HomeMy father, now in his 80s, had a friend who had lost his legs in the War. They were both avid Canaries supporters and went to every game at Carrow Road. His friend relied upon a small invalid carriage and sticks to get around. They also always went to Portman Road to support the team in any local derby that the fixture list threw up.
In those far off days, football clubs had no particular facilities for disabled fans. They were allowed, however, free entry and a place along the touchline at one end of the pitch. Older supporters will remember the small collection of invalid carriages that used to congregate at the old River End. My father's friend was usually in one of them. Each invalid supporter was allowed a minder, who also benefitted from free admission. My father enjoyed this perk.
One local derby, I believe a cup game, was held at Ipswich on the coldest of winter nights. The pitch was half-frozen and so were all the spectators. My father's friend was well equipped, because although his legs were made of wood he knew the overall benefits of having a thick blanket to cover them and his lower body to keep warm as he sat in his carriage. My father, however, was standing next to the carriage exposed and cold. At half-time, noticing his discomfort, his friend offered to change places so that his minder could sit down and enjoy the warmth from the blanket, whilst he used his sticks and stood for a while.
The arrangement worked well until Norwich City scored a goal. I believe that the scorer was Terry Allcock. My delighted father immediately jumped from the carriage and did a David Pleat style celebration onto the pitch. Somebody must have witnessed this and received somewhat of a shock
Apparently, the Evening News the next evening held a headline to the effect that there had been a miracle at Portman Road the previous night and that a Norwich goal had had such an effect on a disabled supporter that he regained the use of his legs once again.
Roy Whayman
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