ever did let your standards drop, Charlie would be sure and let you know that he was not impressed. He won players over with his attitude, though. They could see he was a leader, and he really encouraged the younger players around him. He led by example. His Roman Catholic background definitely helped him to shape his principles. He was devout in his religion and used to attend church on a Sunday. Along with Alan, he definitely held the team together in the early days when some much needed change was happening at the club.
‘Despite being a big man, I never saw Charlie raise a fist or punch anyone in all my time playing alongside him. He was a commanding figure, but not physical in any way. He was a gentle giant of a man, although he could knock you out with one of his looks.
‘When Stan Anderson left the club for Newcastle in 1963, Charlie became the captain. It was a role made for him, and he loved the honour and prestige of being captain. Charlie was close to Alan, and he had his ear. He would head up to the office on a Monday morning and talk to him about players and games, although Alan was an old-school manager, so I am not sure if he ever took any notice. That didn’t stop Charlie, though.
‘In those days you would get a couple of tickets for home games that you could give out to the family if they came up. You only got one or two, but if you ever wanted more, Charlie was your man. As captain he got a few extra, and he would keep them in his top pocket. Well, you’d ask him for how ever many you wanted, and whether it was one or two or even three – no matter how many – Charlie always managed to pull that exact number of tickets out of his top pocket.
‘One vivid memory I have of Charlie is when he got his Ford Zephyr. The car was a creamy white, and I remember he pulled up to the training ground to show it off to the players. He was very proud of that car, and the players were all suitably impressed. As he was driving away, I had this feeling that he really was the king in his own white Zephyr carriage. It suited him. He was a great man, and he was a great friend. He deserved all his success.
‘It was a good dressing-room in those days at Sunderland, and when you have a good dressing-room you end up making friends for life. The team that won promotion in 1964 was very close, and we are all still in contact with each other regularly. The club was set up for great things, but then Alan Brown fell out with the club and he left, and we didn’t quite get where we should have got to.’
Alan Brown left the club in 1968 to take over at Sheffield Wednesday, and a year later Hurley himself moved on to pastures new, joining Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer, where he stayed until he retired in 1971. In a twelve-year period until he left the club in 1969, Hurley made over 400 appearances for Sunderland, although he managed to miss his debut for Bolton in a pre-season match against Bury, as he was moving into his new home at the time. Bolton were a Second Division side at that time, and in Hurley’s final season as a professional footballer they finished twenty-second in the division and were relegated to Division Three. In all he played over forty games for Bolton. He retired from playing top-level football at the age of thirty-five.
IRELAND TIME
Charlie Hurley was first selected to play for Ireland in 1955. However, a knee injury prevented him from making his debut and it would be a full fifteen months before he got back to full fitness. He eventually made his debut for Ireland in May 1957 in a match that will forever be remembered, one that ensured Hurley would always be a hero for the national side. At the tender age of twenty, the then Millwall defender found himself thrust into the side that was playing in a World Cup qualifier against England, Ireland having lost 5–1 in London less than two weeks before.
In a historic match against an England team that contained Stanley Matthews, Billy Wright,
‘Despite being a big man, I never saw Charlie raise a fist or punch anyone in all my time playing alongside him. He was a commanding figure, but not physical in any way. He was a gentle giant of a man, although he could knock you out with one of his looks.
‘When Stan Anderson left the club for Newcastle in 1963, Charlie became the captain. It was a role made for him, and he loved the honour and prestige of being captain. Charlie was close to Alan, and he had his ear. He would head up to the office on a Monday morning and talk to him about players and games, although Alan was an old-school manager, so I am not sure if he ever took any notice. That didn’t stop Charlie, though.
‘In those days you would get a couple of tickets for home games that you could give out to the family if they came up. You only got one or two, but if you ever wanted more, Charlie was your man. As captain he got a few extra, and he would keep them in his top pocket. Well, you’d ask him for how ever many you wanted, and whether it was one or two or even three – no matter how many – Charlie always managed to pull that exact number of tickets out of his top pocket.
‘One vivid memory I have of Charlie is when he got his Ford Zephyr. The car was a creamy white, and I remember he pulled up to the training ground to show it off to the players. He was very proud of that car, and the players were all suitably impressed. As he was driving away, I had this feeling that he really was the king in his own white Zephyr carriage. It suited him. He was a great man, and he was a great friend. He deserved all his success.
‘It was a good dressing-room in those days at Sunderland, and when you have a good dressing-room you end up making friends for life. The team that won promotion in 1964 was very close, and we are all still in contact with each other regularly. The club was set up for great things, but then Alan Brown fell out with the club and he left, and we didn’t quite get where we should have got to.’
Alan Brown left the club in 1968 to take over at Sheffield Wednesday, and a year later Hurley himself moved on to pastures new, joining Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer, where he stayed until he retired in 1971. In a twelve-year period until he left the club in 1969, Hurley made over 400 appearances for Sunderland, although he managed to miss his debut for Bolton in a pre-season match against Bury, as he was moving into his new home at the time. Bolton were a Second Division side at that time, and in Hurley’s final season as a professional footballer they finished twenty-second in the division and were relegated to Division Three. In all he played over forty games for Bolton. He retired from playing top-level football at the age of thirty-five.
IRELAND TIME
Charlie Hurley was first selected to play for Ireland in 1955. However, a knee injury prevented him from making his debut and it would be a full fifteen months before he got back to full fitness. He eventually made his debut for Ireland in May 1957 in a match that will forever be remembered, one that ensured Hurley would always be a hero for the national side. At the tender age of twenty, the then Millwall defender found himself thrust into the side that was playing in a World Cup qualifier against England, Ireland having lost 5–1 in London less than two weeks before.
In a historic match against an England team that contained Stanley Matthews, Billy Wright,
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