Colin Collindridge

[Foxy]

All at Sheffield United are saddened to hear of the passing to a higher league of our oldest surviving player.

Colin Collindridge was born in Barugh Green on 15th November 1920 and signed for the Blades, initially as an amateur, on 5th December 1938, becoming a professional in January 1939, making his first team debut just after the start of World War Two. At the start of the conflict he went back to his old job as a miner to support the war effort before joining the RAF.

Guesting for Chesterfield, Notts County and Lincoln, he was recalled for the War Cup North competition early in 1944 and scored in the semi final at Villa Park.
Colin played a huge part in securing the Football League North Championship and actually made his league debut against Liverpool in August 1946 - an incredible seven years after joining the club due to the conflict in Europe.

Moving to Nottingham Forest in 1950, he won a Third Division Championship medal with them before a spell with Coventry City, ending his league career there in 1956.

In 77 wartime appearances he scored 36 goals and in 232 league appearances in the red and white stripes 95 goals.

Up to recent times he regularly journeyed from his home in Newark to games and was always the life and soul of proceedings, his razor-sharp mind could tell many a tale of an era in football long gone and he could recall with ease key moments in our proud history at a time of major change for the world.

He will be well remembered by all the staff fortunate to know him and deal with him at Bramall Lane, a real gentleman of the old school who outlived all others of his era - he played side by side with Jimmy Hagan, Ernest Jackson, Jack Smith and many other great names from our past and was highly regarded by all as a striker of the highest quality.

Colin really was the last of the line, ill health has plagued him in recent times, preventing Tony Currie from calling to see him on his 98th birthday last year.

We pay tribute to a great from another era.

 

[DifferentClass]

Funny how things like this work.

RIP.

 

[broomhillblade]

One anecdote that Colin Collindridge told me a few years ago:

For several seasons after the war the Bramall Lane pitch was in a poor state, not helped by the wartime bomb damage. By November most of the grass would have worn off, apart from a little near the corner flags, and very often the ground would be a mudbath. There was one particular spot at the Bramall Lane end where a bomb crater had been filled in, and this could get particularly sticky. Hagan and Collindridge sometimes worked a routine to take advantage of this and wrong-foot defenders who were not familiar with the terrain. As an attack built up, Collindridge would station himself in an area which would force the covering full-back to stand in the ‘bomb hole’. Hagan would then slip the ball inside the full-back for Collindridge to run on to, leaving the full-back literally bogged-down!

(An extract from The Jimmy Hagan Story. If anyone's interested, there's a few brand new copies on eBay for just £5 plus postage)

 

[YouFUMS]

Do what you’ve done in the past for him. Nothing.

This is about him and his remaining time. I’m afraid it’s not appropriate to try jumping on the coat tails of his impending funeral procession for your own vanity.

Bad form, Trevor. Bad form!

 

[JJ Sefton]

One anecdote that Colin Collindridge told me a few years ago:

For several seasons after the war the Bramall Lane pitch was in a poor state, not helped by the wartime bomb damage. By November most of the grass would have worn off, apart from a little near the corner flags, and very often the ground would be a mudbath. There was one particular spot at the Bramall Lane end where a bomb crater had been filled in, and this could get particularly sticky. Hagan and Collindridge sometimes worked a routine to take advantage of this and wrong-foot defenders who were not familiar with the terrain. As an attack built up, Collindridge would station himself in an area which would force the covering full-back to stand in the ‘bomb hole’. Hagan would then slip the ball inside the full-back for Collindridge to run on to, leaving the full-back literally bogged-down!

(An extract from The Jimmy Hagan Story. If anyone's interested, there's a few brand new copies on eBay for just £5 plus postage)

My dad told me this story years ago, he'd heard it from his dad who was an ex-boxer who worked for The Star for a while after he packed up and knew a few United players from the 30s to the 50s.

 

[XM657]

All at Sheffield United are saddened to hear of the passing to a higher league of our oldest surviving player.

Colin Collindridge was born in Barugh Green on 15th November 1920 and signed for the Blades, initially as an amateur, on 5th December 1938, becoming a professional in January 1939, making his first team debut just after the start of World War Two. At the start of the conflict he went back to his old job as a miner to support the war effort before joining the RAF.

Guesting for Chesterfield, Notts County and Lincoln, he was recalled for the War Cup North competition early in 1944 and scored in the semi final at Villa Park.
Colin played a huge part in securing the Football League North Championship and actually made his league debut against Liverpool in August 1946 - an incredible seven years after joining the club due to the conflict in Europe.

Moving to Nottingham Forest in 1950, he won a Third Division Championship medal with them before a spell with Coventry City, ending his league career there in 1956.

