Football Programmes Centre

Dorking · Joined: 05 Feb 2010 Posts: 2529

Terrific goalkeeper for Chelsea in the days when many keepers didn't wear gloves.

Played at the very highest level - the FIFA World Cup Finals.

Memorabilia featuring him was very keenly collected even in recent years.

RIP Peter

overlap · Joined: 10 Sep 2010 Posts: 431

A great player and a really nice guy too. Here he is in training with John Phillips, also sadly no longer with us, in 1973.

Carlisleprogs · Joined: 30 Jun 2013 Posts: 550

There has been something doing the rounds on social media recently where you are asked to give the names of 5 players who made you fall in love with football. My earliest proper football memory is the 1970 FA Cup final. I was desperate for Chelsea to win and for a few months after when I played football with my brother in the garden whoever was in goals wanted to be Peter Bonetti. A true hero to me then and it has been good to read in some of the early tributes to him that he was a proper gentleman.

He would certainly be among my 5 players who made me fall in love with football.

Leigh Treymaine · Joined: 02 Aug 2011 Posts: 263

Why were you "desperate for Chelsea to win"?

Carlisleprogs · Joined: 30 Jun 2013 Posts: 550

I went to an infant school on the Solway Firth where there were less than 15 pupils in the whole school. We played 2 a side football at break and the other team had decided they were going to be Leeds. My team was Chelsea and at the time it was a big deal.

It was a few years later when I started going to Carlisle matches and haven’t had any interest in any other team since

Leigh Treymaine · Joined: 02 Aug 2011 Posts: 263

Fair enough.

Pete’s Picture Palace · Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2020 5:45 pm Post subject:

I wasn't desperate for Chelsea to win as Leeds were "dirty Leeds" but then Chelsea had Ron Harris & Eddie McCreadie. Football was the winner after the Old Trafford bloodbath.

Peter Bonetti was a top keeper for sure but who can forget the World Cup quarter final? Great man, brilliant for Chelsea, no doubt at all. RIP The Cat.

cfcmartin1965 · Joined: 29 Jan 2011 Posts: 533 Location: Middlesex

Truly saddened to hear about the loss of Chelsea's greatest ever goalkeeper. He was my 1st Chelsea idol & who can ever forget his heroics against Leeds in both games of the 1970 FA Cup Final.
I only ever got to see him play in the flesh during the last couple of seasons of his career at The Bridge. He wasn't the tallest of keepers but was a superb shot stopper and was very agile hence 'The Cat' nickname.
My sincere condolences to his family & I hope Chelsea do something special to honour one of their greatest ever players.