MICHAEL JOHN SLOCOMBE 1941-2022
Born: 3.5.1941 St Phillips Marsh, Bristol
Height & Weight: 5’ 10”; 11 st 10 lbs
Position: Wing / Half-back
Bristol Rovers League Debut: 28.8.61 v Bury
Career: Hannah More School; Bristol Boys; Dings United; 1956 Bristol Rovers (professional, June 1961) [32,0]; 20.6.63 Welton Rovers; 7.6.67 Bath City; 28.2.69 Welton Rovers (player-coach); 1971 St Phillips Marsh Adult School; Doug Hillard Sport; 1979 Venture United; 1984 Hungerford Ferrets (retired, 1990); 1990 St Phillips Marsh Adult School (manager; chairman, 1992).
A boyhood Rovers fan, and the elder of two sons to John Slocombe and Phyllis Crook, who married in Weston-super-Mare in 1939, Micky played for Bristol Boys on eight occasions and scored in the FA Youth Cup in November 1958, when Rovers defeated Bournemouth 5-0.
He made good progress in Rovers' ranks and captained the Rovers “A” side against Hanham Athletic in the Gloucestershire Senior Amateur Cup Final at Eastville in 1960. At 19 years old he replaced Brian Carter at left-half for his league debut against Bury at Eastville in front of 13, 943 fans, becoming the 358thplayer to make his league debut for the club since 1920.
He retained his place for 18 consecutive matches. Micky was paid £16 a week during his time with Rovers, and completed 32 football league appearances during his two years in his professional career.
He stated that the highlight of his spell with Rovers was a game at Newcastle United, which ended in defeat, when he tried his best to mark the legendary Welsh striker Ivor Allchurch.
Micky enjoyed many years in local non-league football, combining work as a cutter in a shoe factory. At Welton Rovers with former Rovers teammates David Stone, John Watkins, Malcolm Norman and Trevor Rhodes, Slocombe was part of the side which became Western League champions in three successive years between 1964-65 and 1966-67, captaining the side for two of those campaigns, and returned to the club after helping Bath City to promotion to the Southern League in the 1968-69 campaign.
He retired from playing in 1990 after breaking a leg. Later a window cleaner by profession, he spent 25 years as a relief school caretaker for Bristol City Council before undergoing a quadruple heart bypass when in his sixties.
Micky and Mary Slocombe had three sons, one of whom, Steve a talented footballer himself, played for Keynsham Town, and four grandchildren and lived in Knowle and later the Somerset village of Berrow.
Sadly, Micky passed away on 30 August 2022 and the club offers sincere condolences to his family and friends.
Words: Mike Jay