes could earn was $40 a week by government decree; when you would wait outside the pub for a better chance of getting their autograph than you would at the player’s entrance to the stadium. A lot has changed since then. The game today is almost unrecognizable and the player’s rewards astronomical. One thing remains the same however; we need that same measure of confidence to play well and execute those skills we spend hours perfecting. For some it comes naturally. For those who sometimes find it is in short supply, take heart! This story is for you!