Gordon Sharrock joined the (then) Evening News in 1978 in the football writer role and has spent every working day since writing “almost exclusively” about the fluctuating fortunes of the town’s team.

“With that in mind I think I’ve down my whack,” he told How-Do. “It’s time for me to come indoors.”

Sharrock

“I’ll still be writing,” he stressed, when explaining his fresh duties, “but there’ll be more production involved, less time on the road and a bit more on the management side, which, to be honest, I haven’t really done before.”

He continued: “But I won’t be severing connections with the club; I’m still here to help out, to use my contacts and to act almost like a conduit between club and paper – to help smooth things along. I’m also be writing a weekly football diary piece.”

Sharrock’s position will be filled by “young lad” Marc Iles, who has been promoted to the chief writing role after covering Bury FC for the paper.

“He’s just like I was when I started,” Sharrock commented: “Mid to late twenties and with a lot of energy. I think it’s time that there was some young blood in there.”

The new assistant sports editor admitted that it may take him some time to get to grips with the technology side of production – “it’s not cutting and pasting words with real glue anymore, is it” – but that he was looking forward to the challenge.

“It was time for a change,” he concluded. “It’s exciting, and it’ll be good fun too.”

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