In the first of our two-part serialisation of Peter Reid’s forthcoming autobiography, the Bolton Wanderers legend remembers his early days at Burnden Park and meeting a World Cup winner

THE Wanderers dressing room was where I did most of my growing up. It was a brutal place and if you weren’t ready for it, or you couldn’t handle it, you’d soon be found out.

I wasn’t afraid of going to a big club but two things swayed my decision in favour of Bolton.

The first was that they were also going to take Tommy Evans, who was my big mate. The second was that I saw them as a club where I would have the best possible chance of making a mark. I didn’t want to go somewhere, make progress in the youth set-up and then find that there was no way into the first team.

My mind was made up when I was watching The Big Match with Gerald Sindstadt one Friday evening and there was a feature about the number of homegrown players who had graduated to the first team.

That was enough for me and I finished school on a Friday in mid-July at the age of 15, in 1971, and started at Bolton on the Monday morning.

Everything about that environment was a test of character. In my case, it started with an initiation which involved giving a song, while everyone else lashed stuff at me.

I chose Band Of Gold by Freda Payne, which had been a big hit, but no sooner had I belted out, “Now that you’re gone, all that’s left is a band of gold,” a football boot whistled past my ear. That was followed by socks, jockstraps, shorts, tops, anything the lads could get their hands on came my way. It was like being a coconut in a coconut shy.

Although things became easier, you always had to have your wits about you.

When I joined I was also signing for a club with a World Cup winner on their books. I know Roger Hunt well now and he is such a gentleman, as humble as anyone that you could ever meet.

He didn’t have to do anything for me during those early days because I would have still adored him no matter what, but he was never anything but superb with me.

We would clean the players’ boots and I would fight with Tommy to be able to do Roger’s.

Just getting my hands on them was special so I was in raptures when he actually gave me a pair.

They were white, which was the style at the time, and Roger signed them for me. It was like being given untold riches.

I took them home, kept them and looked after them but somewhere along the way they went missing, which I still kick myself about every time I think about it. They would be worth a fortune today but I would never have sold them – their value was much greater than any financial return.

Thankfully, I never lost the most precious thing that he gave me – the benefit of his experience.

That stood me in good stead for my career. I can’t speak highly enough of him.

When you meet your heroes and you’re not disappointed, it’s a great feeling.

CHEER UP PETER REID EXTRACT PART TWO: I started out at Bolton by riling my pal Allardyce

Cheer Up Peter Reid, Trinity Mirror Sport Media, RRP £18.99. On sale now from Amazon, book shops and

sportmediashop.com.

Ebook also available