Talking to Jimmy Hill- Flash Memoir

Who Cares? 

Talking to Jimmy Hill in 1981

JH: The result from the St Eugene’s v Ebrington Primary School game today at the Templemore Complex was a nil-all draw fought out by the two title contenders. Young Dalglish is with us now. The latest in an illustrious line of Scotsmen to grace the pitches of Derry.  Injury forced him off halfway through the second half. Kenny, how is the eye?

KD: I won't lie to you Jimmy, it's a sore one. One of those things. A clash of heads with my teammate big Gerry, and I've come off worse. 

JH: It was crucial timing too?

KD: Yes, I thought that we had the upper hand and would score anytime. The scoreline flattered them, to be honest. Then no warning, bang. Like I had been shot. Master McGinley was on hand to tell me to place a cold wet stone on it to stop the swelling.  Miss McDonald, my P7 teacher, has taken me to Altnagelvin Hospital for an X-Ray. Thankfully nothing is broken; to be fair. 

JH: Well you haven’t lost that Glaswegian accent; did the hospital treat it? The eye.

KD: The Doctor’s taken a good look at it. It’s a good setup there in Altnagelvin. We left the hospital in a rush to be honest, Jimmy. There was a bit of a commotion in the ward.

JH: Was there a melee?

KD: To be honest, some wee boy was wheeled in, after he was shot in the street just outside Littlewoods on Waterloo Place. Where they sell the pic and mix sweets and records. I’d only bought Grey Day by Madness there last week with my pocket money. He was leaking blood from his face right down the corridor. Liverpool red. Miss McDonald thought it was best to leave once the family was wailing at his deathbed. The good news is that on the way out she bought me a Shoot! Magazine. She dropped me at the house just in time for dinner, though it took ages to get back across the bridge, with the checkpoints.

JH: And how did that incident affect you, Kenny?

KD: It was a bit of a shock to be fair. Big Gerry seems to have come off better. The lads say that his head is made of granite. My eye has closed as you can see and a green crusty gunk has appeared.  I’m just disappointed that I couldn't carry on. I’d scored in the last couple of games, and was hoping that streak would continue. Hopefully I can make it back for St Anne’s next week. I would hate to miss a derby match. Football is a religion in this town, to be fair. 

JH: No, I meant the incident involving the violent death of the wee boy? How did that affect you?

KD: Oh. In Derry we are not getting carried away. We are just taking it one death at a time; to be honest, Jimmy.