Eric started to watch Luton in the late 1960s in an attempt to indoctrinate son Gary to the game. The Luton secretary at the time made sure that Eric’s seat was next to the directors’ box, leading to him being asked to the Boardroom for drinks after each game. This, in turn, led to him becoming a director of the club.
With The Morecambe & Wise Show playing to huge audiences and the ‘Hatters’ doing well on the pitch, it was a marriage made in heaven. Eric mentioning his beloved football team at every opportunity was the best PR a club could wish for.
Eric and Joan at a Luton Town FC bash. It looks like Luton hero Ricky Hill that Eric is making it deliberately difficult for future archivists to confirm. – GM
Although Eric took his director’s role at the club very seriously, he obviously loved an audience and played up to the cameras at every opportunity. In those days, the club used to charter special trains to away games for the princely sum of 25/- (£1.25). And wherever we went the players and officials took up a couple of carriages as well. My abiding memory is of Eric walking up and down the corridors chatting to the supporters, practising his paper-bag trick, adjusting people’s glasses and generally acting the fool for hours on end.