Delving way back into the past, to a day when short trousers were all the norm and school was a place where if you didn`t behave you got a clip around the ear, I suppose all young boys had their footballing heroes.
I also guess that many were those who had served England so well in the 1966 World Cup, a competition that defined our sporting aspirations for the remainder of the decade.
Football was on the up, attendances were increasing and I was as pleased as punch when my dad started taking me to Kenilworth Road on a regular basis.
Luton Town were in Division Four, Alan Brow was at the helm and it was a season that was going to end in glory, with promotion to Division Three being achieved.
But as a youngster, crouched behind the barriers at the front of the Old Bobbers Stand, completed with its wooden steps, my eyes were captivated by the presence of one player – Bruce Rioch
Rioch, a powerful midfielder with a cannon of a shot, went on to play numerous times for Scotland but he was in fact born in England, Aldershot in Hampshire to be precise.
He joined Luton at the tender age of 14 after relocating to Bedfordshire, turning professional with the Hatters in 1964. He made his debut the same year, November to be precise in a 1-0 defeat to Southend.
Rioch took a couple of seasons to establish a permanent place in the side but the promotion year of 1967/1968 was the season when he really captured the eye scoring 24 goals to propel Luton to promotion.
Sadly, as with most childhood situations, the hero worship came to an abrupt end when Aston Villa came sniffing around in July 1969 and he was gone.
Naturally tears flowed at the time, but like it was to be many a time, a new hero wasn`t too far away!
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