Les Monk, one of Aldershot's finest ever schoolboy players, who went on to play alongside the great Tommy Lawton, is still going strong at the age of 78.

Today, a league gate of 3,000 at the Recreation Ground is considered a bumper crowd, but Les had the experience of playing in front of 6,200 at the Rec when he represented Aldershot Schools against Bootle in the semi-finals of the England Schools Shield.

It was in 1938 and Aldershot had managed to draw 1-1 at Bootle in front of a large crowd, Monk scoring for the visitors.

The replay attracted a record crowd for a schoolboy game at the Rec. Aldershot dominated the match, but it was Bootle who came away with a narrow 1-0 win. However, they were hammered by Manchester in the final.

Aldershot Schools had won the Hampshire Pickford Shield two years running and Les Monk's prowess as a player was recognised when, along with team-mate Chris Flannagan, he was selected to play for England Schoolboys against Wales at Ninian Park. England won 3-1.

At the tender age of 11, Les, born and bred in Badshot Lea, was already making a name for himself in local football and was in the Farnham Boys side that won the Wood Cup, beating Sutton Boys 6-2 at the Memorial Ground.

After his exploits with the Aldershot District side and then England Schoolboys, Monk's soccer career was interrupted by the war.

"They were my lost years," Les told the Herald. "The war came when I was 16, just when I should have been learning my football trade."

Yet it was his time in the services that enabled Les to rub shoulders with some of the greats.

During his navy years, he turned out for Portsmouth, where he played alongside Jimmy Dickinson, Everton Reserves, and he played four times for Aldershot during the war, lining up alongside Tommy Lawton, the legendary England, Everton and Chelsea centre-forward, and Joe Mercer who was later to manage Manchester City with distinction.

Monk, just 18, and Lawton helped Aldershot to a 4-3 victory against Fulham in December, 1941.

The London League match attracted 3,600 spectators to the Recretaion Ground. Lawton scored once as Aldershot raced into a 4-0 lead at half-time. But an injury to Everton's deadly striker disrupted the side (no substitutes then) and Fulham pulled back three goals in the second half.

Monk hit the post and provided the cross that led to Lawton's headed goal. The local paper reported: 'At times, Monk made rings round the visitors' two Arsenal defenders.'

"Tommy Lawton was then a PTI in the army," remembered Les. "He was very nippy and brilliant in the air."

Monk himself was 5ft 6 and about 10 stone – the ideal build for a winger, although he also liked to play centre-forward.

In 1945, he again played against Fulham, this time for Portsmouth, and, given the centre-forward's shirt, he scored in the 3-1 win. Twice, he played alongside Alton's Jimmy Dickinson who was to do great things for Portsmouth and England. "He was a very nice man and Joe Mercer was a smashing bloke too."

Les turned professional with Aldershot in 1946 and switched to right-half. He played mainly for the reserves, unable to break into a very strong first team that included Ronnie Hobbs and goalkeeper Ron Reynolds, later to play for Tottenham.

He dropped back to the amateur ranks and had spells with Alton Town, Farnham Town and Newport, Isle of Wight.

"The Farnham team of the '50s played in a very tough Surrey Senior League, including clubs like Leatherhead, Dorking and Banstead Athletic. We had some excellent players: Reg Osborne, Alf Zimmer, George Newell, Alec Brade, Ray Newman, Jim Cheeseman, Ray and Gordon Fripp, Sid Clarke and Mick Mitchell, just to mention a few. Our trainer, Cody Goolding, was a lovely man."

Les also began a scouting mission for Wimbledon and was to enjoy nine happy years with the Southern League club. He introduced a number of services' players to the Dons and also Alan Burton who had played for Aldershot.

He also took Geoff Chapple to Wimbledon, but the future FA Trophy-winning manager of Woking and Kingstonian opted to sign for Aldershot instead.

Les trained the reserves for the last two years of his time at Wimbledon.

Les Monk is only an occasional visitor to the Recreation Ground. He says he enjoys the games, but added: "They've got a long way to go."

Les Monk features in Jack Rollin's forthcoming book, Shots at War.