Christian Bird

As well as a fellow yellow, maybe Christian was also a former Gosford Hill lad ?
My family moved from Kidlington to Cumnor a year or so before I was born, so he went to Matthew Arnold, although my aunt was a maths teacher at GH around that time I believe…
 
Condolences to you and your family Ryan, I was a few years above Christian at school and I believed we both played for Cumnor Minors at the same time although different age groups? RIP Christian
 
My family moved from Kidlington to Cumnor a year or so before I was born, so he went to Matthew Arnold, although my aunt was a maths teacher at GH around that time I believe…

First of all, I am so very sorry for your loss. RIP Christian.

I saw the title of the thread and thought, I knew a Christian Bird from my school days - year older, it's obviously the same lad. I knew of Nick (think he was in my school year) but didn't know he had further siblings. I am so very sorry and send love to your family. He, I am convinced, played for Cumnor Minors back in the day.
 
Condolences to you and your family Ryan, I was a few years above Christian at school and I believed we both played for Cumnor Minors at the same time although different age groups? RIP Christian

First of all, I am so very sorry for your loss. RIP Christian.

I saw the title of the thread and thought, I knew a Christian Bird from my school days - year older, it's obviously the same lad. I knew of Nick (think he was in my school year) but didn't know he had further siblings. I am so very sorry and send love to your family. He, I am convinced, played for Cumnor Minors back in the day.
It sounds like you’re both spot on there. Chris and Nick were two years apart at Matthew Arnold and played for their respective age groups at Cumnor, where my dad (Colin) also helped with the coaching at various points. I’m much younger than the both of them - a full decade and more in Chris’ case. It’s funny how connected people are in some vague way or another when things like this happen.
 
So sorry to hear this. I knew of Christian but not to speak to only really by recognising him and knowing who he was because we were at the same school where I was a couple of years older but my brother was in the same year as him. I saw him at Oxford games from time to time over the years.

My Dad started up Cumnor Minors again in the early 1980s after quite a few years without a team in the village (there was a mens team called Crawley Players that used the rec for matches occasionally but no junior sides), there was always a group of us down there playing football so when there seemed to be enough 8 year olds wanting to play from the village (plus 2 or 3 friends from Botley and North Hinksey) it made sense to see if it could work, my Dad took on the hard work and administration of running the team and club to get it started and registered, and the club grew from there. Colours in those days were gold and black with a green away kit (my Dad still has the old kits somewhere and diaries of the matches we played which included the first 11 that played and the subs plus who got man of the match), black shorts were chosen because that was the same colour as Matthew Arnold school kit shorts so you didn't have to buy another set of shorts making it more affordable. Christian would have been in one of the teams that was probably set up only a year or so after the original team when younger age groups naturally followed once the club had become more established and known about in the village and there was a desire for other age groups to follow.

It's so sad to hear this when it is someone that you knew from a long time ago from where I grew up, my condolences to all the family and friends of Christian.
 
So sorry for your loss Ryan, this must have been a really difficult time for you and your family. 💔
💛💙
 
So sorry to hear this. I knew of Christian but not to speak to only really by recognising him and knowing who he was because we were at the same school where I was a couple of years older but my brother was in the same year as him. I saw him at Oxford games from time to time over the years.

My Dad started up Cumnor Minors again in the early 1980s after quite a few years without a team in the village (there was a mens team called Crawley Players that used the rec for matches occasionally but no junior sides), there was always a group of us down there playing football so when there seemed to be enough 8 year olds wanting to play from the village (plus 2 or 3 friends from Botley and North Hinksey) it made sense to see if it could work, my Dad took on the hard work and administration of running the team and club to get it started and registered, and the club grew from there. Colours in those days were gold and black with a green away kit (my Dad still has the old kits somewhere and diaries of the matches we played which included the first 11 that played and the subs plus who got man of the match), black shorts were chosen because that was the same colour as Matthew Arnold school kit shorts so you didn't have to buy another set of shorts making it more affordable. Christian would have been in one of the teams that was probably set up only a year or so after the original team when younger age groups naturally followed once the club had become more established and known about in the village and there was a desire for other age groups to follow.

It's so sad to hear this when it is someone that you knew from a long time ago from where I grew up, my condolences to all the family and friends of Christian.
Thanks for sharing this, and thanks to your dad for getting the team up and running again. I have many happy memories of playing up at the closes, as well as my brothers.
 
Really sorry to read of your loss Ryan, sending the very best wishes to you and your family at this incredibly tough time.
 
Really sorry to hear this news Ryan. A really well written tribute to a fellow left side London Roader. He sounds like a great big brother and I hope the great memories will override the pain you’ve all collectively been through over the last year or so.

Rip Christian
 
It does sound distasteful asking for a photo at a really bad time ryan but I was also a left sider for over 20 years as is my uncle, we would have rubbed shoulders with your brother but haven’t got a clue who he is, we all know the peter houseman’s and joey Beauchamp’s but you and your brother like many others are the lifeblood of Oufc, it would be nice to be able to put a face to a name and remember them. 🤝
 
Now that the funeral is out of the way and it feels less ‘raw’ to my parents in particular, I thought I would post a photo of Chris as several posters requested, in case anybody recognises him from days gone by. He’s on the left - this photo was taken in December 2004 so is fairly close to the London Road days in terms of time period.

FDD0597F-D87F-4E39-9D67-3B1555B8BFFB.jpeg

Pleased to report that I no longer have the same dodgy, flowing locks as Dougal from the Magic Roundabout.
 
Thanks for sharing . Definitely a face I’ve seen.

Also appreciate that your mum took the whole family to Next for clothes shopping
 
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