Former Hartlepool United favourite Alan Goad is the latest player from the club’s 1967/68 history making promotion side to receive a medal.
 
The medal travelled 4,500 miles to British Columbia in Canada where Goad, aged 76, now resides. The popular Poolie amassed more than 400 games for the club and was a key member of the team that secured the club’s first ever promotion from the old Fourth Division.
 
Earlier this year, Hartlepool-based radio presenter Paul ‘Goffy’ Gough hosted a 60-year celebration for Pools legend John McGovern to mark the anniversary of the twice European Cup winner starting out his career with Hartlepool as a teenager.
 
At the event, it became apparent that the players in the 67/68 promotion season had not received medals from the club for their “history-making efforts” after gaining promotion to the third tier of English football for the very first time.

(Image: Goffy Media) Several players and their families had expressed disappointment through – and Goffy instigated a recognition medal for John McGovern and then consequently set about finding other members of the squad to hand over medals for their memorable achievement.
 
Since then, Goffy has tracked down former Pools greats such as John Gill, Tony Bircumshaw, Brian Drysdale, Peter Blowman and the families of others that have sadly already passed away.
 
Goffy said: “Alan was a touch trickier to find but I did have a contact for him as we had a chat back in 2008 when I was organising the club’s Centenary Dinner at the Borough Hall in which over 100 former players attended to share their memories.
 
“Alan had just booked a cruise with his wife to celebrate a milestone wedding anniversary and was sad to not be part of the 2008 celebrations.”
 
Goad moved to Canada in 1980 where he played and coached Vancouver Whirecaps. He still lives there with his wife Sue.
 
Alan Goad said: “It was a lovely touch by Goffy. I loved every minute of my time with the club and there were so many fantastic players to play alongside. I arrived in July 1967 as Brian Clough was saying goodbye and I was quickly aware of the talent and brilliant team spirit within the squad I was joining.
 
“What we achieved against all the odds was nothing short of remarkable and It’s nice to have a lovely medal to reflect on that success over here in Canada – like all the players I’m hugely proud.
 
“The fans were brilliant to me through my 11 years with them as a player and as a coach during the Billy Horner period. I played in virtually every position, and I think the fans loved that fact that I gave my all. I built a reputation on that ‘never say die’ spirit.
 
“Promotion, relegation, re – election campaigns, Player of the Year and singer when we made the ‘Never say Die’ record to help save the club in 1972. Who’d have thought it when leaving Exeter in that memorable summer of 1967 as a young lad.

“I later went on to run the Square Ring pub in Musgrave Street in 1977. It had loads of heritage with the town boxing champion Teddy Gardner who had ran the Spotted Cow in a former life of the pub – the new name was a tribute to Teddy.
 
“The locals just loved talking about the Pools players from my time at the club – Terry Bell, John Sheridan, Tony Parry, Bob Newton, Billy Ayre, Malcolm Poskett, Keith Houchen, Bill Green were just some of the great names that we regularly chatted about until the early hours.
 
“The Pools fans will always be super special to me and my family. My wife and I also had a spell just ahead of that running the Masons Arms pub in Middlestone Moor, Spennymoor and we still recall the fantastic people we met there, they were brilliant too.
 
“1975 was particularly memorable as the fans voted me as their Player of the Year and in 1977 Brian Clough brought his fantastic Nottingham Forest team to play against us at the Vic in my testimonial – what a night that was!
 
“Hartlepool was so special to me. It’s fantastic that all the great players of the historic squad are linked again with the medals that brings to the attention of another generation what can be achieved with that special Never Say Die spirit from 56 years ago.
 
“I still look for every Pools result over here in Canada and so wish a return to league football very soon – those fans are well deserving of that.”

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Goad joined Pools at the start of the memorable 67/ 68 promotion campaign when he was signed by Gus McLean just days after Brian Clough and Peter Taylor had headed to Derby County.
 
Pools secured promotion with a 2-0 victory at Swansea in their penultimate match of the season on Tuesday 6 May 1968 before just 16 travelling fans.
 
The following Saturday they beat Swansea again by the same scoreline at home before a crowd of over 11,000.