FEATURE BY SAMUEL McKEOWN
SUPER SUB: Vernon (Back row, second from far left) stands proud with his fellow teammates, pre-match
he couldn’t get a working visa: shame, what a coup that would have been!”
Unfortunately, Vernon’s career was pretty much over before he even arrived at West Brom, after tearing his cruciate ligament playing for Birmingham reserves at Portman Road, Ipswich.
He said: “I remember the guy that fouled me only got a yellow, while I was stretchered off – I suppose it was wrong place, wrong time.
There were bleak times for the one-time starlet when he had to pack in the game he loved.
He recalled: “When I came out of football, I didn’t have a job for six years. By then I turned to the drink. Some of my friends thought I’d be dead by 1987, but I started working full-time on the bins in ‘86.
“I had two kids at that point and always felt I’d let them down at Christmas. Getting that job was just as important to me as signing a pro footballer contract.
Loving life as a waste collection operative
“There’s been hundreds of footballers who have had career- ending injuries and they’ve never been mentioned, but I happened to play in a testimonial that was historical.”
Vernon is enjoying life with his employers, Serco, who partnered with Sandwell Council in November 2010, as part of a Waste Improvement Plan. Serco is a provider of waste collection services for local councils across the UK, and off ers public provisions including defence and justice.
He added: “I’ve been on the bins for many years now. Since the Serco partnership, there’s been an increase of wagons from about 23 to over 50, which means a lot more jobs have been created.
“There’s a lot of routine work, but that’s outweighed by the freedom us lads get on the rounds. It’s been a good laugh with all the diff erent characters over the years; I’d come in if my leg was hanging off !”
Since his appearance on the BBC Two documentary, Vernon is now recognised as a former West Bromwich Albion footballer, and attends free league games for life.
He has become a regular guest speaker at Kick It Out campaigns and Referee’s Association meetings with Brendon Batson.
@SkipHireMag VERNON SITS
WITH FOOTBALLING ROYALTY - Britain’s fi rst million pound player Trevor Francis (above).
BBC sports present Adrian Chiles poses for a picture alongside Vernon (left) for the ‘Whites vs Blacks how football changed a nation’ documentary
SHM February, 2018 45
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