A Tribute to John Loxley
CSSC founder, wing wizard and all round guiding light, John Loxley passed away in 2020. John gave much to the game of soccer, and will be the first to acknowledge that the love affair was mutual, in that the game, and CSSC in particular, formed an important part of his life. John was a leading figure in the founding of CSSC and, along with Pete Ferris, Pete Hudson and Sal Hidara, oversaw its tricky transformation, from a skins versus shirts kick around on Saturday afternoons, where most of the players opted for bell bottom jeans over the more active shorts option, to its entry into league play, and more short based bottoms, in 1975.
He was a classy, “fox in the box” striker in the Gary Linaker mold. He would have a go from anywhere, but he was best known as a poacher. He had that rare ability to drift away from his markers and find space in the crowded 18-yard area to slot home from close range. Perhaps his most memorable goal came towards the end of his storied career in a particularly tense semi final against arch rivals Southend. With the game locked in a scoreless draw and overtime looming, a hopeful cross was swung over from the left that Loxley met after a lung busting sprint from the half way line to hammer home an unstoppable one timer into the roof of the net, sealing a victory that is still brings a vindictive glint of glee to the eyes of long time CSSC followers.
Like so many of the things that John got involved with, CSSC was a story of the underdog. In the early days, the cobbled together crew of the competent and barely athletic produced a few results that lesser men would have interpreted as disappointing, but John’s commitment to building the team, and each individual on it, meant that even when down 6-1, he would be shouting encouragement and urging everyone onto greater efforts; always positive and uncritical. Also like so many of John’s underdog causes, it actually succeeded against, what in the early days, looked like impossible odds. CSSC not only survived but even thrived, picking up an odd trophy or two over the years, and much of the continued longevity of the team was due to John’s personal leadership and guidance.
John was one of 12 children whose father toiled in the Sheffield steel mill and died relatively young of work related lung disease. He never forgot his working class roots and he led the team in understanding that everything is political, including soccer. Not long after the team joined the league there was a protracted strike at a local factory by the newly formed union of steelworkers. John was on the picket line in support at 6 am most days before going to work. When he discovered that a good number of players from an opposing team were being used as scab labour for the mill, John convinced a receptive CSSC to refuse to play against them, making clear to the team and league why scabs should be ostracized. This is just one of many examples of John fostering a feeling of solidarity in the team which went beyond just the game.
John not only played with a younger generation, he actively cared about their lives, often going well out of his way to help. Many a CSSC youngster found employment with some Loxley research project or another. He served as mentor for several others and even acted as romantic matchmaker a couple of times, most successfully for CSSC legend Colin Kinsella, whose current wife managed to pass the imposing “will you see me again after I wear a sheep skin vest on our first date?” test favoured by Kinsella back in the day.
John never missed a post match pint at the pub, which typically involves a debrief of the unfortunate circumstances beyond our control in the case of a loss, or silky smooth play in the event of a win, along with the crucial decision on who would receive the much coveted man of the match award. In keeping with CSSC’s generally political nature, the discussion nearly always moved to the tragically sorry state of the world and the classic, “what is to be done” question. Also true to type, John always had much better answers than anyone else, which he imparted with both humour and characteristic modesty.
Finally, John directly contributed to CSSC’s longevity by producing three quality players to carry the Loxley name into the next generation. His eldest son, Salim, played for many years as a pesky and speedy right winger. Youngest daughter, Raina, played a few games as a stand-out full back, and his youngest, Matthew has matured into a dynamic, combative midfielder who walks away with CSSC’s player of the year silverware pretty much every season.
Despite the heavy demands made on John as a much sought after economist on the national and international scene, he rarely missed a game, either during his rampaging salad days on the field or as a calm, guiding presence from the sidelines, right up until the day he died. The CSSC bench is going to have a large, sad, empty John Loxley shaped hole that will be impossible to fill, but as long as there’s a CSSC jersey with number 1 on the back and JL below the crest, his legacy will live on.
