John also told us something about each of the players who wore the blue shirt that season.

Larry Carberry (61/62 League appearances 42, goals 0)
His great asset was his speed, tremendous pace had Larry He had the advantage of Ramsey being a full-back when he was a player. Ramsey could tell him all the facets of being a full-back.

Kenny Malcolm (3, 0)
I always felt very sorry for him. He played three games and then had a bad back and John Compton came in for the rest of the season. Malcolm was an outstanding left-back, one of the best we have ever had, very hard he was. He helped the players in front of him as wingers very rarely went past him. If the ball did then the player certainly didn't!

John Compton (39, 0)
Compton did a remarkable job because he was really a half-back but Alf tried him at full-back. He was like Carberry in that he was very quick and Alf moulded him as well. Larry Carberry had a rough idea what to do while John Compton didn't know what was expected of him but Alf taught him and he became a very good footballer.

Doug Moran (42, 14)
He was the dear player, he cost £15,000 from Falkirk. He was there with John White who went on to play for Tottenham. When they were at Falkirk together, Dougie used to play centre-forward and White used to play inside-right, but when he came here Alf played him as an inside-right. He was a ball-winner, we had a lot of people who knew what to do with the ball when they had it, the likes of Stephenson, Leadbetter and myself, but you've got to get the ball. A bit like Matt Holland, he wins the ball to give it to the playmaker, Magilton for example.

Andy Nelson (42, 0)
He was the captain, a centre-half. He was an ideal captain. He came from West Ham where he was just out of the first team. He came to us knowing he was going to be in the first team and that lifted him. Coming to Ipswich was the best thing he ever did. He was a good centre-half, solid and strong, and he was a winner. He helped keep the side going and was ideally placed to do so from the back.

John Elsworthy (41, 2)
I'd lost my cartilages and a little bit of pace. I had a tremendous amount of experience as inside forward so I knew what to do in the middle of the park. When I went to half-back it was the best day's work I had ever done because it ended up with the inside-forward marking me when I was traditionally supposed to be marking him because I couldn't get used to playing half-back. And with my height, I was 6' 3”, I was still useful in the box. Basically I was a ball-player and I made players play.

Roy Stephenson (41, 7)
He was an outstanding player. He and Leadbetter had years of playing inside-forward and now they'd moved wide there was nobody marking them. They didn't know what to do with the space! Stephenson had a bit of pace as well. He could beat the full-back and he was a beautiful crosser of the ball. He'd cross the ball with weight too so if you headed it it still had pace on it.

Jimmy Leadbetter (41, 8)
He tended to float his crosses more than Stephenson, but he was a fighter. When he came back to look for the ball he would also help to defend. I remember at Plymouth this big right—back took a kick Jimmy and Jimmy retaliated and the next thing we knew they were confronting one another! Another big defender came over and Jimmy was going to take them all on! He was a spirited boy. He had some ability, but what he lacked in that he made up for in spirit. He was the most unlikely looking footballer in the team and yet he was probably the one we needed most.

Billy Baxter (40, 0)
Baxter was a revelation because prior to him Reg Pickett was the right-half. Pickett was a devil. When I went forward, he should stay back, but he didn't always do it. He got injured and Baxter came into the side and was excellent. He was lucky in that he was younger than most of the rest of us. We imparted our knowledge to him and he took it in. He was a good player.

Roy Bailey (37, 0)
I think he was a better goalie than his son Gary who played for England and Manchester United. He was 6' 2”, he was good in the air, good on the ground and used the ball well. He rarely kicked the ball out as there was always someone available. The only time he did kick it out is if we weren't playing particularly well and Alf said to kick it as hard and high as a change of tactic. That didn't happen very often though. He was another one who Alf made. When he came to us from Palace he was a good goalkeeper but he was a much better keeper once he'd joined us.

Wilf Hall (5, 0)
He was another goalkeeper, he had everything except height. He was a good six inches shorter than Bailey. Good on the ground and was like a previous goalkeeper Jack Parry and later Laurie Sivell. The best keepers I ever saw were Frank Swift playing for Manchester City before the war and Banks who was the best I ever played against. But Wilf suffered because of his lack of height. If you've got height then you've got reach as well, haven't you? That extra few inches makes a difference.

