Mill Lane School juniors football team 1963. Photograph courtesy of Allan Brodrick 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Mill Lane School juniors football team 1963. Photograph courtesy of Allan Brodrick
This was the team from my time at Mill lane, sadly i was never good enough to make the grade.
Met Peter Thompson again in the 70’s when we all had motorbikes and went in the Fairfrield pub back room. I recall that he didnt tell anyone that he was taking his bike test, and turned up one night on a brand new Honda 4 750cc, a beautiful machine.
Ronnie Cockin sadly passed away in May this year in Manchester aged just 63
Ronnie was at Leeds Utd when he left school, he later played for Head Wrightsons in the Teesside League.
He had a spell at Coventry City after he left Leeds Anon
Sad to hear that… Ron was in my year at Stockton Grammar.. strong swift capable player… best in class. Met him at york Station in 1972….on his way home from Leeds
Ronnie was in my class at Mill Lane and was the best footballer by a country mile.
Yes, it”s the same one. Ronnie senior was a good friend of my late father (Joe Vettas) they worked together at Head Wrightsons.
Is Ronnie Cockin the son of Ronnie who played full back for Sparks & worked as a boilermaker at Head Wrightsons, Thornaby?
Ronnie Cockin used to live in Nolan Place, Stockton. When he was about 5yrs of age we used to stick him in goal, which was two old garage doors in the back street at the rear of Nolan Street. He could stop the ball and toe end it down the back ally even at that age. Eat yer heart out Beckham.
Both Ronnie Cockin and Alan Barrett went on to Stockton Grammar from Mill Lane.
Ronnie Cockin in this photo was an apprentice professional footballer at Leeds United when Billy Bremner & Norman Hunter were star players.
The person who is 3rd from the left on the back row is not Neil Griffiths it is Geoff Gray.
Guy on top left is Ronnie Cockin … best in team.
Does any body know who the lad on the top left is?
When did the black & red quarters disappear? Around season 1957-58 the shirts had been so washed-out that they were actually grey and dark pink. At the risk of sounding even older and miserable than I am, I have to say that they were proper shirts in my day: heavy duty material, proper buttoned cuffs and proper collars. Long shorts and rough, itchy socks. And none of this jockstrap business.
I played in goal and my final season was 1959/60 and we still had the black and red quartered shirts then. However, I do remember that some were in rather better condition than others, some of which were very faded, as can be seen from the team photo I’m in which was taken in that 59/60 season and not a couple of years earlier as indicated
Mill Lane School Juniors Football Team 1963 – Back row: ?, Allan Cole, Neil Griffiths, Stuart Keeble, Allan Brodrick, Mr Powell. Front row: Victor Ridge, Frank Perry, Dave Hetherington, Allan Barrett, Peter Thompson, Neil Rickwood, Maurice Wardell.