Page 20 - 370167 LP253351 A Love Supreme Magazine - A5 48pp (Issue 260)

DICKIE ORD
BY MICHAEL CONROY
Jacka drew a stick man recreation of the
goal from the Sunderland match the previous night. He included Bob in his sketch, Bob was outside Roker Park, having been escorted
out of the ground following a minor collapse
of bodies in the Fulwell End cage after we started bouncing down the steps. Bob was the unlucky one. The reason Jacka was drawing the stick man sketch wasn’t just to poke fun at Bob, it was because the goal was so spectacular, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves here.
It was the nineties and Manchester United were rampant. Eric Cantona with his collar flicked up, Giggs the poster boy heart-throb. We were playing teams like Southend Utd and Roker Park was
in decline. Richard Ord had made appearances at centre half but as a young man thrust into a struggling team had never really inspired a huge amount of confidence despite being highly rated. That was all to change. He was switched to left back and slowly, but surely his potential was realised. His long legs maraudered down the left side of the pitch and wingers and full backs had no idea how to deal with him. With his focussed expression and quick feet he was slowly winning the fans over. Then we played Grimsby.
It was one of those cold dark night matches at Roker where the floodlights made the pitch shine a neon green. We trundled in to the Fulwell End, ski jackets zipped up and Bovrils in hand to the cage. An area at the back of the Fulwell cordoned off by red barriers. As teenage boys that was the place to be. As the match kicked off Jacka, me and Bob bounced as Sunderland boot boys rang out. The crowd may have been minimal but we didn’t care. As the song reached its heights we bounced down the steps and the people at the front collapsed to the floor. A steward reached in and grabbed Bob by his shoulder and that was the last we saw of him that night. As the match drew on Richard Ord picked the ball up on the left wing and from about 30 yards out, he just hit it.
The cage went silent, Bob was probably getting
on the bus. The ball sailed through the air. One
of the most magical moments in football is that silence before the conclusion, on this occasion
the silence was followed by an eruption. Arms wrapped round strangers and the cage collapsed again. We had just witnessed a wonder goal. From there Richard Ord cemented the left back position and when called upon to play centre back he was accomplished and confident. In the summer he wasn’t the type of player to head off to Ibiza, he would play cricket for his home town of Murton. In the days when Man Utd were the dominant force we sang who needs Cantona when we’ve got Dicky Ord. ALS released a t-shirt but changed it
to Richie because that’s what his mam called him. Proper lad who gave us so many memories.
20 ALOVESUPREME ISSUE260