When did you start out in local football?

Well over 50 years ago now. I joined Pembroke Borough Supporters' Committee in 1949-50 and soon afterwards I was voted on to the selection committee with a great manager called Affie Llewellyn. Eventually I took over the managing of the Wiltshire Cup team and had players of the calibre of Ray Asperassa, Rickie Hill, Keith Leonard, Barry Stubbs, Gerald Hicks and Martin Cole passing through my hands - and all of them turning into good Welsh League players.

I know you managed the Borough for ages. What characters did you encounter in that role?

I took over as general manager at London Road in 1960 and was proud to be involved with players like Frankie Donovan and Billy Reed, Johnny Lunt and Mal Morris, who were not only great players, but great characters as well. The crowds flocked to see them and it was great to be part of local derby days against Milford United or Haverfordwest County. I also had some brilliant mangers like Wyndham Evans, Dixie Hale, Mel Nurse and Brian Thomas, and former Welsh stars like Mel Charles, Ivor and Len Allchurch. They were all great, but if pushed I would have to say that Frankie Donovan was the most remarkable because he played so long and at such a high standard.

Was it a successful time at the Boro?

We had our ups and downs, like all clubs, but we were the first winners of the Brains Cup, beating Caerau 1-0 with an early goal from Eric James - and in the same season we were runners-up in the Welsh League and won the West Wales Senior Cup. We played sides like Ton Pentre, Lovells Athletic, Llanelli, Merthyr Tydfil and Maesteg - and there was always the chance of drawing a top club in the Welsh Cup.

What was the most memorable match?

No doubt about that, it was when Cardiff City brought down a full English League team to play us in the fifth round of the Welsh Cup, with players like Trevor Ford, Danny Malloy and Ron Stitfall turning out. We were leading 2-1 late on, but then Ford equalised to take us back to Ninian Park - we lost the replay by 9-1, but we had played in our cup final in the first match!

You mentioned ups and downs, what were the worst moments?

That's easy, as well. That was the day that the Borough finally had to drop out of the Welsh League because we ran out of cash. But at least there is football going on there because of the wonderful work of Helen and Willie Matthews, I'm still a trustee of the club and I was deeply honoured when they named their new clubhouse after me.

How did you move into your involvement with the Welsh FA?

A vacancy cropped up on the council and seven nominations were made, including me. I tied with Chris Smart, of Bridgend before winning the second vote comfortably. That was in 1978 and I'm still involved as a life vice-president, another great honour. Being elected onto the international committee meant an even greater involvement because it involved travel aplenty with the national side. Since then I had three-year spells as chairman of the international committee, treasurer, junior vice-president and senior vice-president. Then I was honoured with the presidency for three years, the greatest accolade in Welsh football. I was also on the Welsh League Council for 14 years, travelling to Cardiff for weekly meetings, and I was chairman there for a year too.

Where have you been with the Welsh team since 1978?

I've been to every European footballing nation, except Malta! I've also been to Japan, Jamaica, Brazil, South Korea and other places too numerous to mention. Japan was amazing - I remember going with then-president Tommy Force on a fishing trip where geisha girls had cormorants to fish with and we had the fish cooked on board almost straight away. We were welcomed into the West Indies by a steel band and Brazil had poverty and real riches, and what a football team!

What about managers and players? How did you get on with them?

Marvellous! I regard John Toshack as a personal friend since he looked after Pat McQuillan and Mark Powell at Swansea years ago, and I also got on well with Terry Yorath, Bobby Gould, Mark Hughes and Mike Smith. I have been in the dressing room with them before and after matches and it was a great pleasure to see Pembrokeshire's Mark Delaney and Simon Davies serving Wales so well. They are a great example for young local boys to follow.

What about best moments with Wales?

It has to be when Wales beat Germany for the first time with a great goal from Ian Rush. This would be closely followed by the game against Italy when John Charles was presented to a capacity crowd at the Millennium Stadium and I had to escort the greatest-ever Welsh footballer onto the hallowed turf as president so that he could acknowledge the cheers from both sets of supporters. It was a sea of colour and John was as ordinary a fellow as you or me, talking to me afterwards as if he wasn't famous at all. Bryn Terfel sang the national anthem and Big John was clearly moved by it. What a modest gentleman he was.

Any other fond memories of your time as president?

Yes, I had to speak at the dinner to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Welsh Football in Cardiff and I was very nervous, not least because Sepp Blatter spoke before me as president of FIFA and Mr Johansson, the European president spoke after me. They were clearly used to doing the rounds, but I said what I felt was right and I was proud when I had a standing ovation afterwards.

I was also invited by the Spanish president to go as his guest to a Spain versus Brazil international and I was dumb-struck as a Pembroke boy when I found myself introduced to King Carlos of Spain and his wife at the after-match reception.

So how do you keep busy now?

I'm still involved as president of Haverfordwest County and I try to attend all the home matches. I was honoured with the presidency first when Roger Cotterall invited me and I've been there ever since. Rob Summons, David Hughes, Winston Griffiths, Barry Vaughan and the rest are doing a cracking job there now and Derek Brazil and the players show me real respect. It is a lovely place to watch football and I would urge people to get behind them because it would be awful to ever see them go the same way as Pembroke Borough and Milford United.

I've been a very lucky man, been to so many places that I would never dreamed of visiting, and all because I got involved in football.

12:49pm Friday 7th December 2007

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