By Neil Ravenscroft
September 26 2002

Well, it's another birthday today, another year older and another year's football gone by. So why, after 40 (yes, count them!), 40 years of watching the lads, why haven't I given up yet? I was putting a message on the board tonight, replying to a post about Jimmy McMorran. Unfortunately that got me going

I suppose, for the younger readers, I'd better get one thing out of the way, Jimmy McMorran was simply the best passer of a ball I've ever seen in the red shirt of Walsall, Darren Bradley included.

Thinking about him, though, just started the memories flowing. (Well, it was either that or the wine). I started thinking of my all time Dream Squad (the one that will be playing for Walsall in Heaven):-

Walker, Parkes, Wallington, Kearns

Brian Taylor, Harrison, Atthey, Bennett, Gregg, Caswell, Hart, Brazier

Dennehy, Baker, McMorran, Alex Taylor, Bates, Colin Taylor, Peron, O'Connor (yes, he makes it!), Preece

Buckley, Alan Clarke, Boli, Tony Richards, Kelly

and many, many more I don't have time to go on about now.

Then, of course, there are the magic moments. Moments like the wins at Highbury and Rotherham and the draw at Anfield in that Cup run, being at the Victoria Ground when we achieved that wonderful Cup win against Stoke (then in the top flight), with only 10 and a half men, as there were no subs and McMorran was limping on the wing, that win against Bristol Rovers when we were losing at 90 minutes and scored the winner in the ninth minute of injury time (would never leave early now!), the play off replay win against Bristol City, Cardiff, of course, the "They're only 90 minutes from a place in Europe" advert, when we could have been, Alun Evan's winner against Leicester, Gary Childs winner against Shrewsbury in the League Cup, that 4 -4 draw at Watford, Roger Boli's goal against Southend, Alan Buckley scoring the best Walsall goal I've ever seen against Huddersfield (yes, I can describe it again, if people want!), the cup run when we put out Manchester United and Newcastle United...........

Good grief, must be time for another glass.......