MY FIRST LOVE

COLIN ALLAN RECALLS HIS EARLY DAYS AS A SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY SUPPORTER...

WHY do fans support particular teams? Often, of course, it's their local side. So what was I doing in 1959 living in Harrogate and supporting Sheffield Wednesday? Surely I should have been following Leeds United? Well, for one thing it was the name.

Sheffield WEDNESDAY appealed to my imagination. Then there were the distinctive vests of blue and white stripes.

I was also drawn to some of their star players. In goal, Ron Springett was my particular favourite. Why even his name was exciting. It summed up his acrobatic, spectacular saves.

He was also England's goalkeeper, gaining a total of 33 caps. But for the emergence of Gordon Banks, he would have played in the 1966 World Cup.

There was also the tall, crew-cut-headed centre-half Peter Swan. He was another England regular. He wore the shortest shorts in the Football League.

Other players included the dependable Alan Finney, who could operate on either wing.

Unfortunately, the quicksilver, charismatic inside-forward Albert Quixall had left Wednesday for Manchester United in 1958 for a British record transfer fee of £45,000. He was known as 'the Golden Boy' for his blond hair and good looks.

I was so interested in Sheffield Wednesday that I continued to support them even when the family moved to Hull in 1960. Every Sunday, I couldn't wait for The People and News of the World newspapers to be delivered.

They both often carried match reports and photos of Wednesday's matches.