Clive Trenchard is 77 today.
Club historian Ron Parrott looks back at a player who whilst perhaps not one of Hereford United's top stars still has a very interesting story to tell.
'Clive was born in Hereford on 5th April 1944 and was educated at Whitecross Secondary School. He was a talented footballer and played as an inside-left or left-winger and had attracted the interest of Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion. By the age of 16, Clive was captain of the Herefordshire FA youth team, had made his debut for the Herefordshire senior county team and was playing as an amateur for Hereford United Reserves. He was also playing regularly for Widemarsh United, one of the top local amateur teams at the time and unbelievably, at the age of 17, he was selected for the Rest against England in the youth International trial at Reading in January 1962 and impressed the selectors enough to be named as a reserve against Wales at Swindon Town two months later. Two days after his 18th birthday, he was notified that he had been selected for England in an international youth tournament in Romania and had to get time off work from his employers, Painter Brothers, to join the team and manager Billy Wright, the former Wolves and England captain.
Clive fondly recalls that the team sheet read like a "Who's Who" of English youth football with players from Leeds United, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool but can you imagine it when people read Clive’s résumé and thought who on earth is "Clive Trenchard from Widemarsh United?" Clive recalls "When the team to play Yugoslavia was announced, I was so proud to be the first Herefordshire player to represent England at youth level".
Back home, Clive had trials with Shrewsbury Town and was invited to join West Bromwich Albion but he opted to sign professional forms offered to him by Hereford United player-manager, Ray Daniel. Sadly, Clive never made the first-team but was a respected and regular member of the Reserve team. After leaving Hereford, Clive continued to play semi-professional football until his late 20s, first at Cinderford in the West Midland League then with Evesham United in the Warwickshire Combination, followed by a stint at Abergavenny in a strong Welsh League. In the early 70s, Clive played as an amateur with Pegasus Juniors before receiving his first managerial appointment, with Westfields, later managing Pegasus and helping them to establish the club in the Hellenic League.
What a wonderful tale, it could never happen again! Happy birthday Clive!'