Your Grandad's Football

Playing in the dyke(stream) – part of Fletton Spring, running parallel just to the north of Celta Road, was a popular pastime and generally worth the punishment meted out by parents due to wet clothes, shoes and socks. In acknowledging contributions from Tony Newell, I can reveal that he fell into the dyke whilst fishing(?) – I'm sure it was never much more than 30 inches deep - I think they were tiddlers.

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Between the dyke and the school was a recreation ground, with swings, slides and roundabouts. To the rear of the school, between Orton Avenue and Westbrook Park Road were the Fletton Secondary School playing fields. The groundsman was Mr Walter Betteridge, an ex-professional footballer, and under his guidance, Des Farrow (Belsize) and Johnny King (Stilton) became professional footballers for Leicester City.

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Belsize boys, Jack Rose and Ernie Brookbanks progressed from Old Fletton School to play for Queens Park Rangers and Peterborough United respectively.

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Between Celta Road and London Road (now Peake Close area) were 3 fields, divided by hedges, a trodden path reaching the London Road bridge opposite a walk through stile into Wootton Avenue. Celta Road led to the Flax factory where the raw product was processed for linen, the area then becoming BTH – British Thomson Houston, making aircraft parts and later Hotpoint and Redring. Opposite were the homes of the Gaul and Sutton families. From there it was green fields all the way to the Great North Road near Haddon, except for New House which stands near the roundabout at the junction of Orton Parkway and Fletton Parkway.

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Buses; Eastern Counties Walton –Woodston service 301, terminated at Celta Road near the railway bridge.