This photograph shows Robert ’Rocka’ Lakey, who played for Stockton Seniors football team before signing for Barnsley F.C. Courtesy of Benny Brown. 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
This photograph shows Robert ’Rocka’ Lakey, who played for Stockton Seniors football team before signing for Barnsley F.C. Courtesy of Benny Brown.
Looking for contact details of Keith Lakey, who I believe now lives in Australia. Hope some on can help
Peter I have all the information you are looking for on Keith Lakey. I can not give you this information on this site. If you contact pictures@stockton.gov.uk and ask Laura for my e-mail address you can then contact me outside the site restrictions and I will give you all the information you require. Ben Brown
Trying to trace Keith Lakey who you say lives in Tasmania
Peter Smith, Keith and Sue Lakey Rocka’s son now live in Mainland Australia. I can give you their address, phone number, and their e-mail if you contact me through the Stockton site pictures@stockton.gov.uk , I am sure Laura will be able to give you my e-mail. You must be related to me if you are related to Keith. I would be interested to know the connection
Hi Ben
Thank you for your email, it would be great if you could give me Keiths contact details.
Rocka was my uncle and one of the nicest men you could meet. His wife and my auntie Phylis is still alive but I am sorry to say that his youngest son David died earlier this year following an illness. Rocka’s other children are Keith who has lived in Australia for many years and Eileen who is still in Stockton. I enjoyed reading the comments above thanks Benny
Remember Rocka well, he was a crane driver at Head wrightson. My brother David was Keith Lakey’ best friend. They both played football for Roseworth School when they reached final of Durham Schools cup. Hunter Wilkinson
Hunter, Good to see you are still about after all these years, all the best mate.
A legend of a man. I was at university with his youngest son, David.
Yes Pauline – Rocka’s Father was a professional footballer with Grimsby Town, before joining Grimsby he won an English Amateur Cup Winners medal playing for Stockton FC in the early 1900’s. His photograph appears on this site else where. His nickname was Fanny Lakey, named after an older sister who used to follow him around at matches and was reputed to have attacked an opposing full back with her umbrella when he was fouling her young brother in a match at Darlington. Fanny could be seen well into his eighties being a bookies runner between Tilery and Stockton High street. He would walk all the way to the High street and collect his bets, then walk all the way back to Tilery. Fanny or Tom as he was called never drank and kept himself very fit even into old age. I was once told by an old gentleman who lived in Appleton Road, when he found out I was a grandson of Fanny, that he was the finest outside left he had ever seen, and was supposed to have broken the cross bar with shot in one match on the Victoria Ground while playing for Stockton FC. It must have been suffering from dry rot. When Fanny died all his football medals disapeared and I would love to know what happened to them.
Rocka was my uncle, I remember he was a great footballer. I also think his father was a footballer.08/04/2012 11:20:42
I lived next door to Rocka (I was Christine Gill back then) and never knew he was a footballer!
I think this chap used to get in the Roseworth pub, it was common knowledge he was an ex-footballer and he was always interesting when talking about football. I never realised he was the father of Keith Lakey who played for Roseworth School.
Rocky was my Uncle and this photograph was taken just before the horrendous football injury that cut short his professional football career with Barnsley FC. The little curly haired chap is myself aged about three years.
Rocka spent many months in Hospital both on Teesside and at Manor House in London but the surgeons were unable to save his leg, he developed gangrene at one stage and the leg was never properly healed with the result that after many years of pain Rocka had the bottom part of the injured leg amputated. Rockas wife Phyllis still lives on Teesside and I think she is in her nineties now. Rockas son Keith now lives in Tasmania and his other son David, who lives in England, both played schoolboy football for Stockton Boys and Durham County boys while at school.
All true Benny, Phyilis is 94 and still in Teeside, and my grandad used to drink in the Roseworth pub.