From fishing nets to football nets
Dick left school at 13 and worked first as a servant and then as a salmon fisherman.
At 15, he joined Topsham’s amateur football team as centre-forward for the Reserves, playing on a muddy field on Bowling Green marshes. A year later, he secured a place in the first team. Halfway through a League championship match, he stood in for an injured goalkeeper, saved a vital penalty and his life turned.
He was spotted by a scout from Exeter City Football Club and joined them as a professional player. He quickly became the first team goalkeeper.
