Recollections by Southgate captain Mike Crowe, 50 years on.
Southgate Hockey Club were men’s European Hockey Club Champions in 1976, 1977, and 1978. Those are the stark facts behind an incredible achievement. At that time no English or British hockey club had ever won an international club tournament. Indeed, the only previous international hockey medal won by an English side was by the England national team in 1908 at the London Olympic Games!
This depressing statistic clearly demonstrates that World and European hockey had left England far behind. The great clubs of Germany, Holland (the Netherlands), Belgium and Spain, with their status in society firmly established and strong support and sponsorship from their local business communities, gave them facilities undreamed of by any English club. Also, their youth teams played club rather than school hockey and so from an early age played competitive hockey with the best coaching available from previous international players. English hockey was mainly played in public and grammar schools amid a comfortable amateur environment.
It was against this daunting historical backdrop that our triumphs were accomplished.
Great successes rarely happen by chance or overnight. There must be aspiration and ambition, dedication and determination; all coming together in the common cause.
Here it seems appropriate to mention Jimmy Neale, the Southgate club skipper from 1972 to 1975. He was absolutely determined for Southgate to qualify for the European Club Championships, using his persuasive skills to attract David Whitaker and Mike Corby to join us. This gave us a formidable half back line of Bernie Cotton (selected as left half for the World XI at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games), Tony ‘The Ox’ Ekins at centre half who very few forwards ever got past and if they did it was usually over his left shoulder! David Whitaker was an incredibly fit right half becoming an extra forward whenever required. Mike Corby was a truly world-class playmaker and match winner.
Nevertheless, the route was long and unpredictable. Firstly, needing to win the Middlesex and then the English Club Championships (3–0 vs Bedford Eagles) and after that a qualifying round before the actual European competition the next season. In many of those matches we were without our international players who were away training. As our president Robin Willmott said in his 1975 newsletter, “the selection process was worthy of the best traditions of English eccentricity!”
Yet all this was duly achieved and Southgate had qualified for the 1975 European Club Tournament in Frankfurt in May 1975.
As wonderful preparation, Southgate had won the Real Club de Polo’s International Tournament in January in Barcelona. “The best British team that I have ever seen”, was how the world’s number one coach Horst Wein had described Southgate in a quote from Pat Rowley’s excellent article in our 1975 club magazine.
The fact that we had actually beaten the German Olympic gold medallists and virtually the full Spanish and South African sides and finished above Holland, the current World Cup champions, gave us great confidence that we could indeed be cup winners.
Sadly, we lost in the final 1–0 to SC Frankfurt 1880 but beat the Dutch champions SV Kampong for third place. That was an epic match and considering we had lost four players to injury and illness those left standing had run themselves into the ground!
Dave Collison recalls:
“A great club achievement to win the bronze medal as a result of the excellent team spirit, friendship, ability and plenty of fight. Probably my most enjoyable career club highlight.”
So, to 1976. Jimmy had stood down as captain and I [Mike Crowe] was appointed. Again, we qualified (4-0 vs Nottingham in the final of the English Club Championships). The team had four members of the 1972 Munich Olympic team: Cotton, Corby, myself and Ekins. We had spent some 10 years playing international hockey watching Germany, Pakistan, India, Holland, Australia and others waving triumphantly from the medals podium and listening somewhat enviously to their anthems.
Magazine cutting: Southgate captain Mike Crowe’s rallying cry ahead of the 1976 European Clubs Championships.
We were all determined to finish our careers with a winner’s medal. We had learnt from the last year (1975) that we needed a top-class coach and Roger Self was the outstanding candidate. Roger had recently guided Wales to their first ever victory over England, creating a brilliantly organised and highly motivated unit. The club agreed that we should approach him and I well remember calling him and asking if he would consider the job.
“Yes okay, Crokah [my nickname]. Let’s meet up for a pre-season training day at Southgate at 9:30am.”
“Gosh that’s a bit early, Roger. Most of us have a long journey.”
“I’m coming from Birmingham, Crokah. Do you want to win a gold medal or not!”
That was indicative of Roger’s single-minded determination.
The rest is indeed history! Roger’s great attention to detail, his incisive analysis of patterns of play, and foresight in getting the right players in the right place for the right match were all essential parts of his coaching armoury. Perhaps his greatest skill though lay in the legendary pre-match team meetings with their wince-making, carefully chosen character assassinations, tough clear instructions and high motivational content. Every one of us was subjected to a form of very skilful psychological appraisal, some encouraged and some rebuked.
After an hour or so we were all absolutely up for it. None more so than the seriously put down ones who were going to show the ******* bastard how ******* wrong he ******* well was!
Roger was to take Southgate to two more European ‘golds’, then the Great Britain hockey immortals to Olympic bronze in Los Angeles 1984, before the staggering feat of being Olympic champions in Seoul 1988, with Southgate being so wonderfully represented by club legends Steve Batchelor, Sean Kerly, Richard Dodds and Robert Clift, along with Roger Self (manager), David Whitaker (coach) and Bernie Cotton (assistant manager).
