Suffolk Shrimper In Dorset
Director⭐⭐🦐
After a great deal of detective work by SUEPA Agent WD40, I spent a lovely hour or so on the phone this afternoon to our former player Alex Lumsden and signed him up to SUEPA.
Alex joined us in January 1966 and made just two first team appearances before leaving towards the end of the following season, but as is always the case with any former Shrimper there is often a fascinating tale to tell, so settle down ……
Alex was born in Fife in May 1946 and played for a number of local teams as a youngster, catching the eye of both Liverpool and Celtic who he went to have trials with. But it was on a cold day in January 1966 when Jimmy was playing for Camelon Juniors that his young footballing life took a different turn. Shrimpers Assistant Manager Ernie Shepherd was watching young Alex play, liked what he saw and after the game went and knocked on the door of his parent’s house which was close to the ground. He was offered a trial but told to make a quick decision so, with the guidance of his dad, decided to come to Roots Hall.
Due to poor weather, it took a coupe of weeks before he could have his trial match but he clearly made an impression as he was offered terms by manager Alvin Williams and duly signed up for the Shrimpers. The young inside forward made a number of appearances in the Football Combination League and impressed enough to be given his debut in the final game of the season at home to Reading, a match we won 2-1 though that was not enough to save us from relegation to Division Four.
Alex recalls many characters from his time with us, including that Eddie Firmani gave him an offer he ‘couldn’t’ refuse of £20 for Alex’s allocation of two tickets for the Everton v Sheffield Wednesday FA Cup Final (Alex was not expected to decline the offer!). Alex stayed in many different digs during his time with us and it must have been a challenging time for a young man far from home as he recalled one or two of his landlords imposing stringent conditions re use of TV, curfews, etc. He did though get to watch the Word Cup final on TV with his fellow teammate Frank Matthews (who he often played tennis with), and in one place got lifts to the ground from neighbour Tony Bentley. He also recalled going to the Cliffs Pavilion with teammate Tony Beanland to see a Scottish group who knew he was in the audience and who got Tony and Alex to stand up to receive applause from a packed auditorium for being SUFC players. He also recalled being friendly with Ray Smith, and now fellow-current SUEPA member Derek Ewing.
Alex’s only other first team appearance came in a 1-0 win v Halifax at Roots Hall on 14 January 1967 (a game in which he came close to scoring himself by hitting the post) but towards the end of the season Alvin Williams let him go. Ernie got Alex a trial at Notts County but that didn’t work out so he returned home to Camelon, and he remains in the town to this day. For a period Alex played football for a few local teams including one managed by Jim Scott (who had scored one of the goals for Newcastle United in the 1969 Fairs Cup (as did fellow SUEPA member Alan Foggon)) who invited him to play for Hamilton Academicals, but by that time Alex had become a bit disillusioned with the game (his footballing inspiration father also sadly passed away at that time) and decided to focus on earning a living elsewhere, becoming a tree surgeon and then working as a foreman for a double-glazing company.
A few years ago, Alex got talking to a guy about football in a local supermarket and found they had something in common in that they had both played for Southend! The other guy was our own Alex Duchart who sadly passed away just over a year ago.
Around ten years ago Alex took a trip down memory lane with his wife and came back to Southend. He attempted to visit Andy Smillie in his seafront café but frustratingly Andy had just left, but then had his morale boosted by a worker at the Premier Inn they were staying at who, on learning of his old playing days, asked for his autograph! They then took a trip to Roots Hall – the team were playing away that day but as he got to the East Stand reception to see if he could view inside the ground he was greeted by someone calling out his old nickname - ‘Touslehead’. It was none other than Mr Southend United himself Frankie Banks, who had been at the club when Alex first arrived in 1966. Alex enjoyed a ground tour, and he now has an open SUEPA invite to be our guest on a match day if he ever fancies another trip back to the place that he still holds with affection some 57 years after he last played there.
Alex joined us in January 1966 and made just two first team appearances before leaving towards the end of the following season, but as is always the case with any former Shrimper there is often a fascinating tale to tell, so settle down ……
Alex was born in Fife in May 1946 and played for a number of local teams as a youngster, catching the eye of both Liverpool and Celtic who he went to have trials with. But it was on a cold day in January 1966 when Jimmy was playing for Camelon Juniors that his young footballing life took a different turn. Shrimpers Assistant Manager Ernie Shepherd was watching young Alex play, liked what he saw and after the game went and knocked on the door of his parent’s house which was close to the ground. He was offered a trial but told to make a quick decision so, with the guidance of his dad, decided to come to Roots Hall.
Due to poor weather, it took a coupe of weeks before he could have his trial match but he clearly made an impression as he was offered terms by manager Alvin Williams and duly signed up for the Shrimpers. The young inside forward made a number of appearances in the Football Combination League and impressed enough to be given his debut in the final game of the season at home to Reading, a match we won 2-1 though that was not enough to save us from relegation to Division Four.
Alex recalls many characters from his time with us, including that Eddie Firmani gave him an offer he ‘couldn’t’ refuse of £20 for Alex’s allocation of two tickets for the Everton v Sheffield Wednesday FA Cup Final (Alex was not expected to decline the offer!). Alex stayed in many different digs during his time with us and it must have been a challenging time for a young man far from home as he recalled one or two of his landlords imposing stringent conditions re use of TV, curfews, etc. He did though get to watch the Word Cup final on TV with his fellow teammate Frank Matthews (who he often played tennis with), and in one place got lifts to the ground from neighbour Tony Bentley. He also recalled going to the Cliffs Pavilion with teammate Tony Beanland to see a Scottish group who knew he was in the audience and who got Tony and Alex to stand up to receive applause from a packed auditorium for being SUFC players. He also recalled being friendly with Ray Smith, and now fellow-current SUEPA member Derek Ewing.
Alex’s only other first team appearance came in a 1-0 win v Halifax at Roots Hall on 14 January 1967 (a game in which he came close to scoring himself by hitting the post) but towards the end of the season Alvin Williams let him go. Ernie got Alex a trial at Notts County but that didn’t work out so he returned home to Camelon, and he remains in the town to this day. For a period Alex played football for a few local teams including one managed by Jim Scott (who had scored one of the goals for Newcastle United in the 1969 Fairs Cup (as did fellow SUEPA member Alan Foggon)) who invited him to play for Hamilton Academicals, but by that time Alex had become a bit disillusioned with the game (his footballing inspiration father also sadly passed away at that time) and decided to focus on earning a living elsewhere, becoming a tree surgeon and then working as a foreman for a double-glazing company.
A few years ago, Alex got talking to a guy about football in a local supermarket and found they had something in common in that they had both played for Southend! The other guy was our own Alex Duchart who sadly passed away just over a year ago.
Around ten years ago Alex took a trip down memory lane with his wife and came back to Southend. He attempted to visit Andy Smillie in his seafront café but frustratingly Andy had just left, but then had his morale boosted by a worker at the Premier Inn they were staying at who, on learning of his old playing days, asked for his autograph! They then took a trip to Roots Hall – the team were playing away that day but as he got to the East Stand reception to see if he could view inside the ground he was greeted by someone calling out his old nickname - ‘Touslehead’. It was none other than Mr Southend United himself Frankie Banks, who had been at the club when Alex first arrived in 1966. Alex enjoyed a ground tour, and he now has an open SUEPA invite to be our guest on a match day if he ever fancies another trip back to the place that he still holds with affection some 57 years after he last played there.
