The life of a footballer can be full of surprises, special episodes, twist and turns. Surely part of the journey of former Leicester goalkeeper Carl Jayes, seen as fourth from left in the middle row of the team group above. One loyal club servant from 1969 to 1978, being an understudy first for Peter Shilton and later Mark Wallington. A thrilling story of a player, thrown into first team action, as an emergency solution, at the age of 17.
Carl Jayes was a Leicester first team squad member for almost a decade. The former England schoolboy international tracking back and memorizing those special days at Filbert Street. Read on for the full interview.
“Hi Carl, fantastic to be able to speak to you. We have prepared a few questions. The talk will be about present and past, Orient 1972, that special Christmas period in 1974 and more …
Hi, from Northamptonshire, here are the answers, Cheers, Carl!
You played for England Schoolboy 7 times, could you tell us a little bit about those games, how you were picked, what teams you played against, what age you were, any unique happenings, results and special teammates in the England team?
I went through a series of trial matches in the Midlands and London before being selected for the England Schoolboys Squad. I wasn’t selected for the first game (22/3/1969) against Scotland but got my first cap the following week in Cardiff against Wales. I was born 15/3/54 so I would have been 15 years and two weeks old. I was selected for the next 6 matches that year- which included a return fixture against Wales at Wembley and two matches in Germany (Olympic Stadium in Berlin and Hamburg). England Schoolboys hadn’t won in Germany for many years and I saved a last minute penalty in a 1-0 win in Hamburg. A couple of my teammates had good careers a) Chris Guthrie played 3 times for Newcastle United but played for a number of years at Southend Utd, Sheffield Utd and Swindon Town b) Ken Stroud played for 10 years at Swindon Town.
You are from Leicester and played for Blaby BC, how did the change to Leicester appear, any special people having influence on the move, probably started in the youth team and when did you start to train with the first team squad, and how long did it take before you played in the reserves?
Blaby Boys Club were renowned throughout Leicestershire as a well run club that attracted the best young boys in the county. I did not learn much playing for them except maybe the need to concentrate. We would beat teams heavily having the pick of many of the best boys in that age group. In fact I think I was the last of five England schoolboys in six years who were associated with BBC-one of the others being Peter Shilton (1965).
Some weekends I would play 3 times. Saturday morning for school (if LCFC ‘a’ team were at home), Saturday afternoon for the ‘A’ team, Sunday morning for Blaby Boys Club.
At this time I was a scholar at City of Leicester Grammar School. I was in an advanced pupil scheme. I was scouted by both Arsenal and Liverpool and could have signed Schoolboy forms for either but chose (was strongly advised by parents and teachers) to stay at school and take ‘A’ level exams (pathway to University).
So I got my results and left school at 16 years to sign professional forms for Leicester City. I started full time training/playing in the 1971/72 season.
You made your first team debut at the age of 17, how did it happen, and how did you learn that you were playing, how did you reflect on the experience?
I had been a professional for 6 months when an injury to Peter Shilton meant that I was on standby for the Cup match against Leyton Orient (Jimmy Bloomfields previous club) on 5/2/72. Shilton and the physios were confident he would be fit-until an hour before kick-off when he failed a fitness test. Orient won 2-0 on a boggy Filbert Street pitch that suited their style. It was commonly reported that Leicester were very poor that day and deserved to lose. I stood no chance with the first but made a mistake for the second when I allowed a greasy ball to slip through my hands onto the goal line and although I spun round to scoop it out it was allowed to stand. This mistake had an impact on my opportunities going forward and when Shilton left led to other replacements being recruited. However, I was still relatively young and still thought that I would get other opportunities to prove myself.
When Peter Shilton left in 1974, they had you, Mark Wallington and also John Farmer on loan, you played 5 games against very good teams making your league debut vs. Stoke, with Shilton in the opposite goal. How was the day and the experience, later also keeping a clean sheet at Highbury vs. Arsenal, how was that day?
In 1973, Mark Wallington (I had been with Mark in the England Youth Squad), signed for Leicester from Walsall. Peter Shilton was transferred for a record fee to Stoke City in November 1974. Before then, with Shilton in dispute, Wallington had become first choice. However, in the last week of November that year Wallington sustained a wrist injury that coincided with Shilton’s transfer. So on 1st December 1974 I lined up opposite Shilton at the Victoria Ground, Stoke with Stoke looking to go back to the top of the table. I did well as disappointingly Stoke scored with 4 minutes left to win 1-0. In fact, I got man of the match in one Sunday newspaper! However, with Wallington injured Leicester were already looking for goalkeeper reinforcements and turned to experienced John Farmer who had been ousted at Stoke. A couple of weeks after arriving, Farmer went down with flu, so I got another late call up against Arsenal at Highbury. That was another memorable day playing against the likes of Alan Ball, Peter Storey, Charlie George, Ray Kennedy et al) and securing a 0-0 draw away from home. I remember being overawed by the stadium, the dressing rooms with under floor heating and the noise of the crowd. I then went on to play the following weeks against sides in the top 6 with Leicester bottom but one. QPR 4-LCFC 2; LCFC 0- Leeds Utd 2 (Jonny Giles, Billy Bremner, Peter Lorimer, Allan Clarke et al) Ipswich 1- LCFC 0.
