Eccentric keeper Sharrat dead at 72

In a month when the soccer world is getting itself embroiled in the whys and wherefores of Roy Keane’s various mis-deeds, the passing of former Blackpool goalkeeper, Harry Sharratt at the age of 72, provides a timely reminder of how much soccer has changed.

Sharratt once got in trouble with the referee for a heinous offence, one that even Keane hasn’t thought of committing yet. During his time as the country’s best amateur goalkeeper at Bishop Auckland, he was booked - for building a snowman on his goalline during a match, one wintry Boxing Day!

And Sharratt was said to have spent idle moments during uneventful, one-sided matches surveying the action from the top of his cross-bar or so legend has it.

Sharratt had 3 years at Blackpool and was reserve to Farm for the 1953 FA Cup Final against Bolton - there were no subs in those days.

After leaving Blackpool, Sharratt continued to play as an amateur at Oldham Athletic and Nottingham Forest. He also turned out for Manchester United reserve teams in the aftermath of the Munich aircrash when they were desperately short of players.