A photograph of Head Wrightson’s football team taken in 1965. Courtesy of Leonard Nicholson. (t12262) 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
A photograph of Head Wrightson’s football team taken in 1965. Courtesy of Leonard Nicholson. (t12262)
Another Head Wrightson’s player who turned out in the Football League was John Small a goalkeeper from Billingham, as did Terry Turnbull & Eric Young.
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Lee & Robson (Bob) Nicholson are the father & grandfather of Adam Nicholson who is Stockton Town F.C. captain & a Hardwick S.C. player.
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I remember playing for Head Wrightsons with your dad Dave, he was known as Doc Holliday a Thornaby lad who worked at Heads.
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Ray Halliday in this photo who was captain of Head Wrightsons is the son of this hero.
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/local/teesvalley/14653878.Family_of_Second_World_War_hero_finally_find_his_resting_place___72_years_on/?ref=BreakingNewsTeesside&utm_medium=facebook
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Can you help? The lid of the North Riding Amateur Cup in this photo has gone missing fifty years ago…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-36562644?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_north_east&ns_source=facebook&ns_linkname=english_regions
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The late Ray Halliday who was the captain of this team was the first in the area to wear a pair of white football boots, which was very rare in the sixties.
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Sorry to hear of the sad passing of Tommy Powell (4th from the right in the seated row in the photo). Our thoughts go out to Gloria and the Family.
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Along with Billingham Synthonia, Head Wrightson were the top Teesside League team in the sixties.
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Sad to hear of the passing of a well known local footballer Dessie Hebden who played for South Bank & Redcar Albion,he played at Head Wrightsons many times for the opposition.
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Just a short time after this photo when Head Wrightsons won the Teesside League three years running 1967 to 1969, they had two very good wing halves in Tommy Conway and Terry Shaw who linked up well with Pat Taylor and Eddie Graham to form a great midfield.
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The Heads teams in the Teesside league and the South Bank league at this time were outstanding, winning most trophies in both leagues. They had some real characters such as Ray Halliday and Billy Bumford captaining the sides and it was a pleasure to play football with them.
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Also at the same time the Heads team in the Sunday Teesborough League, who won the North Riding Sunday Cup, the Teesborough League Cup and Championship a number of times. You are right Pat it was a pleasure playing for Heads with Ray, Billy and the rest of the lads. Two players from that time who went onto manage teams in the Northern League for many years were Ray Gowan and Peter Mulcaster.
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Head Wrightsons had very good goalkeepers in the sixties & early seventies, as well as Ivor Heard in this photo there was Barry Jeffels, John Smart(he played for Hartlepool Utd. in the Fourth Division), Norman Robinson, Barry Chambers, Joe Driver & Arthur Hodgson.
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Gilbert (Gilly) Dunford in this photo went to Hull City along with Billy Wilkinson when they both played for Thornaby Juniors. He was one of the best headers of a ball in the area and he played for Hull City reserves. The late Harry Bage on the right of the back-row was the Head Wrightsons South Bank & District League team manager which won the first division in seasons 1967-68 & 1968-69. Some of the teams in the South Bank League were Marske Utd.,Stokesley,Grangetown B.C.,Great Ayton,Nunthorpe Ath.(then Acklam Toc H),Whinney Banks & St Marys College. Harry later became the North Riding Referees Appointment Secretary.
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The cups in this photo are the North Riding Amateur Cup,Teesside League Cup(MacMillan Bowl),Teesside League Runners Up & the Collingwood Cup,that season they reached the 1st round proper of the North Riding Senior Cup narrowly being beaten away to Scarborough.The player between Billy Bumford & Ivor Heard is Mario Ambrosi,front-row is Lee Nicholson & Bob(Sonny)Nicholson,the player on the right is Reggie Morgan
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I’ve just discovered a list of the players in this photograph as supplied by Len Nicholson…..
Back row. A. Day, D,Dougan, T,Hart, D.Johnson, N.Wood, W.Bumford, M. Andrews, I. Heard, J. Earnshaw, Pat Taylor, L. Franks, D. Gundry, W.Bage
Front row. L. Nicholson, R.Nicholson, R.Gourlay, J.Baldwin, S.McLean, G.Dunford, R.Halliday, T.Powell, E.Dunn, D.Halliday, R.Morgam
Front left – W.Cooper, DHind Front right – P.Ambrosi, R.Earlay
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My Dad is David Halliday. He now lives in Devon with us after my Mum Pat passed away in 2010. Should anyone wish to contact him, please contact Picture Stockton for my email address. Thanks. Julie
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