RECALLING ROSETTES

LONG before the advent of the Premier League and Championship, there wasn't much in the way of souvenirs and merchandise available for sale at Football League clubs.

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• DAVID OHL LOOKS BACK TO A TIME WHEN A SIMPLE SOUVENIR mers ADDED A BIT OF COLOUR TO PROCEEDINGS

The club superstore had not been invented and a small wooden club shop was only available at a very small number of grounds.

Unless your mother or your aunt were prepared to knit you a homemade scarf in your club colours with wool for Christmas, then it is unlikely you would have been able to adorn your neck with one to keep you warm during the games and show your allegiance.

Those clubs that did sell scarves were only realistically affordable to the wealthy. A replica home shirt was not only unaffordable, but unavailable!

Only young children would have an unofficial full kit and only in the very top teams' colours, which would be bought from their local sports shops. They would only be worn when having a kick-around in the park. There were no badges or anything else on these plain shirts and shorts.

The first souvenirs in the 1960s for me and my friends were club rosettes. They were rarely actually sold by the club, but by 'unofficial' vendors standing on the roads and concourses to the football grounds.

Not only would these entrepreneurs have rosettes of the two sides competing that day, but items representing loads of clubs throughout the country, as well as England ones.