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'Jock' Dodds
Blackpool were tottering on the brink of relegation when they invested a massive £10,000 in 'Jock' Dodds in March 1939.
He justified the faith placed in him and, with 10 goals in 12 games, helped keep First Division football at Bloomfield Road for another season.
He scored three times in three games to put Blackpool at the top of the First Division table in September 1939 before Herr Hitler intervened and official League football was suspended for the duration.
Then in wartime football he demonstrated his goalscoring skills to the full with 230 goals in only 157 games, as Blackpool became one of the most successful sides of the period.
This monograph, a short biography of the Scottish wartime international, traces his Bloomfield Road career.
He justified the faith placed in him and, with 10 goals in 12 games, helped keep First Division football at Bloomfield Road for another season.
He scored three times in three games to put Blackpool at the top of the First Division table in September 1939 before Herr Hitler intervened and official League football was suspended for the duration.
Then in wartime football he demonstrated his goalscoring skills to the full with 230 goals in only 157 games, as Blackpool became one of the most successful sides of the period.
This monograph, a short biography of the Scottish wartime international, traces his Bloomfield Road career.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
About the author
Gerry Wolstenholme
43 books119 followersGerry Wolstenholme was born in Blackpool, Lancashire, and attended Northlands private school from the age of three to five because his Dad wanted him to have a better education than he had managed. He then attended Devonshire Road School, infants and juniors, and finally went to Baines Grammar School in nearby Poulton.
He did not know what he wanted to do while at school and, seeing an advertisement for Civil Service examinations he took them. Having passed, he chose to go to London and entered Her Majesty’s Treasury, Whitehall, where he gained promotion and eventually worked in the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s office.
He married Linda ('the love of my life') in 1968 and in 1972 they decided to move to Gerry’s hometown and relocated in Blackpool where Gerry had arranged a transfer to the Department for National Savings. He became ERNIE’s (Premium Bonds) prize draw manager before he took early retirement.
During his Civil Service career he ran a successful secondhand and antiquarian bookselling business, attending book fairs and producing catalogues with a speciality in 19th century English literature. He also wrote his first book, ‘The West Indian Tour of England, 1906’ while still continuing his professional career.
Also a fanatical cricket watcher he produced ‘The Cheltenham Spectator and Festival News’, a day-by-day summary of the Cheltenham cricket festival, for six years. He then produced his own magazine for about the same length of time and there were many disappointed readers when he decided to call it a day for ‘The Cricket Postcard Collectors’ Journal’ magazine that ran to 24 issues. In addition he did radio ball-by-ball commentary on the County Championship and one-day games at the Cheltenham Cricket Festival.
On final retirement he turned to writing more often and contributed many articles to various magazines as well as writing his own books, mainly on sporting themes ('because that was what people wanted me to write'). He was also a regular contributor to the Blackpool Football Club matchday programme, sometimes writing as many as six articles in one issue. And he did match commentary on Blackpool Football Club's Premier League and Football League games for many seasons.
When his wife sadly passed away in 2004 he was devastated and, following a breakdown, he wrote a book of poetry expressing his feelings on the two incidents. He did not expect ‘The Lost-Love Poems of a Madman’ to sell well as he was not known as a poet but the book surpassed expectations and since then he has written occasional poetry on various themes. He says of his poetry book, 'I think it was the title that helped market it for readers were curious as to what it was about!'
In addition to writing his books, he also produces a short run, 10 copies only, of essays on various subjects, ranging from cricket and football to Noel Coward, Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini and these have proved to be very popular.
He says that he doubts whether he will ever produce a novel, ‘I don’t have the imagination to do so’ is his view, but he intends to continue writing, God willing, for some time to come.
After his wife's death he was also drawn into another sphere when he was asked to do an after-dinner talk; he says, 'A friend of mine thought I was not eating well and invited me to his Rotary Club for a meal with the proviso that I would do a talk. I asked him how he thought I could do such a talk and he simply said that he had known me long enough and knew that I could do it - so I did!' After that engagements poured in, even without any advertising - 'and certainly not any self-promoting' for he confesses to be extremely nervous prior to each engagement. Initially he did the talks without charging a fee but then decided that he would raise funds for Trinity Hospice, where his beloved wife was treated, and he has continued to do that over the years.
He did not know what he wanted to do while at school and, seeing an advertisement for Civil Service examinations he took them. Having passed, he chose to go to London and entered Her Majesty’s Treasury, Whitehall, where he gained promotion and eventually worked in the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s office.
He married Linda ('the love of my life') in 1968 and in 1972 they decided to move to Gerry’s hometown and relocated in Blackpool where Gerry had arranged a transfer to the Department for National Savings. He became ERNIE’s (Premium Bonds) prize draw manager before he took early retirement.
During his Civil Service career he ran a successful secondhand and antiquarian bookselling business, attending book fairs and producing catalogues with a speciality in 19th century English literature. He also wrote his first book, ‘The West Indian Tour of England, 1906’ while still continuing his professional career.
Also a fanatical cricket watcher he produced ‘The Cheltenham Spectator and Festival News’, a day-by-day summary of the Cheltenham cricket festival, for six years. He then produced his own magazine for about the same length of time and there were many disappointed readers when he decided to call it a day for ‘The Cricket Postcard Collectors’ Journal’ magazine that ran to 24 issues. In addition he did radio ball-by-ball commentary on the County Championship and one-day games at the Cheltenham Cricket Festival.
On final retirement he turned to writing more often and contributed many articles to various magazines as well as writing his own books, mainly on sporting themes ('because that was what people wanted me to write'). He was also a regular contributor to the Blackpool Football Club matchday programme, sometimes writing as many as six articles in one issue. And he did match commentary on Blackpool Football Club's Premier League and Football League games for many seasons.
When his wife sadly passed away in 2004 he was devastated and, following a breakdown, he wrote a book of poetry expressing his feelings on the two incidents. He did not expect ‘The Lost-Love Poems of a Madman’ to sell well as he was not known as a poet but the book surpassed expectations and since then he has written occasional poetry on various themes. He says of his poetry book, 'I think it was the title that helped market it for readers were curious as to what it was about!'
In addition to writing his books, he also produces a short run, 10 copies only, of essays on various subjects, ranging from cricket and football to Noel Coward, Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini and these have proved to be very popular.
He says that he doubts whether he will ever produce a novel, ‘I don’t have the imagination to do so’ is his view, but he intends to continue writing, God willing, for some time to come.
After his wife's death he was also drawn into another sphere when he was asked to do an after-dinner talk; he says, 'A friend of mine thought I was not eating well and invited me to his Rotary Club for a meal with the proviso that I would do a talk. I asked him how he thought I could do such a talk and he simply said that he had known me long enough and knew that I could do it - so I did!' After that engagements poured in, even without any advertising - 'and certainly not any self-promoting' for he confesses to be extremely nervous prior to each engagement. Initially he did the talks without charging a fee but then decided that he would raise funds for Trinity Hospice, where his beloved wife was treated, and he has continued to do that over the years.
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