One of Our Own

Ernie Moss: a great example of a bygone era.

photo: Chesterfield FC

My journey as a Ukrainian Spireite started five years ago. In 2016, I was just looking for a new team to play in FIFA… But little did I know that my new virtual team will became my favourite one in the real life! Following CFC in social media, as well as talking to my first Spireite friends and reading about the club’s history, I fell in love with the club. I honestly can say that this experience was an eye-opener for me. This unique community spirit captured my attention, and I became a part of a big Spireites family.

One of the fundamental things in my supporting of Chesterfield was exploring the club’s history: from collecting old programmes to watching old videos; from reading special articles to listening to elder supporters’ stories. Very soon I’ve learned that the club has a lot of prominent players - from Herbert Munday, who played for CFC over 100 years ago, to Jack Lester - the latest big star. Even so, there was one player that overshadowed everyone… That person was Ernie Moss. Known as a humble family man, he was (and still is) the town’s biggest hero. Let me (and the people that knew Ernie closer) tell you his story…

Born locally in 1949, Ernie was a clerk in the Derbyshire County Council education offices at Matlock before joining Chesterfield FC in April 1967. He made his debut the next year, scoring one goal in seventeen appearances. His second professional season brought him first league success as Chesterfield won the Fourth Division title. Ernie netted twenty goals to help his club to promote that season. In the Third Division the striker continued to do his job, scoring 74 goals in 210 appearances before being sold to Peterborough United in 1975. After the brief spell with the Posh, Ernie moved to Mansfield Town to enjoy his fifteen matches in the Second division. In 1978, he returned to Saltergate, helping his original club to avoid relegation by just four points. The next two seasons were quite successful, in both of them Chesterfield were close to promotion and, most notably, the Spireites won Anglo-Scottish Cup in 1981. After this success, Ernie Moss moved to Port Vale, where he won Player of the Year award in 1982. In 1983, Ernie moved to Lincoln City, where he played just eleven games before joining Doncaster Rovers and finishing second in the Fourth Division. In 1984, however, he returned to Chesterfield to help his club in promotion battle of 1984/85 season. The Spireites won promotion, so Ernie had a chance to play some Third Division football for almost next two seasons. That was the last time he played for Chesterfield. From 1986, Ernie played for Stockport County, Scarborough, Rochdale and Kettering Town. Ernie’s seventeen goals helped Kettering to become Football Conference runners-up in 1989. After this success, he played for Matlock Town and Shepshed Charterhouse. Ernie ended his playing career in Kettering Town in 1992.

In 1992, Ernie Moss started his career in football management. He became an assistant manager in Boston United. Three years later, he was appointed as a manager in Gainsborough Trinity. Later, he managed Leek Town, Gainsborough Trinity for the second time, Matlock Town, Hucknall Town and Belper Town.

In 2014, Ernie was diagnosed with Pick’s Disease (a rare form of dementia). Now his family is trying to help him and to raise awareness of the footballer’s professional illnesses.

We took a brief look on Ernie Moss’ career, but the main question remains unanswered: what makes him such a special person for Chesterfield? Phil Tooley - a lifelong Spireite and a volunteer for CFC for over forty years - will help us to find the answer.

“There are too many legends about these days, and rest assured, not many of them are real legends,” says Phil. “They’ll soon be forgotten by those conferring the title when the next temporary star comes along. But Ernie Moss is a real legend, and he’ll be remembered long after the transitory title holders have been and gone.

“Always a Chesterfield resident, Ernie came to Saltergate and then the new stadium whenever he could, always willing to share a story or two, always just quite wondering why supporters loved him so much. It was always the team for him, never just the famous Number 8.

“Stars have become superstars and megastars, many of them are just mercenaries who’ll say and do the right things because that’s the best way to enhance their standing. Ernie doesn’t fall into that category. He’s a regular bloke, working his hardest at a job he’s good at to get better. He got better at it, he helped countless teams to improve and he did it all without any fuss and without wanting anything special, with substantial amounts of his success coming in the town he was born in and has always lived in.

“Super-Legend? Nah. Mega-Legend? Nah. It’s just Ernie, everyone in Chesterfield knows exactly what that means and exactly what status that man holds. In football Top Trumps, Ernie tops them all.”

