FORMER Tranmere secretary Norman Wilson has been honoured with a special medal from the Football Association to mark more than 50 years service to the game.
Wilson, who remains an associate director of the Wirral club, is to be presented with the medal by chairman Peter Johnson prior to Rovers’ League One encounter with Southend United at Prenton Park next Tuesday.
Wilson may have kept himself out of the limelight during his years of service but his contribution to Rovers is so significant that Johnson described him as “one of Tranmere’s best ever signings” on his retirement as club secretary in 1997.
Known by his many friends in the game as “Stormin’ Norman”, Wilson also worked at Everton during the early 1970s and spent 10 years at general secretary at Wrexham, prior to returning to Tranmere.
Wilson reckons he’s reached another half-century by working with 26 different chairman and 24 managers during his career.
Wherever he worked, Wilson deployed a calm, affable manner and a deep knowledge of football’s rules and regulations to get the job done with a smile.
He originally joined Tranmere in 1958 to assist in the running and coaching of the clubs A and B teams in the West Cheshire League.
Three years later he left a full-time job with British Rail’s accounts departments to become assistant secretary to manager/secretary Dave Russell at Prenton Park.
After six years carrying out the secretarial duties in all but name, Wilson was elevated to club secretary in 1967.
He joined Everton’s commercial department in 1970. Then in 1973 he began a 10-year spell as general secretary of Wrexham that coincided with a period of success and European adventures for the North Wales club.
After taking a year out of football to work on a project linked to the International Garden Festival in Liverpool, Wilson returned to Tranmere to become secretary for a second time in 1984.
He played an important role in helping Rovers survive the threat of extinction in 1987 and helped to persuade local millionaire businessman Peter Johnson to buy the club out of administration.
Wilson was at the administrative helm through the most successful period in Tranmere’s history over the decade that followed. In 1995 he was invited to join the board of directors at Prenton Park and retired as secretary two years later.
Throughout the 50 years Wilson has maintained his links to the Liverpool County FA and continues to fill the role as company secretary.
Wilson also continues to attend the majority of Tranmere’s games home and away and dips with fondness into a deep reservoir of football memories.
“Those years working with Dave Russell in the 1960s were a special time,” he recalls. “Rovers were regularly getting crowds of 12,000 on Friday nights and the atmosphere at Prenton Park in those days was terrific.
“When I moved across to Goodison, Everton had just won the title under Harry Catterick with a wonderful side featuring the likes of Alan Ball, Howard Kendall and Colin Harvey in midfield and Brian Labone at centre back. I still believe in 1970 World Cup finals in Mexico had a negative impact on that side.”
Two matches from the second spell at Tranmere stick in Wilson’s mind. The first was a 1-0 win over Exeter City in May 1987 that ensured Rovers retained their Football League status.
He said: “I can still remember Ian Muir conjuring up a bit of magic late in the game and putting in a cross the Gary Williams headed past Exeter’s big baldy goalkeeper.
“Muiry was always capable of doing something a little bit special – and we needed it that night.”
Wilson’s most powerful memory however is of the 1991 playoff final at Wembley, a 1-0 extra-time win over Bolton Wanderers that saw Rovers begin at 10 stay in football’s second tier.
“That was the best moment of all,” Norman said. “Promotion meant so much to us. But I remember it was also heartbreaking afternoon for Bolton. I will never forget the sight of the great Nat Lofthouse after the game, crying his eyes out.”
