This Saturday I will be part of a group of 12 good men and true who will try to recreate a photograph that we posed for 50 years ago.

A half century of ageing means a few hairlines have receded back, very far back in some cases, and a few waistlines will have gone a fair bit forward. And it’ll take more than a few cans of WD40 to ease the creaking joints.

In the 1972-73 football season, everything clicked on the pitch for the youthful Enniskillen Rangers team that I played for as we went through the Fermanagh and Western league unbeaten. Today, the only things clicking are knees and hips!

A little blurred

Even some of the memories will be a little blurred; not many however, just a few details. Because it’s remarkable that so many years later I still have a crystal clear recollection of the things that really mattered such as the unbelievable team spirit and the real friendships.

It’s always an interesting exercise to compare different eras, and probably facile to try to decide which was better. But has a greedy and selfish society lost some humanity along the way?

Certainly material things were very different in 1972, and football facilities were a case in point. Back in the day, we relied on the Council for a pitch at the Broadmeadow. Admittedly a good grass surface but with no Lakeland Forum and definitely no changing facilities, we managed to get a derelict aluminium prefab beside the pitch to tog out in.

The only shower on offer was rain, and you had to go home after the match for a bath.

And by the state of some in the pub on a Saturday night, a few might’ve foregone that particular luxury!

Today, the Rangers ground at the Ball Range looks fantastic and a credit to the club. It’s not just sport, is it?

Generally, in homes and work, travel and nights out, people expect a lot more comfort and facilities nowadays.

Progress. And yet when we look around I can’t help but think of the quote from Carl Jung about ‘Synchronicity’ when he wrote: “But deep down below the surface of the average conscience a still, small voice says to us, something is out of tune.”

That still small voice is getting louder when we look at the cost-of-living crisis that more and more families are facing nowadays. Statistics can tell us a lot; the billions of pounds of profits being made by the energy companies, one of whose bosses didn’t flinch this week when challenged on a 47 per cent pay rise bringing his yearly package up to £4.5 million.

Meanwhile, workers get two or three per cent of an already low income, and one report suggests that gas prices this autumn will be triple last year’s with estimates of some families paying thousands per year for gas or electricity.

More billionaires

It’s a fact that in 2022, the UK has more billionaires and millionaires than ever before.

It’s also a fact that there are more food banks than ever, with even people in jobs having to rely on them to feed their families.

In the south of Ireland, some of the figures being quoted to rent basic accommodation in Dublin are eye-watering.

I wouldn’t for a moment suggest that back in 1972 things were all rosy in the garden, or that housing was luxurious; but I certainly don’t remember people struggling to get a roof over their head and having to rely on the generosity of their neighbours to feed their family.

Relying on government

If the British people are relying on Government to do something, watching the private Conservative contest to elect the next Prime Minister won’t be encouraging.

It seems Liz Truss is favourite, and those families hoping for some help will look at that prospect with dread…..how did Britain reach a point in which someone like that will lead their country?

Mind you, back in 1972 the Prime Minister was Edward Heath whose answer to raging inflation caused by rising oil prices was to hammer the trade unions; and he also abolished the Northern Ireland parliament at Stormont.

Some things never change!

My late father used to tell me about being brought up on a small farm in Tyrone in the 1930s, when “heat and eat” meant gathering in a small room beside a turf fire, with his mother boiling the spuds over it and pulling a griddle on to the flames to fry bacon and cabbage. They were harsh and tough times and very different times, but at least people pulled together and helped each other.

The value of community remains high and should never be underestimated. My advice is to get your kids involved in sport or some other healthy activity where they will learn the value of human connections.

Last Saturday week ago, I had the privilege of speaking at the Mickey McPhillips Memorial weekend, and recalled some of the lessons we learn in facing adversity. The journey of life can be difficult at times, and as well as the smooth paths, we face a fair few bumps along the road. Some have rougher journeys than others.

A purpose in life

I spoke about lessons I’d learned along the way; the need for a purpose in life to make things better.

The need to face challenges, to have a bit of resilience, to have friends, to be a listener and support each other, to have empathy.

I said people of all faiths and none know instinctively that the spirituality of a kinder society in which we care for each other will make for a better place with better mental health outcomes.

I said that we’ll still have problems and people who will create them, but remember there are far more good people out there.

I’m looking forward to Saturday when I’ll be meeting up again with those good people in the Enniskillen Rangers team of 1972.

Uplifting

Plenty has changed, but the feelgood factor is still there. I can’t thank those boys enough for the uplifting experience I had, especially at a difficult time in my life.

It’s an experience that stayed with me throughout the years since.

It’s been interesting to hear some of the boys recall their memories this week on Facebook, and certain themes keep coming through, such as the quality of our play, the team spirit and the support for each other.

Anyone involved in a successful team, whether in sport or the community at large will know how vital those things are.

It’s interesting to hear Jimmy Cleary and Toots Lunny talk about the camaraderie, because that’s what I remember most along with the friendships created which still exist all these years later.

I haven’t a clue where the medal is that I won that year, but I know that the invisible threads of friendship haven’t been broken and that’s far more important.

It’s a lesson that sport can teach life.