The week before the 1950 Cup Final, my Dad was hanging around Anfield (not sure why he was not at school), a 12 year old with aspirations of playing for Liverpool (for which he had two trials later on).
After the great Joe Mercer had been treated so badly Everton over medical fees for a serious injury, he had joined Arsenal, however, being an Ellesmere Port lad, had arrange to train with Liverpool during the week, travelling down to London only for the games themselves. In the week before the cup final, it would have been crazy to have the opposition captain training with 1st team squad, and so the former England Captain had to train alone at Anfield while the Liverpool team plotted his downfall at Melwood.
After Mercer had finished training, he began the walk home (with some shopping I might add) when the 12 year old approached him and asked for his autograph. Mercer ignored the question, and seeing the ball under my Dads arm (he was not my Dad at the time), told him to get in goals. The goals of course, were two of the pillars that made up the brick wall at the back of the Main Stand car park. After a while, Mercer suggested that he go in goals while my Dad tried to score against him.
The warm-up to Wembley lasted over an hour, but the score was not recorded so as to save face for the Arsenal Captain. The final whistle was more of a “Sorry son, I have to get home now, the wife is waiting for the shopping, now what do you want signing?”, and with that, the great mans famous smile was beaten only be the one on my Dad’s face.
While many were reading in the Monday papers how the Compton brothers and their team-mates knocked King Billy for 6 – and may as well have used their bats too such was the ferocity of their victimization; one little boy was disappointed, but not altogether devastated. King Billy would always be the greatest, but new hero Joe Mercer had lifted the F.A. Cup.
Smiling Joe will always have a place in the hearts of my brother and I as well as our Dad, for both of us have seen the glimmer in his eye when he tells the story.
Dad, I ask you but one question. What the hell did you teach him that day?
