THE SADDLERS' Community Manager, Mick Kearns has fond memories of Good Friday football.

Easter 1970 saw him make his League debut for Oxford United as a raw 19 year-old. "It was 15 minutes before kick-off when there was a call over the tannoy at the old Manor Ground for Mick Kearns to report to the dressing room," he recalled. "Immediately I thought that I must be in trouble for something or other so I trudged off. It was when I arrived at the dressing room that I was told by the manager, Gerry Summers - a former Walsall player - that I was playing as Jim Barron's ingrowing toe nail had flared up and he wasn't allowed to play.

"The fact that I was thrown straight in at the deep end helped as I didn't have time to get nervous and dwell on things.

"I don't remember too much about the actual game other than we played Leicester City and lost 1-0, with a certain Peter Shilton playing in goal at the opposite end.

"The next day we were at Cardiff and drew 0-0 and then three days later we took on Aston Villa, who were to be relegated at the end of that season, and got another goalless draw.

"Easter was a busy time in those days with three games in the space of four days or so. No-one ever complained about it, we just got on with it."

For Kearns it was the start of a long 15-year career in the professional game that saw him amass over 350 League appearances, the majority of which came for The Saddlers, as he also earned International recognition for the Republic of Ireland.