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| Les Eason 1965 |
When someone plays over 600
competitive games for a club, scores some 300 goals and represents
their country at amateur level seven times they would certainly
command a legendary status at any club you care to mention. Les Eason
did just that with Barnet FC and he will always be held in the most
highest esteem by Barnet supporters as illustrated by the Supporters
Associations recognition award of ‘Barnet FC Player Of The 1960’s’.
He is without doubt one of non league footballs’ all time greats.
Les was born in Edmonton
just before the end of the Second World War and grew up supporting
Tottenham Hotspurs. “My dad first took me to see Spurs in about
1957 but watching the double winning side of 1960/1 from the Paxton
Road terrace as a teenager was special and things got better when the
club signed Jimmy Greaves from AC Milan. The best ever, Jimmy was my
hero”.
Edmonton Schools was were he
first began to make his mark as a natural goalscorer in a position
what was then called inside forward and quickly moved to county level
before Sid Posser helped him make the transition to Athenian League
standard with Finchley FC in 1963.
Barnet, who by 1965 had
recently won three Athenian League titles made a move for the 19 year
old Eason in the summer just in time for their first season as a
semi professional club in the Southern League. It was a league debut
to dream about as the Bees thrashed Hinckley Athletic 10-1 with Les
scoring the last goal. “Manager Dexter Adams’ favourite phrase
was “zip it around boys” as opposed to just knock it around and
that side could really play. I suppose I was slightly off the pace at
first in a frankly superior league, but I soon found my feet”. (My
father then started to attend games at Underhill more regularly than
Summers Lane and it was natural for me to become a Bees fan –
Reckless.)
Les built up sensational
partnerships with Roger Figg and Tony Harding and scored over 30
goals in his first season at Underhill, “I got one more than
Harding” he laughed. “Figgy was real quality and a different type
of centre forward not like the normal lanky target man. He was short
and stocky, solid and hard yet fast and I saw him score a couple of
goals by literally stepping out in front of the goalkeeper just as he
tried to drop kick. You couldn’t get away with that nowadays in
would be deemed ungentlemanly conduct”.
I asked him about the team
that I first saw and idolised in the later part of the sixties and
early seventies, “That side with Billy Meadows, Ricky George, Gerry
Ward and Colin Powell was the simply the best I ever played in. Bill
was absolutely perfect for me, I loved playing with him. He was
strong, left footed, brave and so cocksure to the point of contempt .
Add that to having the incredible service from Gerry in midfield and
the brilliant Paddy Powell on the wing I had it easy to score goals”.
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| Barnet Football Club 1968-69 |
I then asked about the pay
structure at the time and suggested that had he been on a goal bonus
system he would have made a fortune? “I never took a goal bonus,
although I had it offered many times. I would rather negotiate an
extra £5.00 week or whatever rather than bonus. I have never liked
that system and am a great believer that once the players are out on
the pitch then everybody should all be on the same bonus, always
have. I can honestly say that I have never played football for money
and I know I could have earned a lot more had I been prepared to
travel. For instance Maidstone offered me a contract on really good
terms and a signing on fee but I really didn’t fancy it - plus it
was long before the M25 was built!. I was settled in Hertfordshire
and would I have enjoyed driving down there on a wet Wednesday night
after a day in the office? No chance. Don’t forget these days
agents are all around football even in the lower leagues and had I
had an agent at the time then I possibly would have moved about but I
just loved playing football and playing at Barnet. Honestly money was
secondary”.
In 1970 Barnet reached the
semi final of the FA Challenge Trophy and were drawn against
Macclesfield at Stoke City’s Victoria Ground but lost 1-0.
Les was Injured on the
previous Bank Holiday Monday and wasn’t going to play. “I got
studded in the thigh and spent the week sitting in hot baths which
was the worse thing I could do. Anyway Dexter said can you play? I
said yes but I struggled. I can remember the Macc players shouting
'he’s injured already'”. I then asked him about the FA Trophy run
in 1972 and he instantly mentioned the brilliant 2-1 win at Wigan not
only for Colin Flatt’s two goals but a wonderful display by
goalkeeper Jack McClelland plus the semi final win against Telford.
“Dickie Plume scored right at the death from a penalty and we were
going to Wembley against Stafford Rangers.
It was the only time I played there unfortunately but the day is a complete blur. I have been told by ex players that you have to play more than once at Wembley to really appreciate it and unfortunately we were well beaten on the day 3-0”.
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| Les at Wembley FA Trophy Final 1972 |
It was the only time I played there unfortunately but the day is a complete blur. I have been told by ex players that you have to play more than once at Wembley to really appreciate it and unfortunately we were well beaten on the day 3-0”.
Les, still only 29 moved to
Enfield in 1974 and continued to score goals at Southbury Road and in
his own words “It was time for a move after nine great years. I got
a great reception at first but got left out a few times. But I
learnt a hell of a lot and I believe, although some supporters might
not agree, that I came back to Barnet three years later a better
player. Of course a certain Jimmy Greaves was in the side then, my
idol. I was dropped back in a deeper role alongside him and let me
tell you I was more that happy to doing his running, what a
magnificent player”.
After two more seasons at
Underhill scoring goals Les moved to Bishops Stortford and then to
Cheshunt and then to St Albans where he played alongside a certain
Paul Fairclough. “Paul was a very fit, hard working midfield
player”.
In 1984 after a phone call
from manager Ronnie Howell he joined Mount Grace, soon to be renamed
Potters Bar Town, and actually player-managed the side between
1986-89. “I warmed the bench most games but came on if a job needed
doing”.
Hanging up his boots in 1989
and settled in Broxbourne, although he still played in veteran
matches, he was offered the position of Director Of Football at Park
Field and has been happily working for the club ever since.
“As I get older I am not
looking too far ahead but I enjoy my golf weekends and still get
around the park a bit and I love being part of Potters Bar Town”.
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| Les with Ricky George and Billy Meadows 2013 |
Now retired he was a fairly
regular visitor to Underhill often found on the North West terrace –
I eventually had to have a word with him about that – or sitting in the
main stand (more like it) keeping a low profile as he is a somewhat shy man. However
when you talk football with him he becomes far more social and is
sharp as a tack. It is difficult to explain exactly why but it is
also somehow rather special to be in his company and it is still
plaintively obvious that he is extremely fond of the club that
idolised him for well over a decade.
Reckless January 2013
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