Keeley pays tribute to 'inspirational' Bonetti

Former Albion keeper John Keeley has paid tribute to Peter Bonetti, whose illustrious career included a spell as Albion’s goalkeeping coach in the 1980s.

Bruce Talbot

2020-04-13T10:40:00Z

Peter Bonetti in action for Chelsea in 1973

Bonetti, who grew up in Worthing and played locally before joining Chelsea as a teenager, died on Sunday aged 78 after a long illness.

Keeley, who is goalkeeping coach at Portsmouth, said weekly sessions with Bonetti at the Hove Greyhound Stadium ‘changed my career.’

He said: “I arrived just after the 1986/87 pre-season, and my first reaction was how strong the squad looked.

“We had internationals including two [Steve Penney and Gerry Armstrong] who'd been to the World Cup in Mexico with Northern Ireland. It was completely different to what I was used to, but a thrill all the same.

“Then, on my first Wednesday after I joined, I met Peter (Bonetti) who was coaching the keepers at that time.

“I will never, ever, forget my first session with 'The Cat', Perry Digweed, Trevor Wood, who were the keepers at the time, and myself. We used to go down to Hove Dog Stadium once a week to work with him. He was inspirational.”

Bonetti made 729 appearances for Chelsea in a career which stretched over 19 seasons in two spells, interrupted by a period in America with St Louis Stars in 1975. He also played for Dundee United and Woking.

A brilliant and brave goalkeeper, it was Bonetti’s misfortune that his career coincided with that of the legendary Gordon Banks. Bonetti was his understudy when England won the World Cup in 1966, although it wasn’t until 2009 that he and the rest of the squad who weren’t in the starting 11 finally received medals.

John Keeley in his role as goalkeeping coach for Blackburn Rovers.

He won seven England caps, the last during the infamous 1970 World Cup quarter-final against West Germany in Leon. Banks pulled out on the morning of the game with food poisoning and team-mate Alan Mullery, who went on to manage Albion in two spells, admitted that his sudden call-up was a surprise to Bonetti.

“When Peter was told by Alf Ramsey he looked shocked, he was expecting to sit on the bench. Now, suddenly, he had to deputise for the best goalkeeper in the world,” wrote Mullery in his autobiography.

“Don’t get me wrong, Peter Bonetti was a first-class goalkeeper but I would have picked Alex Stepney, who had won the European Cup with Manchester United two years before and whose big-match temperament was excellent.”

Mullery scored one of the goals to help England to a 2-0 lead early in the second half but the Germans hit back to win 3-2 after extra time. Bonetti’s performance was regarded as a big factor in the first two German goals although one game could not change the fact that he was a goalkeeper of the highest calibre. Pele regarded Banks, Lev Yashin and Bonetti as the three best goalkeepers he played against.

Keeley added: “It's no stretch to say he changed my career, seeing Peter’s attention to detail and hard work, the kind of dedication that I was going to have to put in if I was going to have a chance of making it proper.”

Bonetti started playing football for Worthing Catholics in the 1950s alongside his brothers Rene, Robert and Frank, plus, occasionally, his father, Joe. His family moved from London to Worthing in 1948 to run a hotel and then the Rendezvous Cafe

His mother, Lydia, wrote to Chelsea to tell them about her son's talents and he was soon in the youth team at Stamford Bridge.

After he retired he regularly returned to Worthing to see relatives and always took time to sit on a public bench, dedicated to his late father, on Worthing’s promenade.