John Connelly was born in St Helens, Lancashire on July 18, 1938 and was signed by Burnley in November 1956. After signing for Manchester United in April 1964, Connelly went on to make the England squad for the 1966 World Cup Finals. He only appeared, however, in the opening game against Uruguay and, as a winger, became a victim of manager Alf Ramsey's revolutionary tactics. The following September he moved to Blackburn, before finishing his playing career with Bury in 1972. He now lives in Brierfield, near Nelson in Lancashire, where he runs a fish and chip shop… Connelly's Plaice. "I've had this business for 25 years now and it's been good to me. It might not be as glamorous as the professions that other former players have taken up, but I'm not complaining. I work in the shop myself and most of my customers know who I am, but to be fair the novelty of being served by a former England international has worn off. People still like to talk about the game and so do I. Occasionally I still find someone coming in for the first time and they recognise me. Some aren't sure because I've aged a bit since they last saw me in football kit, but someone usually puts them out of their misery. I don't exactly mind people going on about what I did in the past, but it's not a lot of fun talking about what you used to be. It's what you are now that is important. I enjoyed my time in the game, who wouldn't? But I never set out to be a professional footballer, although I always hoped there might be a chance. Things just happened and when I joined Burnley they were one of the top clubs in the country. To be playing for them was a tremendous honour. At the risk of using a cliche, it was a dream come true. "One of the highlights of my career came in 1960 when Burnley won the championship. The club has never won it since, but I managed to get another medal when I joined Manchester United and we became champions in 1965. I started playing for England again around that time. I'd first been capped in 1959, in a 1-1 draw with Wales, but fought my way back into contention. Playing for England was a great experience, but I suppose you could say overall that it was both a thrill and a disappointment. "In my recall game we beat Hungary 1-0 at Wembley in May 1965. My United team-mate Nobby Stiles was also in the side. Bobby Charlton would have been, but I think he was injured. Jimmy Greaves scored the winning goal. A couple of weeks later I notched up my fifth England goal when we beat Sweden 2-1 in Gothenburg. It was marvellous to be a part of it all and you really felt at the time that England were going places. "The disappointment came during the World Cup tournament. I played in the first game against Uruguay, but I didn't take part in any of the other matches. I was a traditional winger and Alf Ramsey decided that after the first game he would change tactics and do away with wingers. It was a disappointment of course, but you come to expect that when you're just a squad member. It's the final result that matters and while it would have been marvellous to have been in that winning side in the final, the fact is that England won and as an Englishman I was very proud of having made a contribution to that success."

CONNELLY CORNER   John Connelly was a frequent scorer, while earning a reputation as a wonder winger because of his speed, skill and devastating crosses. He appeared in the 1962 FA Cup Final in which Burnley lost 3-1 to Spurs. Manchester United were impressed enough to spend £60,000 on him in April 1964. Having won the championship with them in 1965, he also played a major role as they reached the semi-finals of the European Cup the following season. Blackburn Rovers signed Connelly in September 1966 for £40,000. They had just been relegated to the Second Division and bought him as part of their rebuilding process. He joined Bury in June 1970 and played his last league match on April 28, 1973, a 3-4 defeat at Newport County. He went out on a high as Bury's top scorer of the season. John's England career spanned 20 games and seven goals. He played in a defeated England side only three times. Connelly was tempted to make a career in coaching and management, but decided there was more security in fish and chips. He's still running it, so clearly it was a great decision.

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