Trevor married a girl from Llanelli. She predeceased him 6 years ago. “‘I met her on holiday in Mallorca in 1972 when I was about 18,’ he says. ‘I lost her phone number but knew she was a hairdresser from Llanelli so I decided to call them all. I presumed there would be four or five in the town. There were more than 30. ‘In pre-season at Birmingham I would go to a phone kiosk and put my 2p in and call them all one by one. It was: “Excuse me do you have a Helen working for you?” Then: “Sorry we don’t know that name”. Move on. Another one. Same answer. Move on. Then, after 15 attempts, I found her. ‘That was the start of our relationship. We were inseparable from that moment on but things were not easy for her when we first went to Forest. ‘People were very envious of her. The way she was dressed. Her looks. The wife of the first million-pound footballer. ‘Then the begging letters started from all over the country asking for money. Then the fur coat she wore attracted letters from the animal rights people. Then others would say she was spending her husband’s money on clothes. She was young, only 25. It was hard. ‘But as she got further into football she hardened to it. She came to just about every game I played. She used to get requests for interviews from fashion magazines and stuff but she always said no. She just wanted to support me. ‘She had great family values. Family always came first. Our two boys she idolised but there was only one No 1 and that was me. She made sure I knew that.’ RIP
Chris Bart-Williams has died aged 49. Bart-Williams, known affectionately by fans and team-mates as 'Bartman', made more than 400 appearances in his career. After coming through Leyton Orient's academy he played for Sheffield Wednesday, Nottingham Forest, Charlton Athletic and Ipswich. RIP
Former Wales scrum-half, captain, coach, manager and Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) president Clive Rowlands has died at the age of 85. Rowlands coached Wales from 1968-1974, guiding them to the Triple Crown in 1969 and Grand Slam in 1971. As a player Rowlands captained Wales in each of his 14 Test appearances from 1963-1965. At club level, Rowlands played for Pontypool, Llanelli and Swansea before turning to coaching. Rowlands, who earned the nickname 'Top Cat' in rugby circles, was renowned for his passionate motivational methods and during his coaching stint Wales won 18 of his 29 games. After coaching he moved into rugby administration, managing Wales when they finished third at the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987. Two years later he filled a similar role as the British and Irish Lions beat Australia 2-1. He was also president of the WRU in 1989-90. RIP
I got to know Clive when he took charge of Aberavon during the mid-1990s and, in particular, can remember having a drink with him after Neath had beaten them at the Talbot Athletic Ground.
RIP Clive Had the pleasure of his company at a celebrity golf day at Pontardawe. Told us some cracking stories of the Lions tour.
I remember he used to tell the story of him going to a train station in India and asking for a ticket to Cwmtwrch ….. the clerk asked him “Upper or Lower?”
RIP to the worker that lost their life on the new Everton stadium. I’ve been on some big construction sites and they can be dangerous places to work. Thoughts and prayers with the family.
