RETURN OF A LATIC’S LEGEND

At his Fans Forum, Roberto Martinez said that he instils the spirit of Springfield Park into his players and that he makes sure they know exactly where the club has come from. Well Geoff Davies is one of those players that played a great part in the non-league days at Wigan and in his short spell with us made a lasting mark.

He, along with Ken Barlow, author of ‘Mild and Bitter Were the Days’, will be in the Supporters Club Bar, At the Robin Park Sports Centre next door to the Café (what used to be Champion’s Bar) before the match with Sunderland. The bar opens at around 12.30 p.m., with Geoff and Ken being there from around 1.30 p.m.. They will be holding a questions and answers session and so those who want to ask about what it was like back then can do so.

Ken will have his book on sale which both author and player will be happy to sign, that goes for anybody who has already bought a copy, bring it along to have it personally signed.

‘Geoff Davies signed for Latics in the summer of 1970 for a reported £800.00p from Northwich Vics.

He scored no less than five hat-tricks within the first three months of signing and ended up with 42 goals that season (1970/71) with Gordon Milne, Derek Temple, Jim Fleming and Graham Oates providing the ammunition as Latics powered their way to the Northern Premier League title.
Geoff also very nearly saved the day in the classic FA cup tie away at Manchester City when his header was touched onto the post by City’s keeper Joe Corrigan in the last minute, oh how it hurt, and still does!

The following season he scored 28 goals, despite injuries, and was quickly signed up by what was at the time ‘a bigger club’, namely Chester City. A classic example of how some things at Wigan Athletic never change yet paradoxically, everything has changed!

Geoff went on to have a successful league career with spells at Chester, Wrexham, Port Vale and Wimbledon. He also enjoyed a spell in the USA where he played with, and sometimes against, such world stars as Pele, George Best, Cruyff and Beckenbauer.

Geoff has many happy memories of playing for Latics and to this day recalls the physical demands of playing three times a week whilst travelling to training in fog, ice and snow.

A far cry from his current lifestyle in the USA where Geoff continues his love affair with football as a youth soccer coach in California.’

Ken Barlow is author of ‘Mild and Bitter Were The Days’ which depicts Ken’s days being a sixteen year old Latics fan in 1970, click here for the book details. www.mildandbitter.co.uk

Do you remember being sixteen? Learning to love music and girls. Receiving painful knock backs from girls. Lying in bed till dinner time. Learning to love your local, non-league football club.

Ken Barlow’s – no not that one – fabulous book ‘Mild & Bitter Were The Days’ captures all these emotions and much much more. Quite why he decided to keep a diary whilst growing up in Wigan in 1970 even Ken doesn’t know but cross Adrian Mole with Non League football and you’ll get a pretty good idea of the content.

As Ken describes:

It was Wigan 1970 and terrace violence was beginning to dominate football, even non-league Wigan Athletic had their ‘boot-boys’. Elsewhere, Led Zeppelin and Jethro Tull were breaking new ground in rock music. Meanwhile Ken remained perplexed by the fairer sex leading him to conclude that, “…life
wur pot”

But this book is about so much more than that. It’s about friendships and relationship and knockbacks and wondering just what life has in store. Football is the underlying passion and of course Wigan Athletic was a pretty successful side in non-league and cup giant killing circles during this era.

To summarise then…..
Ken, alongside book contributor Geoff Davies, will be making an appearance on Saturday 28th November at Wigan Athletic Supporters Club Bar, At the Robin Park Sports Centre next door to the Café (what used to be Champion’s Bar) from 1.30 p.m. to 2.15 p.m. where you can chat to them both, plus for anybody who hasn’t already bought a copy of Ken’s book you’ll be able to purchase a signed copy of his book for a mere £9.99.