CSSC founder, wing wizard and all round guiding light, John Loxley passed away in 2020. John gave much to the game of soccer, and will be the first to acknowledge that the love affair was mutual, in that the game, and CSSC in particular, formed an important part of his life. John was a leading figure in the founding of CSSC and, along with Pete Ferris, Pete Hudson and Sal Hidara, oversaw its tricky transformation, from a skins versus shirts kick around on Saturday afternoons, where most of the players opted for bell bottom jeans over the more active shorts option, to its entry into league play, and more short based bottoms, in 1975.
He was a classy, “fox in the box” striker in the Gary Linaker mold. He would have a go from anywhere, but he was best known as a poacher. He had that rare ability to drift away from his markers and find space in the crowded 18-yard area to slot home from close range. Perhaps his most memorable goal came towards the end of his storied career in a particularly tense semi final against arch rivals Southend. With the game locked in a scoreless draw and overtime looming, a hopeful cross was swung over from the left that Loxley met after a lung busting sprint from the half way line to hammer home an unstoppable one timer into the roof of the net, sealing a victory that is still brings a vindictive glint of glee to the eyes of long time CSSC followers.
Like so many of the things that John got involved with, CSSC was a story of the underdog. In the early days, the cobbled together crew of the competent and barely athletic produced a few results that lesser men would have interpreted as disappointing, but John’s commitment to building the team, and each individual on it, meant that even when down 6-1, he would be shouting encouragement and urging everyone onto greater efforts; always positive and uncritical. Also like so many of John’s underdog causes, it actually succeeded against, what in the early days, looked like impossible odds. CSSC not only survived but even thrived, picking up an odd trophy or two over the years, and much of the continued longevity of the team was due to John’s personal leadership and guidance.
John was one of 12 children whose father toiled in the Sheffield steel mill and died relatively young of work related lung disease. He never forgot his working class roots and he led the team in understanding that everything is political, including soccer. Not long after the team joined the league there was a protracted strike at a local factory by the newly formed union of steelworkers. John was on the picket line in support at 6 am most days before going to work. When he discovered that a good number of players from an opposing team were being used as scab labour for the mill, John convinced a receptive CSSC to refuse to play against them, making clear to the team and league why scabs should be ostracized. This is just one of many examples of John fostering a feeling of solidarity in the team which went beyond just the game.
John not only played with a younger generation, he actively cared about their lives, often going well out of his way to help. Many a CSSC youngster found employment with some Loxley research project or another. He served as mentor for several others and even acted as romantic matchmaker a couple of times, most successfully for CSSC legend Colin Kinsella, whose current wife managed to pass the imposing “will you see me again after I wear a sheep skin vest on our first date?” test favoured by Kinsella back in the day.
John never missed a post match pint at the pub, which typically involves a debrief of the unfortunate circumstances beyond our control in the case of a loss, or silky smooth play in the event of a win, along with the crucial decision on who would receive the much coveted man of the match award. In keeping with CSSC’s generally political nature, the discussion nearly always moved to the tragically sorry state of the world and the classic, “what is to be done” question. Also true to type, John always had much better answers than anyone else, which he imparted with both humour and characteristic modesty.
Finally, John directly contributed to CSSC’s longevity by producing three quality players to carry the Loxley name into the next generation. His eldest son, Salim, played for many years as a pesky and speedy right winger. Youngest daughter, Raina, played a few games as a stand-out full back, and his youngest, Matthew has matured into a dynamic, combative midfielder who walks away with CSSC’s player of the year silverware pretty much every season.
Despite the heavy demands made on John as a much sought after economist on the national and international scene, he rarely missed a game, either during his rampaging salad days on the field or as a calm, guiding presence from the sidelines, right up until the day he died. The CSSC bench is going to have a large, sad, empty John Loxley shaped hole that will be impossible to fill, but as long as there’s a CSSC jersey with number 1 on the back and JL below the crest, his legacy will live on.