Nostalgia: Good times for the busy Hillmen

Two years of hard work by everyone connected with Glossop Football Club was pointing the way to a successful 1970/71 season.

A debt of £900 had been wiped out and there was £150 in the bank.

But it wasn’t big ‘gates’ at Surrey Street that was more than balancing the books. It was bingo!

Secretary Ralph Turner told the club’s annual general meeting at Glossop Community House, in June 1970: “It was County Bingo.”

The Hillmen had joined forces with other local non-league clubs to set up what turned out to be a weekly cash spinner.

Mr Turner had agreed that it had been a ‘life-saver’ and believed the worst was over.

It had raised more than £800 in a single season, big money in those days and in Glossop’s case it kept the wolf from the door.

Glossop was entering the 1970/71 season with money in the bank and £30 a week bingo money coming in.

Glossop Town Council had given the club a £100 grant, a similar amount coming from the Football Association.

Both were to go to the fund set up to extend the Dinting end of the ground which would then qualify it to stage FA Cup ties.

Mr Turner told fans that in the 1969/70 season, wages and expenses were up £320 on the previous year, with gate money also up, by £256.

Optimism is always high at Surrey Street and then, like now, it was a community club that had plenty of friends.

Mr Turner counted Derby County amongst them, saying: “A lot of good will exists between us.”

There were also a few clubs who had good reason to be grateful to the then Manchester League Premier Division side.

When occasions dictated that a club needed a ground to play on in an emergency they knew they only had to ask Glossop FC who would loan them their pitch free of  charge.

Fifty years ago, with cash in the bank, a hard-working committee, loyal fans and a confident manager in George Allman, things were looking good.

Family club Glossop seemed to  be on the up.