Full version from last Sunday's Sunday Times:
Caught in Time: Southend United win Fourth Division, 1980-81
Full article Below:
If Southend United hold their place on top of League One, Steve Tilson’s team will have eclipsed the achievements of Dave Smith’s side 25 years ago. In the 1980-81 season Southend United claimed their only major trophy, the Division Four Championship, remaining unbeaten at home. “We had a good side, but the club did not go further after that,” says Smith. “This Southend side can. What Steve has done is amazing. If he does it this year, I think he should be considered the most successful manager in Southend’s history.” [The numbers refer to a photograph, which is not carried on the website].
1 John Walker A defender, Walker made 51 league appearances in 6Å years at Southend. In 1983 he joined the police; at 47, he is a chief inspector in Rayleigh, Essex.
2 David Cusack Signed from Sheffield Wednesday in 1978, Cusack played more than 200 times in defence for the Shrimpers and was their regular penalty-taker. He went into management, notably with Doncaster Rovers and Rotherham. At 49, he provides match stats for the Press Association, on behalf of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA).
3 John Keeley A well-travelled goalkeeper who began as a Southend apprentice in 1979, Keeley was still turning out for Conference side Crawley Town two years ago at the age of 42. He is Brighton’s goalkeeping coach.
4 Paul Caskey After being released by Southend, Caskey, 41, the older brother of former Spurs midfielder Darren, played for a number of non-league clubs. Works for the National Australia Bank.
5 Mervyn Cawston The goalkeeper set several club records in 1981, including 25 clean sheets in the league. After a stint with Chicago Sting, he moved to Norfolk and works for a food distribution company as well as working in hospitality for Norwich City. He is 54.
6 Mick Tuohy Born in West Bromwich, Tuohy joined from Redditch United in 1979 but left shortly before the 1980-81 season started, moving to Worcester City. Tuohy, 49, works for Sandwell borough council in the Black Country and last week bought a pub.
7 Anton Otulakowski A schoolboy gymnast, the midfielder signed for West Ham from Barnsley in 1976 and moved to Southend three years later. Otulakowski, 50, whose Polish father came to England after the second world war, lives in Skipton, where he renovates property.
8 Alan Moody The Middlesbrough-born central defender played a record 506 times for Southend until injury forced a premature retirement. The 55-year-old works at a golf course in Surrey.
9 Garry Nelson Best remembered for his book Left Foot Forward, about life as a journeyman footballer. He played for Charlton in the early days of the Premier$hite and, at 45, after working for the PFA, is managing director for an investment company.
10 Keith Mercer The striker joined Southend in 1980 and scored 35 goals in 132 league games. He joined Blackpool in 1983, where the 49-year-old works as a mini-cab driver.
11 Tony Hadley The 50-year-old played at Roots Hall for nine years and works as a train driver, operating between Southend and London.
12 Michael Stead A consistent full-back who played more than 300 times on the right flank, Stead, 49, went to Doncaster from Southend in 1985, where he became a player-coach. Based in Harlow, he is a cab driver.
13 Andy Polycarpou The midfielder left Essex three months after winning the title and signed for Cambridge United, then of the Second Division. After a brief spell with Cardiff City, injury forced him out of the game and he returned to his family’s fashion retail business. Now 47, he owns two furniture shops.
14 Phil Dudley Born in Basildon in 1959, defender Dudley made 112 league appearances for Southend in six years before moving into non-league football. He set up a tiling company after football and works in the furniture business.
15 Brian Beckett A West Brom fan and an amateur footballer, Beckett operated as physio and assistant manager under Smith. He later moved to Jersey. He died from Hodgkin’s disease in 1990.
16 Stephen Yates The left-back joined Southend from Leicester City in 1977 and played more than 250 games before spells with Doncaster, Darlington and Chesterfield. After retiring, he returned to Leicester and was last heard of working as a hospital driver. He is 52.
17 Derek Spence The 54-year-old former Northern Ireland striker — he scored three times in 29 games — was a prolific scorer for Southend, his 21 goals helping to clinch the title. Works as head of football in the community for Blackpool.
18 Ron Pountney Named after West Brom legend and former manager Ronnie Allen, midfielder Pountney, 49, played at Southend for more than a decade, scoring 26 goals in 348 league appearances. He is a painter and decorator in Essex.
19 Dave Smith Born in Dundee in 1933, Smith had an unspectacular playing career at Burnley, Brighton and Bristol City, but found more success as a coach and manager with Libya, Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle, Arsenal, Mansfield, Southend, Plymouth, Dundee and Torquay United. In 1991 he started running football schools in the Plymouth area and has written children’s books.
20 Jon Watson Watson, who grew up in Upminster, failed to make the grade, was released and disappeared from football.
21 Jeff Hull A local lad who was unable to break into the first team, Hull, 45, found better luck with Col******r United, where he spent three years playing on the left wing. In 1986 he joined HSBC in London. He took redundancy after 18 years to coach football in schools.
22 Terry Gray A versatile midfielder who played for England at youth level, Gray signed for Southend from Huddersfield Town in 1979. In three years he played more than 100 times for the club before enjoying spells with Bradford City and Preston. Currently living in Yorkshire, he is 51.
23 Frankie Banks Spent most of his career with Hull City but had two playing spells with Southend before becoming youth coach, reserve team coach and twice assistant manager. After a brief spell at Purfleet, the 60-year-old former defender became head of football in the community at Southend in 1991.
24 Alan Hull Two years younger than his brother Jeff, Alan was released by Southend at the age of 18 and joined Leyton Orient. He supplemented his income by working in the postroom of a London merchant bank and later managed at non-league level.
25 Mark Whitmore The former right-back also had his dreams of a professional career cut short and moved into the non-league scene. Worked for a photo agency in London.
26 Neil Gregory Another who dropped into the non-league ranks. After football, he became involved with his father’s timber business.
27 Glenn Pennyfather Since the age of 21, the midfielder, who also played for Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town and Bristol City, has taught PE and now works for two schools in the Southend area. Pennyfather, 43, has also been assistant manager at Conference club Canvey Island.
28 John Wiskin Wiskin failed to make it as a footballer and turned to selling CCTV cameras before moving to South Africa.