Dermot Curtis (4, 0)
Dermot was his own worst enemy. He had everything, he was 5'9”, he was quick, he was good in the air, but he lacked confidence. Crawford was the exact opposite, one of the most confident players I have ever come across. When Alf came Curtis was a far better player, but he just lacked something. I don't know what it was, but some players have the ability, but are just lacking something and never produce the ability they have.

Ray Crawford (41, 33)
In contrast to Curtis, Crawford wasn't quick, wasn't that good in the air, but he was a brilliant poacher. When he came to us he had nothing. All he had was incredible enthusiasm. He was the most enthusiastic player I have ever seen. But he had to be moulded by Alf. Everything Crawford learnt Alf taught him, but he was a good listener. That was the beauty of Alf, you listened and 99 times out of 100 he was right. He often used to have Crawford back in the afternoons. He did a marvellous job and Crawford was outstanding. He scored 90 per cent of his goals in the six-yard box. If that ball was in the six-yard box then that was where Crawford had to be. He was the best player in the six-yard box that I have ever seen. If the ball went loose then it was in the net. As a pair him and Phillips were phenomenal

Ted Phillips (40, 28)
Phillips was one of the best players I've ever seen outside the box. His shooting was phenomenal, anywhere from 30 yards out with either foot. He was brilliant. I'd got a reputation for scoring goals from 25-30 yards and people would ask me why I hadn't shot on particular occasions. I used to say to them which would they prefer, me hitting it from 30 yards or Phillips shooting from 20? Phillips from 20 was the answer every time!

Reg Pickett (3, 0)
A good player, a full-back and a ball-player, but he enjoyed the game too much. He thought football was a joke and didn't take it seriously enough. I felt sorry for him as he had a brilliant game on his debut at Blackburn Rovers and rarely played as well again. The other good game he had was against Manchester United in the cup in 1958. If we'd have had Crawford and Phillips then we'd have beaten them [Town lost 2-0]. We controlled the middle of the park even though they had Duncan Edwards and Coleman. We dominated it. Pickett was a good player on his day and he decided he was going to play that day. After that Manchester United won 4-3 at Highbury and then they went to Germany and had the plane crash.

Aled Owen (1, 0)
Aled was another one who lacked something. He had a good physique but he didn't play with enough intensity or passion.

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Photo: Action Images

BillBlue added 16:13 - Mar 30 Yep, those WERE the days! COYB
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TractorBeezer added 16:13 - Mar 30 Wonderful stuff...thanks for posting it Phil. I still remember well the Spurs game (we sneaked out of a boring physics class early to get to the station). It was March 17 I think (not February) and so at a very crucial point in the season. Certainly the most memorable game for me and that even includes the Aston Villa game when we ran on to the pitch. What a great servant was John....thanks for the memories!

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fourth added 07:59 - May 8 I remember "Big John" playing, so well. A towering, commanding presence. I ran into Ken Brown in Wroxham a few years ago and his name was one of the first up.
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JohnL added 21:21 - Apr 30 So sorry not to have seen this article earlier. John Elsworthy was a superbly elegant player and a gentleman. A player who always seemed to have time on or off the ball. In those days Portman Road had one of the best pitches in the land, even when we were in the Third Division South. On one occasion John E. was tackled in midfield, evaded the tackle and the opposition ended up on the deck after gouging out a hefty lump of pitch. John E., probably without even thinking, stopped, put his foot on the ball, repaired the pitch, then played another inch-perfect pass all in one fluid movement before the tackler got to his feet.

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SpiritOfJohn added 17:16 - Apr 28 Brilliant interview. An amazing player who went through the divisions with Sir Alf collecting all of the championship medals on the way, including the First Division. Love what he said about Ray Crawford. If only we had a poacher like that now! A true gentleman, I also heard that he was upset by Bill McGarry's colourful language in the dressing room. Sir Alf was also a gentleman, and so John was used to team talks being more polite.

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