In 77 wartime appearances he scored 36 goals and in 232 league appearances in the red and white stripes 95 goals.

Up to recent times he regularly journeyed from his home in Newark to games and was always the life and soul of proceedings, his razor-sharp mind could tell many a tale of an era in football long gone and he could recall with ease key moments in our proud history at a time of major change for the world.

He will be well remembered by all the staff fortunate to know him and deal with him at Bramall Lane, a real gentleman of the old school who outlived all others of his era - he played side by side with Jimmy Hagan, Ernest Jackson, Jack Smith and many other great names from our past and was highly regarded by all as a striker of the highest quality.

Colin really was the last of the line, ill health has plagued him in recent times, preventing Tony Currie from calling to see him on his 98th birthday last year.

We pay tribute to a great from another era.

Sad news but inevitable, what a life and Blades record over twelve years. RIP. I would also like to congratulate whoever wrote the eulogy most excellent.

 

[The Crab]

All at Sheffield United are saddened to hear of the passing to a higher league of our oldest surviving player.

Colin Collindridge was born in Barugh Green on 15th November 1920 and signed for the Blades, initially as an amateur, on 5th December 1938, becoming a professional in January 1939, making his first team debut just after the start of World War Two. At the start of the conflict he went back to his old job as a miner to support the war effort before joining the RAF.

Guesting for Chesterfield, Notts County and Lincoln, he was recalled for the War Cup North competition early in 1944 and scored in the semi final at Villa Park.
Colin played a huge part in securing the Football League North Championship and actually made his league debut against Liverpool in August 1946 - an incredible seven years after joining the club due to the conflict in Europe.

Moving to Nottingham Forest in 1950, he won a Third Division Championship medal with them before a spell with Coventry City, ending his league career there in 1956.

In 77 wartime appearances he scored 36 goals and in 232 league appearances in the red and white stripes 95 goals.

Up to recent times he regularly journeyed from his home in Newark to games and was always the life and soul of proceedings, his razor-sharp mind could tell many a tale of an era in football long gone and he could recall with ease key moments in our proud history at a time of major change for the world.

He will be well remembered by all the staff fortunate to know him and deal with him at Bramall Lane, a real gentleman of the old school who outlived all others of his era - he played side by side with Jimmy Hagan, Ernest Jackson, Jack Smith and many other great names from our past and was highly regarded by all as a striker of the highest quality.

Colin really was the last of the line, ill health has plagued him in recent times, preventing Tony Currie from calling to see him on his 98th birthday last year.

We pay tribute to a great from another era.

God bless Colin, R.I.P

 

[JohnDenver]

11th minute applause planned. More on the man here:

 

[coaxingstar71]

All at Sheffield United are saddened to hear of the passing to a higher league of our oldest surviving player.

Colin Collindridge was born in Barugh Green on 15th November 1920 and signed for the Blades, initially as an amateur, on 5th December 1938, becoming a professional in January 1939, making his first team debut just after the start of World War Two. At the start of the conflict he went back to his old job as a miner to support the war effort before joining the RAF.

Guesting for Chesterfield, Notts County and Lincoln, he was recalled for the War Cup North competition early in 1944 and scored in the semi final at Villa Park.
Colin played a huge part in securing the Football League North Championship and actually made his league debut against Liverpool in August 1946 - an incredible seven years after joining the club due to the conflict in Europe.

Moving to Nottingham Forest in 1950, he won a Third Division Championship medal with them before a spell with Coventry City, ending his league career there in 1956.

In 77 wartime appearances he scored 36 goals and in 232 league appearances in the red and white stripes 95 goals.

Up to recent times he regularly journeyed from his home in Newark to games and was always the life and soul of proceedings, his razor-sharp mind could tell many a tale of an era in football long gone and he could recall with ease key moments in our proud history at a time of major change for the world.

He will be well remembered by all the staff fortunate to know him and deal with him at Bramall Lane, a real gentleman of the old school who outlived all others of his era - he played side by side with Jimmy Hagan, Ernest Jackson, Jack Smith and many other great names from our past and was highly regarded by all as a striker of the highest quality.

Colin really was the last of the line, ill health has plagued him in recent times, preventing Tony Currie from calling to see him on his 98th birthday last year.

We pay tribute to a great from another era.

Now that Colin and Fred have both sadly passed, anyone know who our current oldest surviving player is?
Tommy Hoyland must be up there now at 87.

 

[Silent Blade]

Now that Colin and Fred have both sadly passed, anyone know who our current oldest surviving player is?
Tommy Hoyland must be up there now at 87.

Derek Hawksworth is now 91.

 

[broomhillblade]

Derek Hawksworth is now 91.

View attachment 56832

Apart from the collar, that is basically the same as this year's shirt.