My late father Thomas Flanagan, taught in Leeds from the early 1960s to 1981 and during that time he became deputy head at St Joseph’s Secondary in Hunslet.

As well as teaching maths and English, he coached the football team.

The all-boys school was one of the smallest in the city, with approximately 80 pupils and in the

1968-69 season, achieved the remarkable feat of winning one of the main cup competitions run by Leeds Schools’ FA.

Dad, who served in the RAF during World War II, had been a very good footballer in his youth and the St Joseph’s team was his pride and joy.

The cup triumph provided a tremendous boost for the school that was akin to seeing it rise phoenix-like from the ashes.

Just three years earlier St Joseph’s was badly damaged by fire when a former pupil set it alight.

The arsonist was quickly apprehended, charged and subsequently sent to prison and in the meantime, the boys and staff of St Joseph’s made a temporary move to the all-girls St Francis of Assisi High School in Holbeck.

Despite the disruption of relocation in the aftermath of the fire, dad kept his football team intact and led them to their biggest-ever success.

Sadly, he died in August 1981, less than a month after he took early retirement from teaching because of ill health.

At this time, our family was living in Harrogate and we were extremely moved when a group of men that we had not seen before, attended the vigil ceremony held the night before dad’s funeral.

This was at St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Harrogate and after the service, they told us that they had travelled from Leeds as a mark of respect for their former coach and mentor.

They were all members of dad’s cup winning team and we could see why he was so proud of them.

Leeds United won the First Division Championship in 1968-69, but for their exploits in the same season, the boys of St Joseph’s Hunslet will always be my footballing heroes.