In 1973 you made a loan move to Peterborough, did you play in their first team and how did the move happen, how long time did you spend at London Road?
I did spend a month on loan at Peterborough United. I recall that their first choice goalkeeper was injured and they required cover for their reserve goalkeeper for an important FA cup match and league games. I did not play for their first team in that period and returned after the month loan was completed.
You went on tour to Norway in 1976, what do you remember form the trip?
I can recall more about the country than the football in our tour of Norway in 1976. I remember being impressed by the friendliness of the Norwegian people. The calmness and cleanliness and stunning scenery with private boats moored on beautiful lakes. The air was different. I also recall being unable to master a racing canoe.
You left Leicester after the 1977/78 season, why did you join Northampton, Any other options at the time?
In November 1977 I was placed on the transfer list at my request. Frank Mclintock (ex Arsenal) had become manager at the start of the season and initially refused my request. That day I had asked FM if anyone had shown any interest previously. He told me that Graham Taylor at Watford had contacted him in the first week of the season about signing me but he had refused and couldn’t say whether he would still be interested. That same evening I was at home and got a call from Northampton Town’s assistant manager, Clive Walker (ex LCFC defender) who said that if I was interested he could pick me up the following morning for talks in Northampton. I agreed and the next day I signed for the Cobblers with a fee of £6,500 agreed! I returned to LCFC to pick up my boots etc and FM told me that that afternoon Graham Taylor had been in contact about me again. The rest is history as we know about Watford’s meteoric rise in the late 70’s early 80’s.
I made my Northampton debut the following day at Doncaster. It was the windiest day ever known and I tore my kicking muscle 15 minutes into the game taking goal kicks into this gale force wind. I played on as the muscle bled and never fully recovered. I can feel the scar tissue to this day. The following week NTFC had been drawn against non league Tooting and Mitcham and I had been bought in time for this match. I played with a tight, heavy strapping and we managed a 2-1 win. I could barely get about my area.
Over the next three years I was the regular first team goalkeeper but missed a few games towards the end with a serious reoccurrence of the thigh injury. I had also become a father in 1979 and realised for the first time in my life that there was more to life than football.
You left league football in 1980 joining AP Leamington, was it a plan to return to league football, as you were in your mid 20’s, so as a goalkeeper still very young?
At the beginning of the 1980/81 season I was in dispute over a ‘cost of living’ rise in my pay packet. I recall I was asking for £10 a week in renegotiating a new contract. It was not forthcoming and in November I left and signed for AP Leamington joining ex Cobbler and Leicester player John Farrington. They had promised that they would find me suitable full time employment.
Employment was never discussed again so later that month I applied for the Northamptonshire Police and was accepted. Initially I was told by the Police that I would be allowed to pursue my semi professional football career but in the preceding week to my joining I was told that I could either carry on playing and join the Police in the years to come or join at that time and relinquish my football career. I chose the latter.
I spent the next 30 years fighting crime with 26 years of that time spent as a detective in the C.I.D. I retired in 2010 as a Detective Inspector.
When leaving AP Leamington did you continue to play at lower level and how did you prepare for a life outside the game, have you done coaching or been involved with football in any capacity, and do you still support Leicester City?
Upon joining Northamptonshire Police my footballing ambitions lay with the national Police team. In 1982 I was selected but this selection coincided with important detective training and I was barred from attending the England Police squad at that time. I wasn’t asked again. I did play for Northamptonshire Police for a number of years and coached local youth football teams especially where my two sons were involved. I still say that my teams are LCFC and NTFC, but didn’t get to any of their games last season.
Staying loyal to Leicester over such a long period of time, you must have played a great number of reserve team games?
Between 150 and 200, I guess.
Are you in any way related to another Leicester player named Brian Jayes, also born in Leicester, playing for the club from 1955 to 1956?
Not that I know of.
How would you have coped with the change goalkeepers have seen since your days, doing a lot of work with the feet and beng part of play in a different way, what do you believe was your best skill as a goalkeeper?
I still believe that I had the ability to play at the top level. Playing in teams that are struggling in their respective leagues means life is difficult for goalkeepers who are constantly busier than their counterpart against whom they are playing. I was always very agile so shot stopping was one of my key attributes. With hindsight I was probably too ‘nice’ and wasn’t commanding enough with defenders who were more experienced than myself. I have no regrets. If I hadn’t parted company with football when I did, I doubt I’d have had such a rewarding, fulfilling and meaningful career fighting crime and serving the public of Northamptonshire.
To be able to get this done, we also would like to say thank you to Phil Weller. Always positive and helpful in bringing those connections on board, great stuff.
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