Part 4 He Remembers Players In The ‘Team Of Stars’
With so many big stars in the team, in the later stages of his time at Salford, Terry, understandably, finds difficulty in singling out individuals because each of them had so much to offer in their specific roles.
“Mike Coulman and Colin Dixon absolutely shone in the engine room of the pack. Their pace was exceptional for guys of their size, which made them so difficult to stop once they had got into their stride. I was very fond of Colin especially, as he was a really great guy. He had a reputation of being extremely strong of physique, and you usually came off worse if you came up against him. His presence on the field was always a considerable attribute to the team, as indeed was the case with Mike.
“With Mike it was the sheer power he possessed. He had a low centre of gravity, which made him very difficult to knock off balance. His legs and thighs were massive; he once split the seams of a pair of trousers he was trying on in a gentleman’s outfitter where a few of us were trying on new suits.
“Out wide, we had an abundance of pace, with Bill Burgess and then shortly after I had left, Maurice Richards. I had, though, been impressed by Maurice when I saw him run in four tries for Wales in a rugby union international against England, at Cardiff Arms Park, and even though we never actually played together, we have since become really good friends and very much enjoy meeting up at the occasional players’ reunions to which the club invites us.
“Even at halfback, David Watkins’s speed was noteworthy, but that was also supplemented by his extremely tricky footwork, which would mesmerise defenders as they tried to bring his progress to a halt.
“The night he made his debut against Oldham, I was on crutches, having damaged ligaments in my ankle, so was not playing. He later told me that I had been the first person he had met on coming to Salford, and seeing me on crutches had made him wonder what on earth he had come to.
“Chris Hesketh had been little more than a fringe player when he had been at Wigan. That was possibly because he could be a difficult player to follow, as on occasions he would run away from his support rather than keeping with it, but, from the moment he came to Salford, he seemed to progress beyond all expectations. The environment just seemed to suit him, and with the backs amongst whom he was playing, we were able to have sufficient players backing him up to ensure there was someone nearby, whichever route he decided to take towards the line.”
In the later years of his career, Terry would be found packing down on the blindside of the scrum, whilst his fellow, openside prop, was former Oldham international, Charlie Bott.
“Charlie and I complemented each other ideally. My strength was my skill with the ball, but my weakness was my tackling, whereas tackling was Charlie’s greatest strength.
“As an international he had been on tour of Australia with Great Britain, in 1966, and later emigrated there when his playing career was coming towards its end. Coincidentally, just as I was involved in the development of the social club in the sixties, I understand that Charlie, for the few months prior to his move down under, was equally involved in the construction of the then new North Stand.”
Terry’s move up front was possibly attributable to the acquisition of another former Oldham forward, Stuart Whitehead, who held the second-row position for a couple of years before moving to centre, on the arrivals of Coulman and Dixon.
“The fact that Stuart was part of that attacking line up of such speedy backs as Watkins, Hesketh, Burgess and Richards, showed the considerable pace he had as a second rower, when he first came, and he continued to hold his position in the centre until he was replaced by David Watkins’s move there from stand-off, in 1971.
One prop who actually outlasted Terry’s length of time with the club, was fans’ favourite, Jimmy Hardacre.
“Jimmy was at the club when I first arrived here, and he was still playing in the ‘A’ team when I left – in fact by then he had become captain of them, which was quite an honour when you remember just how really good that ‘A’ team was. Coach, Ernie Critchley, thought the world of Jimmy with his hundred and ten percent endeavour in every match; he was such a wholehearted player.
“One of the best hookers we had in my time at Salford for getting the ball from the scrum was Colin Bowden, who came to us around the same time as David Evans, but who remained for only a very brief spell.
“Paul Murphy, our left winger, was the first of the really fast wingers we were to have, having come to Salford from Preston Grasshoppers. He also turned out to be a good goalkicker, which was only discovered by chance. Towards the end of his playing career, he was involved in working in the social club, which led, in turn, to his marrying Jill Snape, one of Brian Snape’s daughters.”
