| Jabba's Comments |
Workmanlike full-back who captained the reserves and got the odd
run-out for the first team, but whose chances at full-back were
limited by the more senior players ahead of him. He dropped down to
play non-league football, where he linked up with Gerry Francis at
Tonbridge before going to work for the man upstairs, studying just
round the corner from where I used to live at Oak Hill Theology
College before being ordained into the ministry in 1973.
Brian McGrath says: Hi I am Dennis Kirby,s nephew. I am pleased
to say he stil lives in Shadwell Leeds. I shall ask my father about
his playing days etc and get back to you. He lived many years after
playing on Elland Road right opposite the ground. In those days
players did not have cars and lived as near as possible to the
ground. So the estate opposite the ground , The Heath estate was
full of players houses supplied by the club. I lived on that same
estate from 1966 and live four doors away from Jackie Charlton,
John Charles, Jimmy Dunn etc. Then later on I would see the new
youngsters such as Billy Bremner, Norman Hunter etc each morning at
the paper shop before training. I hope to get back to you later
with an update on these issues. How things change . I do know that
Dennis went to Shrewsbury for a fee of 2000 , a lot in those days
and played for Scarborough, Stalybridge Celtic etc. But playing in
the war years meant that he missed the best parts of career in the
services. He did get a Schoolboy international cap. His sister
married Dave Cochrane the Irish international who also played for
Leeds. Dave died a couple of years ago a recluse after years of
running a paper shop in Beeston. When Dennis stopped playing he
bacame a milk man and ran his own business. In fact most of his
susiquent working life was spent as a dairyman with the odd venture
into a fish and chip shop and a fruit shop in North Leeds. He
compains bitterly about todays players and the wages they earn.
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