THIS week's memories recall the Bolton Under-14s and u15s town team squad featured in last week's edition.

The picture brought back memories for former town team coach, Dave Price, who fondly recalled that squad.

He said: "The photo was taken at Burnden Park prior to the squad of BSFA u14/15 players embarking on a trip over the Easter holiday to Bolton’s twin town of Paderborn, West Germany – the first of three such youth exchanges.

"We produced a tour booklet with pen pictures of the boys in the tour party, everyone was an associate schoolboy with a professional club.

"At half time in our first game, with us leading 6-0, the team manager of our host club SCV Neuenbeken knocked on our dressing room and said some of his boys didn’t want to play in the second half as we were 'too good, you have boys at Manchester United, Manchester City, Everton'.

"We loaned them a few boys to enable the game to be completed, winning 13-1 with the Neuenbeken goal being scored by Colin Jenkinson (Deane School) – one of the u14s on the trip.

"Results-wise it was a successful trip, only losing one game 2-1 to TuS Paderborn; socially and educationally it was great.

"The boys all stayed with local families in Neuenbeken and the team management, myself and wife Vivien and Len Thomas (St James’), his wife Linda (now leader of Bolton Council), and our families stayed in the convent.

"As well as fixtures the tour included an educational visit to Himmler’s Castle, a trip to the West Germany versus Italy full international and all the party joined in with the village Easter celebrations, going on egg hunts and attending the Osterfeuer, (Easter Fire) on Easter Monday evening, the boys helping to collect wood and build the bonfire.

"The squad included Garry Flitcroft (Turton School) – Manchester City and Blackburn Rovers; Paul Sixsmith (Turton) – who went on to play for Manchester United and is a Malta full international; Neil Hart (Turton) – well-known in local football circles as a player and manager; Michael Pollitt (Thornleigh) – Wigan Athletic now goalkeeping coach at Rotherham; Neil Howarth (Canon Slade) – Burnley FC, Macclesfield Town now working at Bury FC; Alan Tonge (Little Lever) – Manchester United and Exeter City, now a lecturer.

"Jason Nash (Smithills), far left on the back row, went on to return to Smithills as a PE teacher and managed the BSFA town teams for a few seasons in the mid 1990s.

"They were a great bunch of lads and did Bolton proud.

"It is always good to see BSFA teams in the BEN – especially when we were wearing a BEN sponsored kit (it will always be the BEN to us of a certain age).

"Incidentally, the previous year's town team wore kits sponsored by Piccadilly Radio.

"Neil Hart's mum asked why were we sponsored by a Manchester company and I explained that I sent out loads of letters for sponsorship and that the chap at Piccadilly Radio had played for Bolton Boys in the late 1950s and wanted to help and, at that time, no one in Bolton had come forward.

"Mrs Hart sorted the BEN sponsorship, we also got Gregory and Porritt's on board as well – see photograph following the SCV Neuenbeken game – Colin Jenkinson, the scorer of the German side's goal, is the middle one of the three in yellow."

One of those players mentioned, Alan Tonge, also got in touch and added: "The photo was taken on Burnden Park.

"That was a very decent Bolton town team indeed which produced a lot of lads that went on to be apprentice or professional players.

"The lads that did this include:- Mike Pollitt, Garry Flitcroft, Paul Sixmith, Neil Hart, Simon Shorrocks, Neil Howarth, Chris Taylor, Sean Whorlow and myself."