Part 4 His Later Rugby Career
The arrival of a new coach, Alex Murphy, in 1978, was the catalyst leading to John Knighton’s departure from the club.
“It was plainly obvious from the outset that there was going to be no place for me in his side, because, during his first couple of months, I wasn’t even getting chosen for the ‘A’ team.
“I don’t think he liked former rugby union players, in general, possibly because of the much larger amounts of money they had received for making the change to league, whereas he, as a youngster, would have been signed up for a much more modest amount.
“He also possibly remembered me for one occasion when we were playing against Warrington. I was on the wing and intercepted one of his passes, to score a try.
“Les Bettinson, as a member of the Board, consequently, made me available for transfer at a bargain price to help me find another club.”
The club which immediately made a move to sign him was St Helens.
“I was brought in as a replacement for Eric Chisnall, who was out injured. I just got a phone call from their coach, Eric Ashton, asking how much I would want for moving there.
“I didn’t have a clue as to what sort of amount to ask for, so just plucked the figure of a thousand pounds out of the air, and was quite thankful when he accepted it without a quibble.
“That was until someone told me I should have asked for much more than that, so I phoned him back and upped the figure to two thousand to which he again agreed without any quibble, and I consequently made the move there.
“It wasn’t as convenient for me, for training, as it had been at Salford, being twice as far to travel. I used to leave school around five o’clock to get there for six to six-thirty.
“We used to train in the small, grassed area outside the dressing room end of the ground. We would start with ten press ups, then ten sit ups, then twice round the pitch and finish off with a quick game of touch and pass, and that was it.
“I was there for two years, and we never did anything around tactics, set plays, nor anything like that, but they were such a talented bunch of players that they did not need it.
“We won a lot of games during my time with them, though we did not manage to win anything in the way of trophies. Before a game, Eric would just talk quietly to the captain, George Nicholls, as to what he wanted, and that seemed to work really well.
“There was one occasion, however, when I missed out on a place in a semi-final against Wakefield, because, the week before, I had missed the coach to an away match at Bradford because of heavy traffic and then had had to drive all the way there, during which time my back stiffened up and I was unable to play.
“Consequently, I was not selected the week after and had to watch from the stand.
“We were a couple of points ahead, near the end of the game, when their stand-off, David Topliss, broke away and scored under the posts for the winner, and I thought to myself that I would have caught him if I’d been out there.
“Kel Coslett was later appointed coach, upon the departure of Eric, following which I left because I felt I had had enough. I had been promoted at school, with greater responsibility along with the extra cash, but, also, I had tired of the travelling there twice a week. My children were growing up and I wanted to be spending my weekends with the family.”
Surprising outcomes, seemingly, are far more common in sport than in other walk of life, and John’s almost immediate return to Salford was one such example of this.
“I came back to work with the Colts side, while, at the same time, taking up playing basketball, before eventually returning to rugby union where it had all begun, and which I continued playing right up to the age of fifty-five.
“The fact that I was playing stand-off, for Heaton Moor Veterans, meant that I wasn’t involved in all the rough and tumble of the forwards, and it was this that helped me keep going for so long.
“Shortly after having finished playing, I was approached by my school’s PE adviser with the invitation to become involved in the Sports England initiative, which endeavoured to link sports clubs and schools together for the betterment of the children. I accepted, gave up teaching and went to work for Thameside Council in this capacity.
“It was really interesting because we covered a variety of sports, and it is still continuing today.”
As for John in his later years, health issues led to his retiring probably a little earlier than he otherwise might have done, but he nevertheless keeps himself fit playing golf and walking his dog, and has very much enjoyed returning to Salford on a number of occasions when his generation of players have been invited back to attend certain matches, on specific occasions.
“I was so lucky to play for Salford in an era of so many outstanding players, many of whom were internationals in one or both codes. During my time at the club the standard of playing and training was excellent, considering that all players had full time jobs outside of rugby.
“To play for Salford is my most memorable achievement in sport, and I remain grateful to the club, and the many fine players, who shared my time in the sport.”
