Part 2 His Memories Of Playing At Salford
Part 3 He Remembers Some Of His Former Teammates
Part 4 His Experiences Of Playing In France & Return To Salford
Part 3 He Remembers Some Of His Former Teammates
Among the players whom Ellis recalls with affection, is Johnny Ward who had signed for Salford from Castleford, having been in our opponents’ ranks in the 1969 Wembley Challenge Cup Final, between the two clubs.
“John was a really nice guy, whom it was a pleasure to be with. He came to Salford as a prop, which was where he had played at Wembley, but he could also play at hooker, so we had something in common with that, and it helped our relationship.
“He was a really tough player on the field; he would never let anybody mess with him, and his ball handling skills were top rate. He could always put someone through a gap he had created.”
Captain of the ‘A’ team was the ever popular, Jimmy Hardacre, who many years later became chairman of the Red Devils Association.
“Jimmy was another prop and a player who was happy playing in the ‘A’ team, having been made captain, which was just reward for his dedication to the club and the team.
“Mick Hennigan was another popular player, who was often called into the first team, and had been a regular first teamer before the arrivals of Mike Coulman and Colin Dixon. He left soon after I came to The Willows to join Warrington, where he had a long and successful career.”
One player whose experiences at Salford were somewhat similar to Ellis’s was centre-cum-winger, Iain McCorquodale.
“Corky was a most incredible goal-kicker. The power he could put into his kicks, and with the accuracy to go with it, was quite incredible, and after he left Salford in the early seventies, he had a tremendous career with Workington Town, where he is still remembered with great fondness.
“We, in the team, often felt that he never got a proper chance because, of course, Salford had David Watkins in the team and he was the goalkicker, and also one of the main stars in the side, so when you also consider the amount of money the club had invested in him, it isn’t surprising that he retained his position throughout his lengthy time with us.”
