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WHEN I FIRST<br />
ARRIVED IN<br />
ENGLAND THE<br />
GROUND WAS<br />
WHITE, IT WAS THE<br />
FIRST TIME I HAD<br />
EVER SEEN SNOW...<br />
by Bert Johanneson<br />
<strong>LEEDS</strong> UNITED<br />
First time in the First Team and the first kick made a<br />
GOAL. I guess I’ve come a long way in four years!<br />
I’ve played through the toughest nine months in<br />
English football. Battling for promotion from the Second<br />
Division. And I’ve got a championship medal to prove it.<br />
Proud? I’ll say. Because I know far better players than<br />
I can ever be, won’t have that much to show when their<br />
career ends.<br />
It was on January 5, 1960, that I landed at London<br />
Airport from Johannesburg. I almost took the first plane<br />
back. It was snowing heavily. The ground was white. I’d<br />
never seen snow before and didn’t much like the look of it.<br />
It made me feel cold. Come to think of it that’s my only<br />
complaint with England. I feel cold most of the time.<br />
But those early moments of doubt soon faded. Everybody<br />
went out of their way to make me comfortable.<br />
Comfortable? Well, most of the time. Let me explain.<br />
When our chairman, Mr Reynolds, handed me my<br />
championship medal, shook my hand and say, “Well done,<br />
Albert, lad!” I had to grin. Because my mind went right<br />
back to my very first league game for the club.<br />
It’s the one time I’ve really been uncomfortable. We were<br />
due to play Swansea Town on April 8, 1961. I’d been<br />
having a game or two in the second eleven, but never<br />
dreamed of getting a first team chance.<br />
Indeed, on the Friday before the game I went home<br />
after looking over the reserve team list in the dressingroom.<br />
My name wasn’t there and I looked forward to<br />
watching the first team play.<br />
I was part-way through my lunch when Gerald<br />
Frances, who also comes from Johannesburg, burst in,<br />
beaming all over. “Congratulations, Albert, hope you<br />
have a good match!” said he.<br />
It took him a few minutes to persuade me I was really<br />
picked for the first team. My lunch went cold. It didn’t<br />
matter. I couldn’t eat any more anyway. I was shaking<br />
with excitement and, I suppose, apprehension.<br />
I fidgeted about for half an hour or so. But I couldn’t<br />
relax. So I went to bed. At two in the afternoon!<br />
I was still suffering from nerves before the game.<br />
My hands were trembling so much I simply couldn’t lace<br />
my boots! Freddie Goodwin and Jackie Charlton tied ‘em<br />
up for me!<br />
I found out afterwards the lads got together and agreed<br />
to give me the ball at the first possible opportunity and to<br />
keep plying me early on to get me right on wavelength.<br />
That was their intention. But it must have been ten<br />
minutes before I got my first pass. Suddenly I found the<br />
ball at my feet. Now it was there all I wanted to do was<br />
get rid of it. I lashed out blindly. The ball zoomed straight<br />
for Jack Charlton’s head. He couldn’t miss. It was almost<br />
as if I’d pin-pointed the pass. It fairly flew into the net!<br />
Next thing I knew the entire team were charging<br />
down on me Even goalkeeper Alan Humphreys came<br />
rushing out of his goal. I was slapped on the back till I<br />
was sore.<br />
26 /((’681,7(’
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