Just think about it for yourself. The railway atmosphere at Crewe, the harsh and often cruel realities of soccer Hartlepool and Barrow style, the long, long trek through the depths of the West Country to Exeter, often for no reward. It is hardly football's road to Samarkand . . . but it is one road John Connelly, 21 times capped by England and perhaps the last of the great orthodox wingers, is very happy to tread. Times have changed drastically for John Connelly in the last six years. His career wavered before eventually taking him down through the Divisions to near the foot of the Fourth with Bury as it did soon after this season kicked off. It was a long way removed from the days he pulled on the white shirt of England and proudly paraded his skills for all to see in some of the showstadia of the world.

John is only 33, but he and Bobby Charlton are the last remaining playing members of the first England side he appeared in more than 12 years ago. Yet the names of the players in that side on October 17, 1959, at Cardiff when England drew with Wales, do not really strike one as being in the veteran class.

John wore the number seven shirt in an England forward line which, on paper, bristled with talent - Jimmy Greaves, Brian Clough, Bobby Charlton and Eddie Holliday. Birmingham City's Trevor Smith had the unenviable task of taking over Billy Wright's centre half shirt for the first time, Don Howe and Tony Allen were the full backs, Eddie Hopkinson the goalkeeper and Ron Flowers an ever reliable member of the side. Clayton, the Blackburn Rovers giant who took over his country's captaincy from Wright and was to link up with Connelly at Blackburn nearly eight years later.

A date indeed to remember, as were games in Belgrade, Gothenburg, Oslo, Copenhagen and all the other legendary places he visited with England. A change indeed from some of the spots on the Fourth Division map. "You can't help thinking of those days," recalls Connelly, "when you get to a ground with practically no atmosphere. I always said I would finish where I started, in the First Division. It has not worked out that way but I'm only too pleased to be still playing."

At an age when a man in any other walk of life could be reasonably expected to be in his prime, footballers suddenly pick up a veteran tag when they pass 30 or 31. John Connelly's prime and days of glory are behind him, but his skill and experience are proving valuable assets in a young Bury side.

Connelly reflects: "I could have gone back to Burnley when Manchester United said they would let me go. But it would not have been the same. You remember a lot of things that happen to you when you are younger. Those days when we won the League Championship and got to the F.A. Cup Final at Burnley were tremendous. "It would have been no use going back over old ground. I chose Blackburn and unfortunately in four years there things didn't work out as I would have hoped. But that's football."

A refreshing view, but surely it must be harder now for him to accept his lot? "It has not been all that difficult adapting to the Fourth Division. I play deeper now than I used to and there have been times when I've been a marked man. presumably because of my past. But I've enjoyed the game no matter where I've played." He adds, "You've got to have a bit of pride in your job no matter what level you are at. Training has always been hard for me but the only real sign I have of 'getting old' is that it takes just that bit longer to shake off injuries. Fortunately I don't get injured very often."

John Connelly last wore his country's shirt in the drab goalless draw with Uruguay in the 1966 World Cup. He looked on as Sir Alf's 'wingless wonders' went on to take the Jules Rimet trophy, a helpless spectator on the reserves bench. "To be honest," he says, "I don't think my style suited Alf's way of thinking. He's a terrific reader of the game and in the role he gave me I used to have a whale of a time. I always had instructions to operate on either wing and go at the worst full back but those days ended."

The day of the winger will return though. Look at some of the big men in the First Division like John Toshack, Ron and Wyn Davies. They live on wingers' crosses. The more big men there are, the more wingers will be needed. / suppose I was England's last orthodox winger before the radical change in styles."

HE IS philosophical about the way his career went after the World Cup- "I could have held on at Manchester United but even there, there didn't seem any place for a true winger. I enjoyed my time with Blackburn and I'm still enjoying the game at Bury. I could have stayed with Rovers in the Second Division, but I decided to move on again.

"Standards are higher in every division now," he confesses. "We were in a ridiculously false position at the start of the season when we were playing well but getting nothing for it. I suppose it is a question of adapting. Now we're having a great run so don't rule us out of the promotion race. Believe me, we've got some good players here. Jimmy Robson and I try to help them and they in turn help us. Bury has always been a breeding ground for talent and there are some lads here now and in the youth team who will go to the top. I give them every encouragement."

Manager Tom McAnearney must be thankful he has years of top class experience to call on with players like Connelly and Robson on his staff plus the added backroom guile of another former England player, Ray parry, who has served the Lancashire club for many seasons.

But now the inevitable question: what about management? "I've talked about this with my wife and we've decided to wait and see what happens," says John. "I've set no limit on my playing career and my wife says I'll never stop. There was a time a few seasons ago when I was all ready to pack up, but here I am still."

John Connelly has a different role these days from the time he was one of the glamour boys at Burnley and Old Trafford. He drives 20-odd miles from his Burnley home, sometimes with thoughts of the past, sometimes harbouring secret dreams for the future.

He has never played for a club out of Lancashire, his home county. Perhaps when the time comes, John Connelly's experience will lead him into management . . .AND IN LANCASHIRE OF COURSE.

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