In fact, it isn’t easy to add something more to these words, especially when one lifelong Spireite describes another. Nevertheless, Ernie had another significant role in his life: he was a great Dad for his daughters.

“When we were small, we didn’t understand Dad’s popularity, he was our dad, and we were a close family unit,” explains Ernie’s daughter Nikki. “We knew Dad was a footballer, but that didn’t register as anything out of the ordinary. Our lives were based around football, so we knew dad had a game on Saturday, that he trained every day, cleaned his boots every Saturday morning, but that was our life, our normal. We never felt pushed out by his job, we went to all the home games and cheered him on. When he scored, he would always look up into the stand at us and wave. That was special.”

“Dad was first and foremost a family man who just happened to be lucky enough to do the only job he ever dreamed of,” adds Ernie’s daughter Sarah. “Obviously he wasn’t always around because of training and matches, but we never missed out. We went to every home game possible from being born, and when Dad was at home with us, we all did things together as a family... walking the dog, gardening, watching footy on TV, playing board games, etc. By the way, we had the free run of Saltergate, which I guess we didn’t appreciate at the time. We played on pitch after every match and went in changing rooms, physio room and even boardroom!”

Now both Ernie’s daughters admit that they only realised their Dad’s significance when he ended his career.

“As a teenager I became more aware of Dad’s fame but he always called himself a 'leg end' (not legend) and was so modest. It was only upon speaking about his illness and arranging charity events for him I have fully understood his fame, and the high esteem and love people have for him,” says Nikki.

“As to Dad being a star... I do feel that now. Chesterfield FC fans literally adore Dad, but as a child I guess I didn’t fully understand how famous he was,” explains Sarah.

Now Sarah and Nikki are fighting with their Dad’s Pick’s disease.

“It takes away everything... apart from my memories,” explains Sarah. “I truly believe football caused this to my Dad’s brain, but even so I also know that Dad wouldn’t change his football career for the world. It’s the only thing (apart from marrying my Mum Jenny, the love of his life and have a family) he ever wanted to do and he would have played for nothing. That said, though the footballing world needs to address it as far too many men are dying for a job they literally gave their lives for. The only thing that gives me any peace is that I know Dad is sort of happy in his own little world. Unfortunately it’s my Mum who is paying the price right now as she grieves her husband, who is still actually alive.”

Nikki agrees with her sister and insists on actions from the football authorities.

“Having to see Dad fade with this disease has destroyed me. Seeing my Mum devastated by the loss of her soulmate is harrowing. The football community has been amazing. The fans, the clubs and ex-teammates have all supported Dad and our family. But the football authorities have been neglectful to their former players... that is putting it politely! If the PFA had acted when Jeff Astle died, then provisions would have been put in place to help these former players, specialist care available, education and information available, preventative measures put in place.... but nothing was done and it has taken many, many more deaths, many more players with dementia or brain illnesses, many more broken families speaking out to get some action finally… A government investigation, concussion subs, information to clubs and players… A small step in a giant problem.”

Now Nikki and Sarah are doing their best to help their Dad and to make sure that the whole England pays attention to the problem of dementia in footballers. Even being unable to speak, Big Ernie still is in the centre of the town’s discussion. His career brought a lot of glorious memories for everyone, so people want to repay him in some way.

“I’m sure we’ll have a statue of him one day, the fact no one would pick anyone else shows how much he’s loved,” says lifelong Spireite Mark Barton. “He felt like our talisman, he was always a player opposing fans could name as being associated with us… One of our own.

“Ernie fitted the club: unglamorous and never perfect, but he was ours and we loved him just for being himself.”

…I may have never seen him playing, but I still know that he is a hero. In fact, a lot of younger Spireites never saw him playing, but Ernie remains Ernie - a role model of a footballer and a gentleman. When the entire town cherish a football player like this, you certainly know he should be a special one.

Ernie Moss epitomises that classic English football. Without glamour, without high salaries… But with passion, with a whole heart, with dedication to the community. As Mark Barton puts it, “Ernie is a great example of a bygone era.”

Sometimes local hero means way more than the most prominent football stars. Stars are just bright stars - they don’t belong to anyone… while people like Ernie Moss are a part of our own world. They give us all they can every Saturday.

Football is about that rare sense of belonging to our community. Maybe, this is why we still care about the game.