The Wigan Athletic Supporters Club Bar will have a couple of special guests sharing their knowledge and stories today, ex-Latics star Geoff Davies and Author Ken Barlow will both be at the Supporters Club on Saturday, this is a rare opportunity to chat to a pre-football league player – don’t miss it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In his Fans Forum, Roberto Martinez said that he instils the spirit of Springfield Park into his players and that he makes sure they know exactly where the club has come from.

Well Geoff Davies is one of those players that played a great part in the non-league days at Wigan and in his short spell with us made a lasting mark.

He, along with Ken Barlow, author of ‘Mild and Bitter Were the Days’, will be in the Supporters Club Bar, At the Robin Park Sports Centre next door to the Café (what used to be Champion’s Bar) before the match with Sunderland. The bar opens at around 12.30 p.m., with Geoff and Ken being there from around 1.30 p.m..

They will be holding a questions and answers session and so those who want to ask about what it was like back then can do so.

Ken will have his book on sale which both author and player will be happy to sign, that goes for anybody who has already bought a copy, bring it along to have it personally signed.

‘Geoff Davies signed for Latics in the summer of 1970 for a reported £800.00p from Northwich Vics.

He scored no less than five hat-tricks within the first three months of signing and ended up with 42 goals that season (1970/71) with Gordon Milne, Derek Temple, Jim Fleming and Graham Oates providing the ammunition as Latics powered their way to the Northern Premier League title.

Geoff also very nearly saved the day in the classic FA cup tie away at Manchester City when his header was touched onto the post by City’s keeper Joe Corrigan in the last minute, oh how it hurt, and still does!

The following season he scored 28 goals, despite injuries, and was quickly signed up by what was at the time ‘a bigger club’, namely Chester City. A classic example of how some things at Wigan Athletic never change yet paradoxically, everything has changed!

Geoff went on to have a successful league career with spells at Chester, Wrexham, Port Vale and Wimbledon. He also enjoyed a spell in the USA where he played with, and sometimes against, such world stars as Pele, George Best, Cruyff and Beckenbauer.

Geoff has many happy memories of playing for Latics and to this day recalls the physical demands of playing three times a week whilst travelling to training in fog, ice and snow.

A far cry from his current lifestyle in the USA where Geoff continues his love affair with football as a youth soccer coach in California.’

Ken Barlow is author of ‘Mild and Bitter Were The Days’ which depicts Ken’s days being a sixteen year old Latics fan in 1970, click here for the book details. www.mildandbitter.co.uk
Do you remember being sixteen? Learning to love music and girls. Receiving painful knock backs from girls. Lying in bed till dinner time. Learning to love your local, non-league football club.

Ken Barlow’s – no not that one – fabulous book ‘Mild & Bitter Were The Days’ captures all these emotions and much much more. Quite why he decided to keep a diary whilst growing up in Wigan in 1970 even Ken doesn’t know but cross Adrian Mole with Non League football and you’ll get a pretty good idea of the content.

As Ken describes:

It was Wigan 1970 and terrace violence was beginning to dominate football, even non-league Wigan Athletic had their ‘boot-boys’. Elsewhere, Led Zeppelin and Jethro Tull were breaking new ground in rock music. Meanwhile Ken remained perplexed by the fairer sex leading him to conclude that, “…life wur pot”

But this book is about so much more than that. It’s about friendships and relationship and knockbacks and wondering just what life has in store. Football is the underlying passion and of course Wigan Athletic was a pretty successful side in non-league and cup giant killing circles during this era.

To summarise then…..
Ken, alongside book contributor Geoff Davies, will be making an appearance on Saturday 28th November at Wigan Athletic Supporters Club Bar, At the Robin Park Sports Centre (opposite the DW Stadium) next door to the Café (what used to be Champion’s Bar) from 1.30 p.m. to 2.15 p.m. where you can chat to them both, plus for anybody who hasn’t already bought a copy of Ken’s book you’ll be able to purchase a signed copy of his book for a mere £9.99.

Please note that only WASTC members will be allowed to travel on coaches and gain access to the Supporters Club Lounge on match days in the Robin Park Sports Centre. Under 16’s must be accompanied by an adult and we run a strict ‘NO ALCOHOL’ policy on coaches in line with UK Law.

Membership is just £5 per season which allows you to travel on the coaches and gain access to the Supporters Club Lounge in the Robin Park Sports Centre, non-members will have to pay a door charge of £1 per person per match – NO EXCEPTIONS.

You can apply for membership online at www.wastc.co.uk or at any of the home league games at the Supporters Club Lounge in the Robin Park Sports complex, next door to the Cafe in the Sports Centre.

Bookings for coaches will also be taken at all the home league games in the Supporters Lounge or by calling in Mayfair Travel on Wigan Lane, their number is 01942 829988.

The new site is up and running at www.wastc.co.uk.

WASTC – Coach Details

Game Date Leaving Time Price
Stoke City 12th December 2009 TBC £13
Liverpool 16th December 2009 TBC £9

This issue and many more are being disucussed on the Away Travel message board, click here.

If you have a point of view, article, story, promotion or anything else publishing on Cockney Latic, send your details to us and we will get in touch. The email as usual is editor@cockneylatic.co.uk.