Remembered as a stylish yet forceful midfielder, Geoff played 41 first team games for the Sky Blues in two seasons with the Club, including three outings in our first and only European adventure in the 1970-71 EUFA Cup campaign.  He retired from the game on leaving the Sky Blues in May 1972 and ran a Merseyside Hotel furnishing Company as well as co – owning a pub with former Anfield colleague Ian Callaghan.

Living latterly in Southport, Geoff suffered from Alzheimer’s disease in his declining years and we were unable to sign him up for CCFPA. The Association sends our sincere condolences to Geoff’s family and friends.

Marton started his career from 2001 with MTK Budapest, BKV Elore SC and BFC Siofek in his Hungarian homeland but was on Spurs books when loaned to the Sky Blues in 2005-06 and clocked up 31 appearances. In a somewhat peripatetic career taking in Sunderland, Ipswich and W.B.A. (and loan spells with Chesterfield, Leicester, Stoke and Manchester City) Marton was last with Greek club Asteras Tripoli.

BBC Sport reports Marton as saying, “I am sure that after a few months I will be ready both physically and mentally to continue playing football….I’d like to train between treatment courses, as the doctors have said this is fine and heartily recommend it….. My contract in Greece has come to an end and with a successful season behind me there were some great career opportunities put in front of me…. For the time being I cannot dwell on these, and I wouldn’t want to put a club’s management in such an awkward situation that they have to deal with my problem.”

Get well soon Marton!

Steve wearing his CCFPA tie

One of the Sky Blues’ friendly opponents in their upcoming pre-season tour of Holland is Eredivisie club Heracles Almelo. Interestingly the Dutch Club, nicknamed after the mythological Greek deity Hercules, is linked to CCFC through one of our oldest surviving former players, 81 year old, Steve ‘Kalamazoo’ Mokone.

Steve secured a place in history when as a youth he came to Third Division Coventry City in 1955 from apartheid era South Africa to sign for ‘the Bantams’ (as we were then known) and became the first black South African to play professional football in Europe. Steve’s pacey forward skills made quite an impact in his relatively brief stay at Highfield Road initially mostly in the reserves. However, once he gained his first team debut in October 1956 he scored once in his four appearances before moving to the Netherlands in 1957.

He played in Almelo for SC Heracles in 1958 after a spell with PSV Eindhoven and made such an impression there that one stand at the club’s Polman Stadion as well as a street in the town are named after him! Later spells with other top continental clubs followed. Appearances for the likes of AC Torino, FC Barcelona and Benfica  earned him further fame as ‘the Black Meteor’ and two books and a feature film of his remarkable career followed. Moving to the USA on retirement from the game in 1971, after some tribulations, ‘Kala’  built a second career as an academic with some success (gaiming a doctorate along the way) and has been formally recognised by both the United Nations and South Africa as a sporting ambassador.

‘Kala’ & City Manager George Raynor 1956

He is fondly remembered by erstwhile colleagues of the time like Association members Lol Harvey and George Curtis (who was for a time Kala’s room mate as a youngster).  ‘Kala’ became an Association member in 2011,  still lives in the States and eagerly follows European football on TV. He regularly keeps in touch with CCFPA Membership Secretary Mike Young by email and through our newsletters and, no doubt, will be in demand from the media as the CCFC – Heracles friendly comes nearer!  The game, the last of the tour, is on Saturday 20th July 2013 and will, no doubt, be followed with interest by Steve.

An interesting article about Steve including the challenge of adjusting to life in Coventry can be found at:  http://www.thenational.ae/sport/football/steve-mokone-the-striker-who-broke-the-apartheid-barrier). A recent short film which traces some of these highlights of Steve’s life and career and includes an interview with ‘Kalamazoo’  made by South African online broadcasters KaliTV can now be seen on YouTube (reference www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa3umkOFqk8) or direct  on their website www.kalitv.com.

CCFPA committee member Frank Pritchard who played a big part in organising the day (thanks, Frank) sent us the following report of the results:-

 ”Overall Winner with 38 Stableford Points – Andy Blair.  Congratulations to Andy who takes home the ‘Buildbase Cup’ for this year.  Tied for 2nd place on 34 pts were Peter Billing and  Dean Emerson (and Dean was placed 2nd on the count-back on the back nine holes).  The leading ‘Guest Player’ on 37pts was John Darling  of BT Promotions.

The ‘Wooden Spoon’ for the lowest score with 10 pts was Ronnie Farmer, closely followed by Bob Wesson with 12 pts.

Nearest the Pin on the ninth wasinitially tied between Amrick Pannum from the Shortland Horne Ltd team and  Gareth Watkins of the G-Casino team. The putt-out in the Clubhouse was eventually won by Gareth Watkins. The Winner on the 15th (back 9) was John Bloxham from the CCFPA 1 team.

Longest Drives. The longest drive on the 3rd hole was Club skipper and Player of the Season, Carl Baker (16 Handicap) who drove it well over 300yds!!!!! Not to be outdone ‘Oggy’ hit a screamer on the 16th to take the trophy & prize for the back 9!

The Overall Winning Team was the Maximum Group (with Andy Blair):- Stuart Lines, Rob Chattaway and Mark Jones with the magnificent total of 88 points!  Runners-Up on 83pts were G-Casino  consisting of Gareth Watkins and Steve Palmer (with Paul Culpin and Dean Emerson) and in 3rd place were the team entered by Hunter Plastics – Steve Sykes, Noel McDermott, Craig Foster and Dan Rowley who scored a highly creditable 82pts.

Congratulations to all our Winners on a day when the sun truly shone on ‘Coventry City Former Players Association’. The golf was followed by a very welcome dinner, raffle, auction and of course the prize presentation. The Association wishes to thank all at SDPGC, our sponsors and those who entered a team and took part in a most memorable and successful day.  Without you we wouldn’t be able to make it happen. “

Team De Marco (from the Coventry based law firm) about to tee off with CCFPA President Kirk Stephens (2nd from right)

Look out for more photographs of this memorable day in our ‘Galleries’ pages in due course