TheBogEnd » Alex Stepney

Hackbridge Harry · 29/1/2015 10:31 am

Hello gents,

This has been put up on the Face Book page by Mick Adams :So, we all know that the legend Alex Stepney was born in Mitcham, an...d played for T&M, but where abouts in Mitcham exactly, did he live in his younger days?

Can anyone help with this ?
Cheers...

chrisjackson · 29/1/2015 2:06 pm

27, Percy Road, Beddington Corner, Mitcham Junction - quite near the Goat Public House.
Back in 1962 my father & I were travelling to a game from Carshalton, where we lived, and saw Alex desperately trying to start his old car (an Austin 8 I think). He eventually got it started and managed to get to the game on time.
Around the same time we nearly collided with a sports car on the Lombard roundabout - driven by Dario Gradi. Happy memories.

Bog End Ultra · 29/1/2015 2:27 pm

Stone me !! he lived within spitting distance of you Harry........would you Adam and Eve it ?

'Ackbridge Alex

From now on I'd like to be known as 'Cricket Green Chris'

Last edited by Bog End Ultra (29/1/2015 2:31 pm)

alanj · 29/1/2015 2:42 pm

Talk about flaunt your wealth,

If we are going down that route then, I will only answer to" Ashtree Alan"

Bog End Ultra · 29/1/2015 3:25 pm

If our programme editor lived in a tent he'd be 'Teepee DeePee'.

Hackbridge Harry · 29/1/2015 3:54 pm

Bog End Ultra wrote:
Stone me !! he lived within spitting distance of you Harry........would you Adam and Eve it ?

'Ackbridge Alex

From now on I'd like to be known as 'Cricket Green Chris'

Really close to me..... I do live in the posh part of Hackbridge though...

Kebab Shop Chris...

Bog End Ultra · 29/1/2015 3:55 pm

59robbery wrote:
Hey, Pol...ards ill Robbery.

I always thought ' Pollards Hill Robbery ' was just a weekly headline in the Mitcham Guardian and all they did was change the name of the particular Off licence/Supermarket/Newsagent/Bookmakers/Launderette/Building Society/Residence/Pound Shop/Nursery/Creche/Church/Charity Shop that had been turned over !

Bog End Ultra · 30/1/2015 8:18 am

Hackbridge Harry wrote:
Bog End Ultra wrote:
Stone me !! he lived within spitting distance of you Harry........would you Adam and Eve it ?

'Ackbridge Alex

From now on I'd like to be known as 'Cricket Green Chris'

Really close to me..... I do live in the posh part of Hackbridge though...

Kebab Shop Chris...

I see, I see, I get the picture.....it's Kebab Shop Chris now is it Beddington Sewage Farm Harry ?
And that's the POSH part of Hackbridge.

Cricket Green Conservation Area Chris :-)

Hackbridge Harry · 30/1/2015 9:48 am

Bog End Ultra wrote:
Hackbridge Harry wrote:
Bog End Ultra wrote:
Stone me !! he lived within spitting distance of you Harry........would you Adam and Eve it ?

'Ackbridge Alex

From now on I'd like to be known as 'Cricket Green Chris'

Really close to me..... I do live in the posh part of Hackbridge though...

Kebab Shop Chris...
I see, I see, I get the picture.....it's Kebab Shop Chris now is it Beddington Sewage Farm Harry ?
And that's the POSH part of Hackbridge.

Cricket Green Conservation Area Chris :-)

I've got a mate who calls Hackbridge "Sh*t City" because of the smell from the sewage works.... LOL....

Bog End Ultra · 30/1/2015 10:55 am

When we first moved to Mitcham in 1969 we lived next to the Wilson Hospital well within the range of the pong from Beddington Sewage Farm, it was particularly bad during the summer. What made it worse was the stench from AJ Bulls waste yard at the top of Church Road which used to kick up this acrid, pungent, noxious, sickly, stench that could burn the back of your throat. Ironically enough in those days if you wanted to escape the whiff the best place would have been the Bog End Sandy Lane with it's pleasant aroma from the Pascalls sweet factory. Those of a certain vintage might remember it was referrred to as ' The Pascalls Bog End '.

endofthelane · 30/1/2015 1:02 pm

Had a quick read of Stepney's autobiography, and he tells that his dad did a few shifts in the Goat. Alex went to Hackbridge Junior School and then Carshalton West Secondary. And thats where Mr Marley spotted his potential and put him in goal for the school team. He also played Sunday football for Achilles Boys Club. Apparently, Alex's brother, Eric, played up front for Leatherhead.

It was after Stepney was rejected by Fulham that he joined T&M and played for the Colts on Figges Marsh and was at the 2-2 draw with Nottm Forest, when, apparently, we were robbed! He also credits Bill Fell with spotting his potential in the Colts. When he eventually made it into the first team he was picking up a fiver a week! He also played against Arsenal when we switched on the new floodlights in front of 5000 spectators.

He tells a story of how he broke a wrist against Kingstonian, but as there were no subs back then, finished the game on the wing! Try telling that to young players today! He went on to play in the 11-0 win over Welton Rovers.

At the time he started working at Philips in Croydon.And it was then he bagan trialling at Millwall. And although he eventually joined Millwall full time, they found a way of not paying us anything. Our chairman, John Dewar, reckoned he was woth £15k at the time. Apparently Millwall had screwed us over a bit earlier over the transfer of Dave Bumpstead. At the time most league clubs would have paid something, but all we got out of it was a friendly. And that was that!

chrisjackson · 30/1/2015 2:08 pm

One of the reasons Alex went professional was that he was hoping to make the England amateur team but the position went to Mike Kelly of Wimbledon.

DeePee · 30/1/2015 2:55 pm

Apparently Millwall had screwed us over

I NEVER have liked Millwall at all - ever !

Bog End Ultra · 30/1/2015 3:53 pm

DeePee wrote:
I NEVER have liked Millwall at all - ever !

No one likes them they don't care.

Tim Marcus · 30/1/2015 4:14 pm

He went professional in the hope of making the England amateur team? Let me think about that one for a while.

alanj · 30/1/2015 10:06 pm

Read it again Tim, it does make sense.

chrisjackson · 30/1/2015 10:12 pm

Quite right Alan.
If Alex had become the England Amateur Goalkeeper, he might well have decided not to accept the offer from Millwall.

Tim Marcus · 30/1/2015 11:15 pm

Ah, I'm there now! He went professional AFTER he failed to make the England amateur team. Sorry gents, a bit slow today. A week of not working and the brain has seized up already!

alanj · 31/1/2015 11:54 am

Tim you are preaching to the converted,
If it is any consolation it gets worse as you get older

alanj · 31/1/2015 9:30 pm

Ah,a soul mate

Bog End Ultra · 02/2/2015 9:13 am

Who are you calling an asshole ?

alanj · 02/2/2015 9:43 pm

Blimey it`s getting worse!