During a lifetime of achievement at Appleby Football Club which has seen him honoured with a Westmorland FA award reflecting loyal longevity, Trevor “Jock” Nugent has now, fittingly, come full circle.
A well decorated former first team player and manager who has also served as chairman and, latterly, vice-president, Jock began carrying the senior team’s kit bag at the tender age of eight before making his mark over more than half a century.
And, as he approaches his 70th birthday, his dedicated match day tasks at the club’s Broad Close home remain an echo to those early times.
“I stood down as chairman. I said this job isn’t for me,” he recalls of a spell in that role. “If there’s something wrong at the clubhouse I’ll go down and check it out.
“On a Saturday I’ll put the nets up, see that the field’s ready, that all the kits are there and balls are blown up. I run the second team now with with Stuart Hall, who helped me when I first took the first team over.”
But while his recently-bestowed Westmorland FA recognition was “a bit of an honour” — a “surprise”, even — Jock highlights a terrific Appleby team ethic.
“I’m just one cog in the wheel, one part of a successful club,” said Jock.
“In Appleby, people say ‘anything to do with the football club, see Jock’. But there’s many others who do a lot of unseen work.”
He was, however, keen to single out one man — 94-year-old club stalwart Tommy Huck, “Appleby through-and-through” — who witnessed the first team’s recent High Sheriff Cup success.
Football crazy youngster
For Jock, it was as a football crazy youngster that he got his early grounding, avidly following the seniors on their Westmorland League travels.
“They used to run a bus which would leave from The Sands,” said Jock.
“I can remember going as an eight or nine-year-old. I would just say ‘I’m going to football today, mam’. She would always know where I was.
“I carried the kit bag back up to Grace Ferguson’s afterwards. She used to do the stitching and the washing.
“I can always remember on a real wet day when the strips were heavy; I’d trail it up the road and could hardly carry it!”
His playing days began aged 14 with a debut against Windermere when he was marked on the right wing by the county full back of that time.
By the end of his first season, Jock — son of a Glaswegian father, George, from whom he inherited his nickname, and mother Kathleen — had played six games in the Westmorland League first division and scored four times.
Although Appleby were relegated, a promising crop of young players bounced back in style under the leadership of Jock’s brother-in-law Mike Allan.
“He turned us around and he got us to where this club is at today,” says Jock, proudly, of the late Mike.
“We were unbeaten in 33 league games: we won 30, drew three and scored 130-odd goals, and won one of the senior cups.”
Also in those early days, Jock played Kent Valley League football for Shap under-18s, travelling to games with team-mate David Arnison in an Austin A35 van driven by village butcher, the late Tommy Steadman.
Distinguished playing career
Only the county cup eluded Jock during a distinguished Appleby playing career which continued into his early 40s.
But that changed after he coached son David through Appleby’s junior ranks and the pair stepped up into the seniors, as manager and player, respectively, with aplomb.
A thrilling 4-3 county cup final victory over Staveley in 2001 completed the set, ended the club’s 70-year wait for that piece of silverware and earned the squad a memorable civic reception.
Jock briefly took a break from Appleby duties, watching David play at Gretna for three seasons.
But when his son returned to Broad Close so did he.
Jock guides the next generation
And now, guiding the second XI alongside his work on the sidelines, Jock has the goal of helping the next generation of promising players who are rising through the ranks of a flourishing outfit.
“I’ve four grandkids. They all play and I want this club to be there for them and for other youngsters after my day,” he said.
Appleby FC has become a real family affair. Son David and daughter Sarah have earned their coaching stripes and encourage the juniors, including their respective children — George, aged 11, Henry and Oscar aged eight, and five-year-old Rupert.
And, behind the scenes, is Jock’s wife of 45 years, Hilda. “I’m very fortunate to have had her support,” he admits.
Away from the football, Jock and Hilda enjoy their garden and walking. His award, she says, was “deserved” and made him “quite proud”.
But what does she remember of their own special “match of the day”, when they tied the knot in 1976? “It was on a Saturday,” she recalled. “But it was August so it was out of season!”
A Westmorland FA spokesman said Jock has had a lasting impact on football in Westmorland and they thanked him for his continued service to the game.
Jock will be presented with his lifetime achievement award at a match at the start of next season.
