The late 50s back line of Frazer,Bevan,Challinor,Naughton,Gilfedder,Greenough and Edwards was as good as any I have seen in the P&B. Unfortunately they played behind a mediocre pack which, too often, got second prize. If they had played behind the Oldham pack that the great Charlie Winslade was a member of in his pomp they would have been world beaters.
Although in the twilight of his career, like the other veteran who came at the fag-end of his career, Nat Silcock, Charlie was still able to show the rest of the pack a thing or two.

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I had occasion a good few years ago to pay a Sunday morning visit to Wilderspool, for what I can't remember, and stood at the counter waiting to be attended to. There was just one person in the office standing with his back to me stroking his lustrous locks and generally admiring himself in the mirror and that was none other than Steve(don't call me Shirley) Hesford...He eventually caught my reflection in the mirror and spun round looking very embarrassed by his display of self-love. Some time later at Knowsley Road the Saints fans were getting on his back as usual and he seemed to lose his rag....At that time Saints had made a premium signing from Cumbria, I can't remember his name but could have been Moorby...The said star signing made a break down the left and *Shirley* decided to vent his frustration and ran across and hit him like a steam locomotive...The player went down and had to be taken from the field by stretcher and I don't think he ever played again...He may have been a good looker but Hesford was as hard as anybody I ever saw.

Hesford was a funny one - We signed him from Fylde RU, and on first impressions he looked a pretty mediocre player. In fact, its fair to say he only made the team because of his exceptional kicking. He was often shunted out to the wing, to keep his involvement in the actual game to a bare minimum.

However, when Derek Finnigan packed up, Hesford got his break, being moved to full back and finally looking worthy of a place for more than just his kicking - We've definitely had better full backs, but I don't think we have ever seen a better kicker.

It was said he was offered a lucrative deal to kick field goals in grid iron football....can anyone remember or shed light on this?

Gerry Helme, the first man to win the Lance Todd twice was a brilliant scrum half. He had a famous tackling technique where he used the momentum of big forwards and throw them in a sort of Cumberland throw. His partnership with Ray Price is the first I have strong memories of. Ray was a pocket battle ship, tremendously strong and hard as nails. St Helens in those days were coached by Jim Sullivan and were very physical and games with them were wars of attrition. We never finished with thirteen men and Danny Naughton sustained a career ending broken leg. Ray Price revelled in this atmosphere and dished out so many pastings that, in 1956, Saints bought him off us. On balance though for sheer footballing entertainment I thought Edwards and Greenough were brilliant to watch and my personal favourite combination.