The Blond Bomber

One Street: Market Square, Shipley #76

Billy is 92 years of age and still has a bit of a spring in his step. I caught him here on his way in to a shop to buy his lottery ticket before he popped next door to the bookies to see if any of his bets had come in. Strangely, I'd already been informed that Billy was around the Square today. It has been suggested that he'd make a good subject. I'd not approached anyone else before he came into sight, it being easy to recognise him as I was told that he's always to be seen pulling his little trolley. And he always wears a baseball cap.

Billy is not shy about telling you of his days as a footballer, playing for Wolves, the number of goals he scored, becoming known on the terraces as the Blond Bomber, setting a record for scoring directly from corner kicks. It was hard to stop him once he'd started, bless him. I wanted to know more so I googled him when I got back home (William Glover is the name), hoping to find on a fan site some homage to his glory days or just a simple historic record of his goal-scoring prowess. In this age when every last minutiae of footballer's careers is available on the internet it was a little disappointing to draw a blank. I didn't dig too deep though, just deep enough to suspect that perhaps Billy had invented this football career of his. He's told the story so many thousands of times that it has become a reality to him. I find myself wanting to believe his truth more than I want to know the actual truth of events. As far as Billy is concerned there is only one truth that now matters.

If some Wolves fan out there wants to confirm his story that would be really lovely. But I don't need to know otherwise. I want to continue to believe in the ripping yarns of the Blond Bomber every bit as much as Billy does.

The pressure is building again at work but it's been a productive if very long day. And as I post this first thing the following morning it begins all over again. And after all that rain in Ireland last week the sun has barely stopped shining here this week - as I look out at longingly at blue skies through the office window. That seems to have been the story of the whole year.