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Hakin United trio were there at the start 60 years ago
Hakin United are currently proud holders of the Manderwood Pembrokeshire League and Senior Cup double and it is now 60 years since the Vikings set out in local football as the new boys on the block, won the Second Division at their first attempt and have remained in the top echelon ever since.
Three of that original team, which played on the old Cockle Bank, which is where the Observatory Avenue is situated in Hakin, are Royston Holman, who was then a 17 year old playing in goal, Gavin Marshall, who is now 85 and scored an amazing 44 goals that season as centre forward, and 83 year old Bobby Whisby, who was a hard-tackling full back and still lives at Observatory Avenue today!
Gwili Road base
The team was centred on several players from Gwili Road who had recently been demobbed from the Armed Services and started out playing friendlies for the Lord Kitchener pub in Milford Haven. They applied to enter the recently-formed second division as Hakin United – and won that section at their very first attempt! The Cockle Bank pitch had a greater slope than Pill Lane, the home of Milford Athletic, and in that first season the team played in black and red shirts.
One of the most potent memories of all three is the fact that on the run in to the title they had to play Saundersfoot, who also had a team in the first division but opted to play that side against Hakin United, who came through with a 5-3 victory. Cheering Hakin on at Saundersfoot was Mr. Stanley Harries, a retired teacher from Hakin who lived in Saundersfoot at that time but still cheered on his former pupils! They also had the same scoreline against Cresselly, who led 3-0 but were beaten by goals from Gavin Marshall (3, including one from the penalty spot), Jack McLean and Billy Davies.
Good changing rooms with some outside help
Roy Holman recalls that the changing facilities were very good in a Nissen hut purchased before they set out and Bobby used to obtain water from a nearby house, via two rubber tubes, which provided for hot water in two galvanised baths. The boys had had the floor in the hut tarmacadamed but prior to one early match it was so hot that the tar had melted somewhat and they found it sticking to their feet and especially the woolly socks they wore!
They used to sell programmes for the matches, with advertising inside, and Royston still has some as mementoes, with a real-life aristocrat as their president in Count de Lesener, who owned the box factory which made the fish boxes used so much on the docks. Billy Jewells, who was such a stalwart secretary of Hakin for so many years, was captain and secretary even then, playing at right half (that’s right side of midfield to you youngsters!). He was known to all as ‘Juber’ and played alongside ‘Hoppy’ Walters (centre half) and Ivor Edwards as a full back.
Proud record and fond memories
They finished that season with a proud record of 16 wins and two draws from their 20 games where they scored 95 goals and conceded 40, beating off the strong challenge of West End and the Legion. It is all a long time ago now and most of the original Hakin United side have passed away – but Gavin Marshall, Bobby Whisby and Royston Holman still meet up from time to time – and all three are understandably proud of the fact that they were founder members of Hakin United all that time ago in 1949!
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