Southampton-born Wes Maughan grew up on the Isle of Wight. He was a trainee accountant when he broke into Cowes’s Hampshire League side at the age of 16.

When the Isle of Wight Youth team beat Southampton Youths 6-1, Wes scored four and Ted Bates quickly signed him – in time for him to lead the attack in the young Saints’ first foray in the FA Youth Cup in 1957.

The “only foreigner” in the side – as its manager, Ernie Jones, liked to describe his off-shore centre-forward – Maughan top-scored with 11 goals in the nine games that the Youth team played in that season’s competition, climaxing in a win (but aggregate defeat) in the second leg of the semi-final at Old Trafford, when he scored twice.

That was about as good as it got for Wes at Southampton. Despite his 47 goals in 101 appearances for the Reserves, Bates gave him few first-team chances. His longest run – of three whole games – came when George O’Brien was suspended in February 1960. When he eventually moved to Elm Park for £4,000 (after turning down Shrewsbury and Peterborough), Reading were soon asking – unsuccessfully – for some of their money back (see scrapbook section): Wes had been found to have a problem with his eyesight and would manage only 16 League games for the Royals.

He was good, though, for another 12 seasons of non-league football. A Salvationist from childhood, Wes, who lives near Heathrow, has continued to play trombone for the Salvation Army’s Staines band and coached their football team, SA Stainash FC, of the East Berkshire League, from 2008 to 2012. A longstanding season ticket-holder, he takes up his seat at St Mary’s when his Salvation Army  commitments allow and when he is not in Kenya, as secretary of a charity helping disabled and deprived children in that country.