Sadly, Roger passed away in 2017 after a long debilitating illness. His track record with Wales, Southgate and Great Britain is truly remarkable. He has been rightly compared to some of the great football managers, Bill Shankly, Brian Clough et al. It was our great privilege to play under his guidance.
The battle for midfield possession intensifies. Action photograph from the final of the European Club Championships 1976.
Southgate’s David Whitaker dribbling reverse stick at speed. Action photograph from the final of the European Club Championships 1976.
Returning to the tournament itself, the matches were well reported in the press and later in the club magazines and the results are listed at the bottom of this article. Impressive though the statistics are, I think what most sportsmen remember is ‘the moment’ – those few seconds of breathtaking brilliance which live in the memory for ever. I’m sure many of you will have those precious recollections. I can still picture vividly Roger’s half-time talk in the 1976 final against Belgian club champions Royal Uccle. In the first half Southgate had played wonderfully well. Two penalty flicks had been brilliantly saved by the Royal Uccle goalie and against the run of play they had scored from short corners with their formidable corner drills. We were 2–1 down. It was a very hot afternoon and in those days players remained on the pitch. I was winding myself up for an inspirational harangue! I saw Roger walking quite slowly towards us. “Sit down lads.” We sat waiting for instructions.
“This is the best hockey I’ve seen from a British club. Just relax, carry on with it and you will win this comfortably.”
That was it. He was gone!
Southgate’s David Owen makes the save with David Whitaker well placed to clear. Action photograph from the final of the European Club Championships 1976.
It was a masterly piece of man management. We then played some scintillating hockey. Bernie Cotton scored another well-worked corner to make it 2–2 and then, towards the end, another moment that I can picture so clearly from 50 years ago: Punchy Aldridge, who had covered an immense amount of ground throughout the tournament, picked up the ball deep in his own half, and from nowhere he produced a huge aerial pass that dropped behind the Belgian midfield. Mike Corby pounced on it, beat the advancing sweeper and was now face to face with the goalie. With his unique experience of playing for Great Britain at both hockey and squash, no one was better equipped to win a one on one. Mike nervelessly wrong footed him and rolled the ball over the line! 3–2 the final score!
At long last we were the champions of Europe!
It was certainly the greatest moment in my hockey life. I rushed to congratulate Roger, but he wanted the players to have all the glory and modestly kept out of the euphoric hugs.
Southgate’s Mike Corby runs with the ball flanked by Royal Uccle players De Saedeleer and Moraux. Action photograph from the final of the European Club Championships 1976.
Bernie Cotton recalls:
“Earlier in 1976 at Amstelveen Great Britain lost to Belgium and with that loss our Olympic qualification. I recall vaguely giving one of my sweaty GB coloured wrist bands to a young boy in the crowd – he came up to me after Southgate’s victory and presented me with the same wrist band.”
Action photographs from the final of the European Club Championships 1976, featuring Southgate’s Ali McGinn, Bernie Cotton and Tony Ekins.
We were written up in the national press and even compared to the mighty Liverpool Football Club, also European Champions! It was heady stuff. Parties at the famous Sportman’s Club in Piccadilly, team presentations to the Mayor of Enfield and many congratulatory letters from the Hockey Association and leading clubs.
Photographs from Southgate HC’s celebrations at Silks nightclub, Tottenham Court Road, London, 1976.
Photographs from Southgate HC’s celebrations at Silks nightclub, Tottenham Court Road, London, 1976. Mike Corby (left) and captain Mike Crowe (right) with the European Club Championship (Europa Cup) trophy.
Southgate kindly presented me with a wonderful commemorative plaque (pictured below) which I still treasure. It shows not just the squad but the other essential team members: Southgate president Robin Willmott, manager Rowly Charlton, physiotherapist Barry Maddox and Roger Self. Of course there were the many other club stalwarts giving great support – Laurie Norman, Lawrence Coley and Murray Johnson to name but a few – not to mention the wonderful band of supporters who kept us going with their constant encouragement!
Mike Crowe’s framed presentation from Southgate Hockey Club featuring the names of his teammates and support staff alongside the iconography of the 1976 tournament.
Pin badge from the Europa Cup 1976. The same motif features on Mike Crowe’s commemorative presentation.
I felt that this was a wonderful ending to my hockey career. 10 years of international hockey is a test for any family. Time now to concentrate on my business life as an underwriter at Lloyd’s and be a full-time husband and dad to my endlessly patient and supportive wife and long-suffering children who had spent much of their formative lives in the Southgate bar!
Imagine my surprise then after being ‘put out to grass’ in the rolling Constable countryside at our home Dedham, to receive a call from Roger in the spring of 1977 saying, “I want you in the squad, Crokah, fit or unfit!” My story wasn’t quite over!
David Whitaker was appointed Southgate captain for the 1977 season and perhaps he and others will continue the narrative.
Result from the European Club Championships (Europa Cup), 1976.
By Mike Crowe, Southgate Hockey Club vice president and Southgate hockey captain, 1976.
First written in June 2021; updated and published for the 50th anniversary of Southgate’s 1976 European Club Championships success.
