1 month ago
My friend Brian Wakefield, who has died aged 91, was 1 of nan champion amateur goalkeepers successful England during nan early 1960s. Making his sanction astatine Corinthian Casuals, he was reserve keeper for nan Great Britain broadside astatine nan 1960 Rome Olympics and besides played astatine various times for Pegasus, Kingstonian AFC, Dulwich Hamlet and Leyton Orient.
At Corinthian Casuals he was first squad head for 2 seasons, honorary caput for a decade and ran its Schools XI.
Brian was calved successful Urmston, Greater Manchester; his father, Joe, was an ironmonger, and his mother, Phyllis (nee Rice), worked successful a dress shop. While astatine Stretford grammar schoolhouse he appeared for nan Northern Nomads shot club.
He went to St Edmund Hall, Oxford University, successful 1953 to study history (and play football). He won 3 blues successful matches against Cambridge University astatine Wembley. I played successful defence pinch him successful those games and we became patient friends. In 1956 St Edmund Hall invited him to enactment connected for different term, during which he captained Oxford. His broadside hit Cambridge 4-1.
After Oxford Brian had 2 years’ nationalist work successful nan RAF, spending overmuch of his clip playing football, including successful nan afloat RAF side, earlier going connected to do coach training astatine Carnegie College successful Leeds.
He past joined nan Sir William Herschel grammar schoolhouse successful Slough, Berkshire, arsenic a history and authorities teacher, besides becoming caput of beingness education. He remained location until his early status successful 1992, aged 58.
Brian’s amateur footballing profession ran successful parallel pinch his teaching. Having joined Corinthian Casuals successful 1959, a twelvemonth later he was chosen for nan Olympics arsenic back-up goalkeeper, though he did not play successful immoderate of nan matches.
In 1960 he signed amateur forms for Second Division broadside Leyton Orient but played successful conscionable 1 reserve game. After rejoining Corinthian Casuals he played successful their Schools XI – a set of knowledgeable footballers who recreation nan land, astatine their ain expense, playing against chiefly independent schools. He played successful and ran nan squad for 40 years, pinch a break from 1979 to 1981 erstwhile he managed nan club’s first XI.
In status he continued to play into his mid-60s, and besides took connected nan domiciled of Corinthian Casuals’ honorary caput from 1993 to 2004. Throughout his shot career, arsenic subordinate aliases manager, Brian ne'er received a yellowish card.
During each his endeavours Brian had nan lukewarm support of his wife, Marjorie (nee Prescott), a shape cutter and illustrator whom he joined successful 1960. She died successful 2024; he is survived by their daughters, Linda and Karen.
