A quick one here send in by reader Bob Pugh, which I think may make for interesting discussion – Walsall Wood FC’s 1936 lineup featured on a cigarette card, and also a mystery team known only as ‘Walsall Jolly FC’.
It used to be a standing joke that if a smoker was considered mean, the phrase used was ‘he’s so tight, last time he opened a pack of fags, a picture of Stanley Matthews fell out.’ In this case it was a couple of local teams – so what do you readers think?
I know the Walsall Wood contingent will like this, so some names to faces would be nice. However, it would be great to know about Walsall Jolly FC too. Who were they, why that odd name? Where did they play? Do they still exist in some form?
Thanks to Bob for a great contribution. What do you know? Please comment here, or mail me: BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com.
The Woodmen of the past on a cigarette card… Image from Bob Pugh.
Hi Bob
A snippet you may wish to use on a slow news day!
You keep your ‘fans’ up to date with all things Walsall Wood FC, a recent photo (attached) caught my eye. In these days of celebrities and Premier League superstars it amazed me to find that Walsall Wood were included as part of a cigarette card collection, issued by Ardath cigarettes in 1936. I think most cigarette packets included a card in those days but can you envisage smokers or their kids all round the country saying ‘I’ll swop you a Manchester United for a Walsall Wood’!
Perhaps your experts can put names to the players or even add some biographies or anecdotes.
Incidentally the set also included a picture of the team ‘Walsall Jolly’ – an unusual name, does anybody know anything about them?
Regards
Bob Pugh
Walsall Jolly. Like, um, what? Image from Bob Pugh.