Last updated 11:23, Thursday, 20 November 2008

BOB Stokoe will always be remembered as one of Carlisle United’s greatest managers.

Bob Stokoe: ‘We just had to knuckle down and defend with our lives,’ says Peter McConnell

But it wasn’t always a smooth ride with the giant of the north-east – far from it, where some of his tactics were concerned.

One game that was typical of his preferred strategy was our 1-0 win at Sheffield United in November 1968.

Bob was using me as a full back, and my main job was to keep the defence in line, and I have to say that it was probably the easiest job I have ever had in my life.

Wingers weren’t being used much – maybe by the odd team or two – so I never really had anyone to mark.

Our own wingers were playing as deep as they could, so it was very rare that anyone actually got through to take me on. I was almost playing a sweeper role, when I come to think about it.

Blain and Simpson must have been shattered by the end of the game, because Stokoe wanted them to do all of the hard work on the flanks, both defensively and going forward.

Sheffield absolutely battered us throughout the match, but we camped in our own half and I think I cleared the ball off the line twice, with Blain doing the same in the second half.

That was the way Stokoe wanted to do things, though, so we just had to knuckle down and defend with our lives in almost every fixture that we played.

By the way, Hughie McIlmoyle got the winner for us that day – not for the first time!