![]() ![]() “When Roy Coyle took over in 1975, things began to change. It was a rough week and the least said about that the better! We used to pool our bonus money for winning trophies. He was the one that started to organise the end of season trips to Spain. Sinky was then replaced by Billy Campbell. “I started out at left back because Ivan McAllister was the recognised centre half,” he explains. We handled it pretty well considering the gulf in class between the teams.”īut Peter’s odyssey took a dramatic twist when he was persuaded by Billy Sinclair to put pen to paper at Linfield. We had Geordie Lennox, Jim Savage, big Roy McDonald in goals and Peter Watson. “I had moved back into the centre of defence along side Martin Donnelly at that stage. We then drew Barcelona in the European Cup Winners’ Cup - what an experience that was. “The next one was against Derry City at Windsor Park. They beat us 4-2 in a replay - Billy McAvoy got all the goals for them, but I was playing outside right. The first one was against Ards, I had just turned 20. We had a good side with Gerry McCaffrey, big Alan McCarroll, Joe Conlon, Derek Meldrum and Roy Walsh all on board. “I think I played in every position except the left wing. Eddie McAfee was our goalkeeper but, because of the civil unrest, he sometimes couldn’t get out of Londonderry. “I actually turned out in goals for seven or eight games. Tommy Casey was the manager and he played me in every position. Wee Norman Brady then took me to Distillery. “I scored over 50 goals playing centre forward. “I actually started with the 8th Old Boys on the Ormeau Road,” he adds. Peter, from the Donegall Road area of Belfast, began his playing days at Distillery at the old Grosvenor Park. I took some banter after that, I can tell you.” In those days, that was a much-viewed soap opera on television. He said ‘Peter Rafferty’s departure from Windsor Park is almost as dramatic and equivalent to Meg Richardson leaving the Crossroads Motel’. Peter amusingly remembers: “Big Ivan wrote a great piece which I still laugh about. It was well known local journalist Ivan Little, of this Sunday Life parish, that eloquently captured Peter’s farewell in a double page spread in the club’s match programme. I played in a friendly against Southampton, that was my last game.” I shook his hand and wished him all the best. “Then this big lad with blond curly hair turned up at pre-season training at Newforge. ![]() “We had won the double the previous year,” recalls Peter. When Roy Coyle brought a certain David Jeffrey back from Manchester United, ‘Bald Eagle’, as he was affectionately known, decided to fly the nest. Peter, a lifelong Blueman, knew his time was up. His trademark handlebar moustache and flowing locks (even though he had little on top) made him one of the Irish League’s most distinguishable and controversial characters. The colourful, charismatic, defender, who enjoyed nine golden years at Windsor Park, winning a total of 21 trophies, walked away on his own terms. His departure from Linfield was described as pure soap opera! But that was hardly surprisingly due to the fact it was Peter Rafferty. ![]()
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