“As a boy I grew up with Harry Gregg being my first hero. Living in Sale Moor, everyone seemed to be a United fan so when my dad said, “There are two teams in Manchester you know,” I started to lean towards City.
“Dad told me about this magnificent goalkeeper City had called Bert Trautmann and thereafter I started to collect clippings about him and wanted to find out everything I could about this German.
“Bert became my hero and though I didn’t get to see him play that often and only saw grainy clips of him on Pathe News bulletins at the cinema, even as a kid I knew he was special.
In later years I would meet Bert and discover for myself what a terrific guy he was and when I was having a difficult time in City’s first team and conceded a goal from the halfway line, he made a point of finding me after the game to offer some words of comfort.
...Joe Corrigan on Bert Trautmann...
“It was perhaps my lowest ebb as a City player and I remember kicking the ball out and then walking back towards my goal. As I did, the ball flew past me and into the net – West Ham’s Ronnie Boyce had volleyed the ball back from the halfway line and I hadn’t a clue because my back was turned.
“We were soundly thrashed that day and some of the Maine Road crowd let me know what they were thinking. Then I discovered Bert was at the ground that day and I thought of all the days for him to come and watch, it had to be today!
“After I’d showered and got changed, I saw Bert in the player’s lounge and he told me not to worry about things. He said, “Listen son, I’ll tell you something. People forget that about 30 seconds into one of my first games for City the ball flew in the net off my shoulder so I’m telling you now to forget about it.”
“It made me think that if someone like Bert Trautmann could overcome hard times to become one of the club’s greats, so could I and in many ways, it changed my way of thinking and today, I’m still honoured when people mention my name alongside Bert and Frank Swift.
As a keeper, Bert had everything. He was agile, intelligent, commanding and brave and is a true legend in every sense of the word. A couple of years ago he wrote the foreword for my autobiography – the words he wrote still send a shiver down my spine.
...Corrigan on Trautmann...
“Bert was a fantastic man and was one of the greatest goalkeepers of all-time and I’m proud to have called him both a friend and a mentor.”
