Article on Ray Wilkie

[mall]

Ray Wilkie what a guy.He took our club and built it into a club with a never say die attitude using a lot of local players with players from the North East who seemed to love playing for him.Oh for us to have a team with a similar spirit!.I,ll never forget the day we went to Wembley in 1990 and waiting at Barrow station to get on the special and when we arrived getting a police escort from the station to the ground and upon arrival couldn't believe how many people were there from Barrow.To cap it all we ended up winning and I was sat close enough to see Bobby Moore present the trophy.The icing on the cake was reading the following days papers who all had articles about this little known team from the North of England, who had once been in the Football League,what exciting football they played and what a great striker they had on Colin Cowperthwaite.I believe at the time there were a lot of clubs who wanted to sign him,but he wouldn't leave his beloved Barrow.We owe Ray Wilkie a lot.The man was a legend.

I just so happened to be talking to Colin one Tuesday night in the Bluebird club while the rest of the local lads were training, (Colin wasn't training, he was injured).
He told me Bob Stokoe was interested in him. Stokoe was Carlisle manager at the time.
I heard a little later that Gillingham were interested in Colin as well.
Till the day I go to meet my maker, Colin Cowperthwaite-Ray Wilkie, and the rest of that Trophy winning great side will be at the forefront of my best Holker Street memories ever.

[GazzaT]

Also there for that game. Weird watching a game of football on part of a cricket ground though. Certainly our greatest non league manager when u consider the limitations he had to work with regards money and players available. Loads of shrewed signings and a squad who probably over achieved due to the level of team spirit and togetherness. I wonder who could do with a bit of that right now?