Everyone associated with Southport Football Club are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Trevor Hitchen on15th June. Trevor just three months short of his 100th birthday. Prior to his death he was believed to be England’s oldest living footballer.
Over the past fifty years or so I have been fortunate to meet several hundred former Southport footballers. Trevor was unique among them. He was a man of great principal who lived his life by what he referred to as “The five commandments” These were discipline, moderation, don’t let yourself down, don’t let your family down, don’t let your country down.
Trevor may not have been among the most skilful players to represent Southport Football Club, but the club has surely had no more loyal, enthusiastic, and wholehearted clubman than Trevor who never gave less than 100 per cent effort.
A native of Sowerby Bridge Trevor, who came from a humble background, first played as a schoolboy in the Bolton Brow elementary school Boys’ Brigade and joined Halifax Town as a sixteen-year-old Amateur making his first team debut a week before his seventeenth birthday against Sheffield United. He combined playing with an engineering apprenticeship, having left school at fourteen.
Later he signed professional at Notts County. At that time Trevor was a Bevin Boy after being called up to go down the Mines and spent two years at Barnborough Main Colliery at Barnsley. Prior to that Arsenal had been alerted to his talent while playing for Mexborough Under 19s and aged 18 he guested for the Gunners in a V.J. celebration match at Coventry. He subsequently joined Wellington Town ( now Telford) in the Cheshire County League and scored many goals for them at centre-forward. The result was that he attracted Southport’s attention and was transferred on New Year’s Eve 1949 for £1,000. At Haig Avenue he became a utility plyer occupying eight different positions for the club, and went on to make 247 League appearances, and scored 34 Legue goals.
It was while he was at Wellington that Trevor met Sheila , his wife to be, at a dance. On 17th March 1951 they got married and spent almost 70 happy years together. Following their wedding reception at a Wellington Hotel Trevor , complete with confetti in his hair, rushed by car with his bride to Shrewsbury where he appeared in the Southport team which won 5-1.
In April 1954 he was granted a Benefit match in which Stan Matthews and Nat Lofthouse appeared for an All Stars XI. Four years earlier Trevor and former teammate, Jack Rothwell launched a newsagent’s business before he branched out on his own initially in a kiosk at the Ribble Bus Station . As a small boy I would nag my mother to take me to Trevor’s to buy my comic just so I could speak to him. He later took over’ Smithies’ on Hoghton Street where he greeted all his customers with his trademark smile.. It was the legendary Henry Rose of the Daily Express who dubbed him “Smiler. Hitchen ”, so impressed was he by the way he approached matches.
When Southport offered Trevor reduced terms at the end of 1955-56 season he moved to Oldham Athletic for a season and then joined Wigan Athletic who were members of the Lancashire Combination and he quickly became player-Manager. Whilst with Wigan they were drawn to play Southport at Haig Avenue in the first round of the FA Cup. The ‘Latics splendidly marshalled by Trevor, beat Southport 2-1 before 14,170 spectators. This eight and half year old was devastated by Southport’s shock exit and vowed always to support my town team. – so, Trevor is responsible for my sixty-nine-year obsession following the Port!
Trevor was appointed Team Manager of Southport in June 1958 . Given a wage bill of just £280 per week, he stood little chance of success in the newly formed Fourth Division. During his time as Manager, he helped to raise funds for the club and on a coach trip to Exeter to save money on food ,arranged for the coach driver to make a detour to his mother- in- law’s in Shopshire she that she could prepared an impromptu meal. Seven months into his appointment he was replaced by Wally Fielding. The first inkling he had of his dismissal was when Trevor opened the morning newspapers. Great sportsman that he was he agreed at once to co-operate with his successor and became his assistant. He said “I bear no malice it isn’t in my nature to do so. Naturally, the news has come as a shock to me, but the Directors have done what they thought best”. Few sportsmen would have taken their sacking in this way but then very few are like Trevor Hitchen.
Trevor then had a twenty-three-year association with Formby, playing until he was forty. Then he became Manager and finally Chairman, taking the club from the Liverpool County Combination to the Cheshire League. In a playing career spanning over 800 games, he was booked just once. He was a gentleman on and off the field. Trevor was among the first players to be inducted into the Southport FC Hall of Fame .
Trevor derived a great deal of satisfaction coaching young players , maintaining an active interest in football, coaching at Holmwood school in Formby and at Ainsdale Juniors under 10’s. When my twelve-year-old son, Alex celebrated his birthday with a football party for twenty friends at Haig Avenue , Trevor organised the event, refusing to accept any payment and brought Alex a present.- a typical example of Trevor’s generosity. Whenever he saw me afterwards his first question would be “How’s the lad?”
Trevor kept himself fit into his eighties by walking three and a half miles from him his Liverpool Road home to meet up with former playing colleagues like Ray Minshull, Bob Hacking, Harry Boyle and Alan Parkinson. When he moved to his Trafalgar Road flat he would meet up with pals at Costa in Birkdale Village.
Trevor was blessed with a fine singing voice and would break into song at every opportunity. He sang all the way back home in the coach following our FA Trophy Final in 1998.
Trevor is survived by a son David, daughter Jane and grandchildren, Jack, and George, to whom we send our sincere condolences. He will be sadly missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him.
Suppoerers are invited to attend a celebration of Trevor’s life at the Southport Crematorium on Thursday, 9th July at 11a.m.
