I was becoming a great jazz fan around this time. I suppose it all started a few years before, in the early 50’s when I used to listen to Steve Race on the Radio with his Saturday evening programme, “Jazz Club.” I was beginning to build a record collection, wax 78’s and vinyl LP’s. In those days the City Hall, Sheffield was on the circuit for top artists to play and over the next few years I saw many big names, several from America. Dave Brubeck, Dizzy Gillespie, The Modern Jazz Quartet to name a few. The late night work sessions in the Department were regularly accompanied by a record player belting it out. Recreational drugs were never an issue to my knowledge when I was a student but some people would take Benzedrine to keep them awake during the night. Sometimes in the last frantic hours before a scheme had to be submitted you could see somebody fast asleep, slumped across his drawing board at 6am.

In November 1956 I was still playing football for the University second team. What I did not realise was that it was all coming to an end. During the forthcoming Christmas holiday, a squad of players were going on a short tour of Jersey and I was very keen to be selected. I turned out in a match against Birmingham University, although I was not feeling well, little knowing this would be my last ever University game. That night I felt really ill; the landlady called the Doctor; I had flu. Unfortunately this was the time of the Asian flu epidemic, a particularly virulent strain. Several thousand people were eventually to die from the virus. I was in bed for a couple of weeks and it didn’t seem to be getting better. The Doctor came again, I was sent off for a chest X- Ray and pneumonia was diagnosed. Dad drove over and took me home. It wasn’t the best Christmas holiday I have ever spent. Eventually I returned to Sheffield and the Doctor’s advice was to give up football for the rest of the season.

In spring 1957 I tried to get a place in Crewe Hall. This was one of the University Halls of Residence and Abdul was living there. I used to go round to visit him and rather fancied my own room like he had. Conditions seemed so much better than the digs I was living in and I wasn’t getting on too well with one of the lads there. He was a bit too moody for my liking. I filled in an application form and went for an interview with the principal. It didn’t last long. He asked me to talk about my interests and myself. After a short time the interview was terminated and I was informed I would not be offered a place, as I appeared to have a very limited range of interests. I presume I spoke non-stop about football and Bolton’s chances in the first division. This time I was not sitting opposite Prof. Welch so it didn’t work!

At the end of the summer term Professor Welsh retired. He had been Professor of Architecture at Sheffield since 1928. Perhaps it was no wonder by that stage he seemed more interested in football. He was always very good to me and I held him in the utmost regard. John Needham took over; a very different rather reserved character with not the slightest interest in football.

On returning for the autumn term I decided to pack up playing football for the University. The months I had missed due to illness the previous winter made me realise how much of my time it had been taking. Perhaps I was growing up at last. I was at least getting the odd game with the Department team. Keith Grantham had a girlfriend Sue, who was at Eaton Hall, Retford, a teacher training college for girls, this was in Nottinghamshire about thirty miles away. One day in mid November he asked if I would like to go the College the following Sunday with him. The appealing message was that Sue would, “fix me up for the afternoon.” I rather liked the sound of that. We went over by train. The buildings were quite impressive, set in fields on the outskirts of the town. A suspicious looking lady teacher checked us in; strangely enough she looked like a man. Later I was to discover that several of them did, worrying! We were shown up to Sue’s room and I was introduced to Sheila my partner for the afternoon. We had a very nice time, “getting to know each other,” then it was time to leave just as I was getting warmed up. As we walked into the hall Sue uttered the fateful words,” By the way Keith we are having a dance in a couple of weeks, how about bringing a coach full of men with you.” Keith grinned and nodded. I had no idea how this was going to change my life.