Football in the 1940s and 50s

After the Second World War there was a revival of interest in playing competitive football. Dore Football Club was still playing in the Hope Valley Amateur League - and being very successful. There was strong competition between Dore and some of the local teams, especially the 'crunch' fixtures against Totley. Several of our current residents have vivid memories from these times.

Trevor Biggin recalls:

"The club won several trophies during this period, including the Lawrence Cup and Dore Shield, and I remember them winning a 'Green 'Un Ball' for beating Tideswell, who had been unbeaten for more than two seasons."

George Thorpe, talking about the 1950s recalls:

"At this time there was a men's football team in the village and a rival team in Totley. They both played in the Hope Valley League. The rivalry between the two teams was strong and it was a tradition that the two teams would play each other at Christmas. On Christmas Day they played at one ground and on Boxing day at the other. The people of Dore and Totley used to really look forward to these matches they would invariably end up with people scrapping in one corner of the pitch or on the touchline because they didn't agree with a decision. The boys always looked foward to these matches but there wasn't much peace and goodwill."

John Taylor remembers:

"Two other greats were, Frankie Row and Stuart Eggo, one of the best wingers in the Hope Valley League. I seem to remember that Trevor Biggin and George Thorpe played for the Hope Valley League side against a first division side."

In 1993 Trevor Biggin recaooed tyat after the Second World War:

"... the right-half, Jack Kent, had a small haulage business and in the early days as many spectatoes as could be crammed onto his open-backed lorry, would be transported in all weathers to football pitches in Derbyshire's far-flung villages. Later came the times whena sizeable crowd attended home matches at the Townhead Road groud, and people would come to our house to book seats on two coaches for away matches in the Hope Valley League."

"We school boys were a motley crew of supporters, who went home and away in numbers. My cousin Graham Thorpe and I, Mick Ward, Roger and Mick Marvin all eventually played Hope Valley League football ourselves, although not one of us played for Dore! As boys we were once ejected from Stoney Middleton's for making too much noise and had to watch the match from a nearby hillside."

Similarly, John Taylor recalled that he too was one of those schoolboy supporters.

"Not only did we go to away games in Jack Kent's lorry, we also went in the back of Bob Atkinson's Luton box van. (Atkinsons of the Moor Department Store). No seats or windows. The van had green and white stripes on it."

"The games against Totley, Stoney Middleton and Tideswell were always the games that we most wanted to win. There was nearly always some sort of clash in them - both on and off the field!"