Derek Rigby, who was closely woven into the fabric of Mossley Football Club, has died aged 96.
Former colleague Tony Bugby, who interviewed Derek twice in his nineties, looks back at the rich life of a giant in local journalism.
Apart from covering Mossley from the 1950s to early eighties, Derek was also involved in one of the biggest-ever news stories as a reporter – covering the horrific Moors Murders.
Derek played no small part in the glory days at Mossley who were one of the biggest clubs in non-league football back in the late 1970s and early 80s.
Had it not been for Derek’s timely intervention, though, it might well have been a completely different story at Seel Park.
Bob Murphy, who proudly led Mossley out at Wembley in the final of the FA Trophy, was appointed caretaker manager in 1978 following the dismissal of Dick Bate.
Derek, who lived on Mossley Road, Ashton, recalled: “I asked the committee if Bob had applied for the job and was told he hadn’t.
“They said if he hadn’t applied, he wouldn’t be considered. I think Bob thought as he was caretaker he didn’t need to apply.
“I tipped off Bob who applied and he got the job and that was the start of the most successful chapter in the club’s history.”
Derek also informed Bob to the availability of Eamon O’Keefe who was returning home after a spell playing in Saudia Arabia.
He explained: “Former Mossley manager George Smith managed Al Hilal and when he returned home informed me Eamon was also coming back.
“I alerted Bob and within days he was on the club’s books. If he had not heard, another club would have quickly snapped him up.”
O’Keefe went on to play 113 games for Mossley scoring 50 goals, form that tempted Everton to splash out £25,000 in 1979. It was a considerable sum in those days and remains the Lilywhites’ record sale.
Derek reported on the fortunes of the Lilywhites from the 1950s to the early 1980s for the Mossley Reporter which was part of the Ashton Reporter Group of Newspapers.
He remembered in those early days that Mossley a very poor side in the Cheshire League that contained the likes of Altrincham, Macclesfield Town, Northwich Victoria and Runcorn.
“It was a powerful league and Mossley were one of the weaker sides that just about existed,” he said.
Derek added the appointment of Eddie Quigley, the former Sheffield Wednesday, Preston and Blackburn inside forward as player manager in 1957 as helping transform the club’s fortunes.
Mossley finished bottom of the Cheshire League in his first season, but by 1961 were fourth, their best post-war finish to a season.
Derek said: “Eddie brought some success, but nothing like what Bob Murphy did which was one of the most outstanding achievements at non-league bearing in mind Mossley is such a small town.
“I maintain Eddie, though, was the best player I ever saw playing for Mossley.”
Derek added Mossley have the distinction of having two England managers on their books – Sir Walter Winterbottom and Howard Wilkinson.
He dealt with Wilkinson, who managed the club for six months in 1976/77 season, his first job in management.
“I used to speak to Howard once or twice a week and got on well with him, though he could be a bit curt and sharp,” he said.
The highlight of Derek’s writing about Mossley was charting their path to the Wembley final of the FA Trophy in 1979/80 when they lost 2-1 to Dagenham.
Derek continued: “When I began covering Mossley, never for one moment did I ever think I would see them play at Wembley.
“It was an impossible dream for a small-town club with poor facilities compared to other non-league teams at that time.”
Derek has great memories of the cup run, notably travelling with the team to the final.
He continued: “It was amazing to be on the team coach as it drove up Wembley Way, as you could do in those days, through the big doors into the stadium.
“I was also the only non-player allowed on the open top bus parade back in Mossley – not even the chairman was on the bus – but Bob insisted I was. I will never forget the crowds packed into the Market Square.”
Derek also played his part in the cup success as he explained: “I was proud to help Bob. After the cup draws were made, I found out about the opposition from their local newspaper for the Reporter and fed the information to him.
“I would find out who were their form players, their style of play, whether they had a shaky defence and so on. Bob was always appreciative.”
Derek said Mossley have had many wonderful players over the years, including Scot Harvey McCreadie, a striker who scored 36 goals in 44 appearances in 1961/62 when he was sold to top Scottish side Hibernian for £1,000.
“Harvey was the club’s first and only full-time professional player. He used to work on the ground during the day,” he recalled.
There was also goalkeeper Gary Pierce who was sold to Huddersfield Town and later played for Wolves in the 1974 League Cup final when they beat Manchester City.
And speaking of goalkeepers, Derek also recalled Lewis Goram, the former Hibernian and Bury stopper playing for Mossley. He is the father of the late Andy, the former Oldham Athletic, Hibernian, Glasgow Rangers and Scotland keeper.
Mike Batty, a player who made 13 first-team appearances for Manchester City, is another player who Derek remembered fondly as was winger John Willis who made 251 appearances and scored 43 goals between 1957/64.
Willis was transferred to Aston Villa for £500 but, after only one first-team appearance, returned to Seel Park.
And he also recalled Mike Summerbee, the Manchester City and England winger, who was lured out of retirement to play for Mossley in the first round of the FA Cup when they beat Crewe Alexandra.
Derek reported on Mossley reaching the second round of the FA Cup in 1980/81. After beating Crewe Alexandra, they lost at home to Mansfield Town.
There was also one other first-round appearance when they lost to Stockport County following a replay in 1969/70.
After retiring, Derek continued to watch the Lilywhites from the terraces and, though housebound latterly, he still looked out for their results and was keenly interested in their fortunes.
Derek began his working career as a 15-year-old office boy at the Reporter and rose to become deputy editor by the time he had to retire through ill health aged 58.
The biggest story he covered was the Moors Murders when Ian Brady and Myra Hindley were convicted of abducting, sexually abusing and killing five children and burying their bodies on Saddleworth Moor.
Derek, who was the only journalist on the moors when the first body was found, broke the story to the world and later covered the trial of Brady and Hindley at Chester.
“I had seen it from the beginning, and it was by far the biggest thing I had ever covered or would ever cover,” he said.
“My next door but one neighbour was a detective chief inspector who kept him updated.
“As they were expecting to find bodies, I asked him whether I should cover a Mossley match on the Saturday afternoon and he told me to go.
“When he hadn’t returned home by 7.30pm, I wondered why he was so late. I decided to go to the moors and took a flask of coffee for the police officers and arrived just as they had found a body.
“I remember on the moors there being a very eerie atmosphere. The lamps shining through to the mist was haunting. They were just yellow blobs in the mist.”
Derek’s journalistic career was interrupted by three years in the RAF in which he served in Southern Rhodesia which is now Zimbabwe.
As Derek could write shorthand, he was appointed PA to Air Chief Marshall Sir Augustus Walker, a former England international rugby player who later became deputy commander of NATO, and also Air Chief Marshall Sir Brian Baker.