by Barry Smith
PART FOUR - THE BEAMAN YEARS (1984-1992)
The first five years of the 1980’s were spent in now familiar mid-table territory – the team was competitive but generally heading nowhere. Then followed the most amazing five years in the club’s history, during which time the name of Rocester Football Club became respected across the Midlands and on one occasion in 1987 right across the country.
Things began to get moving in 1984 when long-serving player Alan Beaman took over from Alan Smith as manager. Soon afterwards he was joined by Don Hill, a retired Black Country businessman, who was introduced to the club and immediately became chairman. These two men, backed up by dedicated club secretary Gilbert Egerton and a hard-working committee, masterminded the rise of Rocester.
Beaman's introduction to management coincided with an attempt to restructure County level football in Staffordshire, which resulted in the formation of the Staffordshire Senior League in 1984. The purpose of the new league was to create a strong competition that encompassed the whole of the county, and to provide a platform for ambitious clubs to progress into the national non-league 'pyramid'.
Rocester, along with almost every other club from the Premier Division of the County League (North), were elected into the new league, but the new competition failed to capture the imagination of the vast majority of clubs from the south of the county and only Hednesford Progressive came on board. In effect, the new league was no different to the County League (North), but it gave the clubs senior status and Beaman was determined to take Rocester to the top of it.
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"I made up my mind, either I do the job properly or I get out. The first thing was to get some quality into the side." - Alan Beaman. |
His first three major signings provided the backbone of the team for several years to come.
Centre-Half Kevin Barry came in from Newcastle Town, and experienced goalkeeper Barry Alcock arrived from Stafford Rangers as he could no longer give them the time they required. |
The third major signing was prolific centre-forward Mick Collins, who had played for the club alongside Beaman a few years earlier before leaving to play for the likes of Gresley Rovers and Sutton Coldfield Town among others.
Further additions were made to the squad, and
in 1985-86 Rocester literally ran away with the Senior League championship,
losing only one match out of 28 and finishing eleven points ahead of runners-up
Eastwood Hanley Reserves.
A successful run in the Staffordshire F.A.
Vase earned a place in the final against Eccleshall at Stafford Rangers, where
Mick Collins scored both of the goals in a 2-1 win that secured a fine ‘double’.
The Senior League title was retained in
1986-87 after a tremendous tussle with Redgate United. Cup commitments had
caused a heavy fixture backlog but just two defeats all season and an unbeaten
run from November through to the end of the season, spanning some 19 matches,
saw Rocester edge home by just two points.
For the second year running the Staffordshire
F.A. Vase final was reached. This time however, Knypersley Victoria prevented
another 'double' when they took the honours after a replay and a penalty
shoot-out.
The season will mainly be remembered for a fantastic run in the F.A. Challenge Vase which gave the club national recognition. Rocester entered at the Extra Preliminary Round where their first ever match in the competition produced a 1-0 away win at Stamford based Mirrlees Blackstone, the goal predictably scored by Mick Collins. Further wins over Blakenall (2-0), Hinckley Town (3-1), Bradley Rangers (1-0), and Downham Town (4-0) saw the side paired with mighty Halesowen Town in Round Four. The Black Country side were not only the holders of the Vase, they had been Wembley finalists in the competition three times out of the previous four years and they were red-hot favourites to win it again.
A record home crowd of 1,026, about half of
which travelled up from Halesowen, witnessed what to this day is still widely
regarded as the biggest upset in the history of the Vase. Geoff Moss fired
Halesowen ahead early in the second half, but Mark Shelley shocked them with an
equaliser less than a minute later. The game moved into extra time before Mick
Collins sealed a famous and dramatic victory with two goals inside three
minutes, both coming from crosses supplied by substitute Dave Bevans.
A place in the Wembley final was now a
distinct possibility having reached the last 16, but the pressure and excitement
seemed to affect the players in the next match and Yorkshire’s Garforth Town
ended the dream with a 3-1 extra time win at Trentmill Road, the home of the now
defunct Eastwood Hanley.
That remarkable run in the F.A. Vase should, in fact, not have happened at all. The club's Mill Ground was not up to the required standard for the competition and development of the new ground had been delayed while archaeologists from the Birmingham University searched the site for Roman artefacts before building could start. Yet the application still went in to enter, and the F.A. accepted it not realising the situation with the ground.
As Rocester were drawn at home in almost every round, club officials were reliant on neighbouring clubs Leek Town and Eastwood Hanley being away from home so their grounds could be used to stage Rocester's 'home' fixtures. This situation earned the club a verbal bashing from the Football Association in London who in no uncertain terms warned that "Even if you win the Vase you won't be in it next year if you don't have a ground!"
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A new era began in the summer of 1987 when the
club moved from their home of more than a century, in truth little more than a
field with wooden changing rooms, to the present ground, named at the time as
Riversfield, on the opposite side of Mill Street and next to the imposing former
cotton mill. Much of the clubhouse and changing room facilities were built upon
the site of an ancient Roman fort, which led to the club adopting their nickname
of ‘The Romans’.
At the same time the club moved into a higher
level of football, joining Division One of the West Midlands (Regional) League.
Rocester started life in their new league in magnificent style and after 22
matches remained unbeaten. This record, coupled with the previous Staffordshire
Senior League campaign, meant that the team had not lost a league match in 41
outings spanning sixteen months!
The title was won by a margin of eleven points from nearest rivals Stourport Swifts, the League Cup was annexed with a 4-1 win over Newport Town, and the Staffordshire F.A. Vase completed a notable ‘treble’, Stafford Town being beaten 2-0 in the final.
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The new ground was further developed with the addition of a stand, and this enabled the club to take its place in the Premier Division of the West Midlands (Regional) League for the 1988-89 season.
Following a season of consolidation in the league’s top flight, floodlighting was installed at the ground which meant that the club were now able to gain entry into several prestigious competitions including the F.A. Cup, the Staffordshire Senior Cup and the Birmingham Senior Cup.
The Romans made their first serious challenge for the Premier Division title in 1989-90 but after a tremendous season they had to be content with second place when Hinckley Town edged them out on goal-difference.
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BEAMAN'S PLAYERS
Throughout Alan Beaman's tenure as manager he was always able to attract high quality players to the club. Apart from many of the area's top non-league footballers, a number of former professionals came to the club which not only enhanced Rocester's reputation as a growing force, but also helped to raise the club's profile.
The most notable success was Alan Dodd, a former England U-23 International who had enjoyed a lengthy career with Stoke City. 'Doddy' formed a formidable partnership at the centre of defence with Kevin Barry, or sometimes Paul Croft in Barry's absence, and he totalled 72 appearances for the Romans between 1988 and 1991 before retiring.
Another big name player to represent the team under Beaman's management was the former Port Vale, Blackburn Rovers and Everton goalkeeper Jim Arnold, who was persuaded to help out between the sticks when Barry Alcock was injured.
Beaman's excellent relationship with Port Vale's manager John Rudge enabled him to bring in Gary McKinstry, a young attacking midfield player, on loan from Vale for a short while during the 1991-92 season. Irishman McKinstry only made eleven appearances for the Romans, but he scored four important goals during his stay and helped the team into the semi-final of the Birmingham Senior Cup. He was soon to be released by the Potteries club but he went on to enjoy a lengthy playing career in both Scottish and Irish league football.
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