LAST month in the St Helens Star’s Back in Time sport’s nostalgia page we asked readers to send in their childhood hero.

The invitation came at the end of an article on Saints’ long-serving Welsh wingman Roy Mathias penned by the Star’s sports writer Mike Critchley.

The article prompted Joe Coy – a Saints fan of more than 50 years – to get in touch with his boyhood hero.

(Image: Stock)

Here is Joe’s tribute to a classy Saint – John Walsh.

My first recollection of Saints is waiting by the gates at Taylor Park at Toll Bar and watching them parade the Challenge Cup in 1966. My dad then took me to a few games and I used to watch the second half of games on BBC every Saturday.

As well as Saints players I became of players like Neil and Don Fox, Cyril Kellett, mainly because as goal kickers they got mentioned throughout the game.

In September 1968 I was watching Saints v Leigh and was fascinated when our goalkicker started kicking “round the corner style”, or “golf swing” as I called it at the time.

The above mentioned, and Saints’ Kel Coslett were all ‘toe-enders’.

That player was John Walsh.

He played fullback at the time. I went a few games that season and next noticed him when he kicked 12 goals against Doncaster.

Not only was he a good and fascinating kicker but it seemed he could weave in and out of the opposition defence.

He later switched to centre. I always got excited when the ball went near him.

Good Friday 1971 was special when he ghosted through the Wigan defence for the only try of the game as we won 9-6. (that game also saw a once in a lifetime drop goal from Billy Benyon).

He could also ‘crash tackled’ his opposite number, none more so than Syd Hynes at Wembley in 1972.

Walsh could also drop goals for fun. The 1970 Championship Final, a Lancashire Cup Semi Final against Wigan when he dropped three goals, even the one attempt that went wrong in the 1971 Championship Final resulted in the Billy Benyon scoring the match winning try.

It was very disappointing when he left the game midway through the 1972-73 season to concentrate on his academic studies.

He did play a few games towards the end of that season and returned for the 1974-75 season in which we won the Championship but left for good at a young age.

We have been blessed with many great centres in my time watching Saints, but John Walsh is always first on my list when I am asked to pick my best, or favourite, Saints team.

If you want to get in touch with your memories of your childhood hero, then send in to mike.critchley@nqnw.co.uk