The Longside Reference

A TRIBUTE TO ALBERT MADDOX

     How sorry I was to hear that Albert Maddox had passed away. It was at a Gala Dinner that I last spoke to him and he was in good form. There was always a smile on his face whenever we met and we met several times in connection with two books, No Nay Never and Harry Potts Margaret’s Story. He gave me a great deal of help with both of them.

     Albert Maddox joined the staff at Turf Moor in October 1947. He went on to amass a huge store of memories and experiences during his contributions to the club and its history. A native of Oswaldtwistle, he had ambitions of becoming a professional footballer himself, like his best pal George Bray. At the age of 17, in 1939, Wolverhampton Wanderers had invited him for trials, but the invitation was cancelled when war was declared and all League football was brought to a halt. That was the end of Albert’s ambitions, although he did play several games for Accrington Stanley as an amateur during the war, and for the RAF in the Middle East. Having been denied his opportunity to become a professional footballer he then took delight in working in football in his secretarial capacity.

     He was appointed assistant secretary of the club in October 1947 and until his promotion to secretary in 1962, he combined his secretarial work with scouting work and the youth scheme. He always remembered with pride the number of boys who made the grade and then went on to win international honours. It was his duty to meet many of them at the station either in Todmorden or Burnley. His was sometimes the first friendly face these young lads met when they were so nervous and apprehensive. For some of them like Ralph Coates it was the first time they had been more than a few miles away from home. 

     Vivid in Albert’s memories were games such as the 1954 FA Cup tie at Turf Moor against Manchester United when Burnley won 5 – 3. There was the game at Manchester City when the Championship was won. Then there were the European games, Reims, Naples, the legendary 4 – 4 draw at Tottenham and the ’62 Cup Final. We think of the Potts/Lord partnership during these years, but always there in the background was Albert Maddox, sorting, organising and supporting. The Lord/Maddox partnership was just as important.

     From 1962, he was secretary until his retirement in 1982. But if he thought that was the end of his connection with the club he could not have been more mistaken. His former assistant Bob Bradshaw, who had been appointed secretary on Albert’s retirement, was taken ill. Albert was asked to “help out” again in 1986. Following Bob’s unfortunate death, Albert was appointed secretary again. When he was needed again by Burnley Football Club he answered the call. If the word servant is overused, it is still appropriate in any description of Albert and any tribute to him. He served the club with faithfulness and loyalty, and was with it through the years of triumph and then those of despair.

     He was a very human person, well-liked and respected by everyone. Of all the players and people I have spoken to in connection with the books I have written, I have never heard one say an unkind word about him. All of them think of him with gratitude and great affection.

     Maybe of all the days and games he experienced it was the Orient game that was most vivid, like it was for so many of us. Perhaps I can end with a little story about what this club meant to him.

    It was the Orient game and afterwards the celebrations went on into the night. At Turf Moor the drink flowed copiously and Albert participated gleefully like everyone else. His wife Muriel at home got a phone call from Brian Miller who told her that he had organised a taxi for Albert to get home. “I’ve put Albert in a taxi, he’s a little unwell,” said Brian tactfully.

     Years later when Albert remembered the occasion with me, with Muriel sitting beside him listening, he grinned widely and his eyes filled with emotion. He wasn’t the only one that day who had to be helped back home.

     “The next day on the Sunday morning, I thought my head would explode,” he recalled with a twinkle in his eye. “But the world seemed a great place.”

     Albert Maddox in his time at Turf Moor helped make the club a great place for so many people. His name along with those such as Potts, Lord, and Miller will be remembered for a long time to come. His contributions to the club’s history are immense and when we think of the glory years, Albert Maddox was part of them.

Dave Thomas June 2007