It was with great sadness to learn of the sudden passing of Trevor Goodall, at home on 6th May. His passing was marked with a minute’s silence, impeccably observed, at a packed club Annual General Meeting on the evening of 7th May.
Trevor’s family hailed originally from Yorkshire, arriving in Belfast for work. It was not long before Trevor found his way to Seaview and never left. As a young man he was interested in many sports, football and cricket especially. He was good enough to play in the underage teams of Larne, Linfield and Portadown. I recall him telling me how well the great Wilbur Cush protected younger players at Shamrock Park in training and in matches. He also played competitive tennis at the Belfast Boat club and table-tennis in the Churches League.
The main part of Trevor’s working career was in the police service, where he served honourably and fairly.
At Seaview, Trevor was our “Mr Crusaders” – the “go to” man on the long and storied history of the club. I personally had to consult Trevor on dozens of occasions when information, programmes or traces of former players was sought by family members – often in connection with bereavements or care-home visitations. Trevor was our “memory bank”, keeping old stories and tales alive for the next generation. An avid collector of match-programmers, newspaper-clippings, photos, ticket stubs, posters and memorabilia of all sorts pertaining to the club. He was a regular player and ball sponsor and was one of the famed ‘Bond Holders’ who contributed to rescuing the club at a time of financial distress. He had many friends across the football family, not least at Distillery FC where he also sponsored matches and match-balls on a regular basis.
Along with Colin McAlpin, Trevor spearheaded the quest for a Club Museum and that project is well advanced in terms of memorabilia collected, narrative and structure. Trevor’s vast newspaper-clippings were organised into an invaluable archive put together by Harry Clarke covering the period 1898-1970. The aim is to ‘house’ the club museum in the planned South Stand which will start construction in the Autumn. It is a great regret that Trevor didn’t live long enough to see that come to fruition, but his contribution will surely be recognized come that time.
Trevor was a long-time member and supporter of the Northern Ireland Football Programme collectors club. As an occasional visitor to Trevor’s home, I can testify to the sheer volume of valuable collectors items he held.
The whole Crusaders club extend our sympathies to Anne, daughters Claire and Joy and grandchildren grandfather of Jonathon, Lewis, Emma, Katherine, Max and Dashiell., the wider family circle at this sad and testing time. Trevor’s many friends at Crusaders wish you all strength in the difficult weeks and months ahead. We will miss him greatly.