HERE'S a blast from the past… though to those pictured it probably seems like only yesterday.

The date is probably 1945 or '46. The scene is the Capel Inch – the grassy area between Anderson Street and the River Ness which is thought by some to have been where the Roman legions kept their horses. These local lads used to play football there, drawing out the pitch themselves with sawdust.

Without benefit of a youth club or school to organise them, the boys played matches against teams from Maclennan Crescent, the Hilton housing scheme which was still under construction at the time, and other parts of the town. They even travelled as far away as Avoch on the bus for a game with the boys' team there – quite an adventure.

Sadly, not all those pictured have survived the 50-plus years since, but some have done very well and are about retiring age… like Stewart Maclennan, janitor at St Joseph's for the last six years who was kind enough to lend us this photo of himself and his mates. They are. From left, back row:

Billy Townsley from Nelson Street who went on to play for Clach; he now lives in Ord Terrace.
James Sturrock, who spent his working life as an officer in the Prison Service.
John Kesson, who lived in the prefabs in Coronation Park, now replaced by more permanent housing.
John McEwan from Madras Street. He and his mother came from the South of Scotland and later he was to emigrate to Canada.
George Rodgers, senior, who lived above the family's newsagents shop in Grant Street in those days with his brother and sisters; he too played for Clach.
Sandy Williamson from Nelson Street, whose family were horse dealers. Sadly he died young, just a few years after this picture was taken. And in the front row, also from the left:
Alex McEachan, who lived under the shadow of the railway bridge in Brown Street. He became a male nurse at Craig Dunain and was so successful in his career that he was promoted to a hospital in Cambridge, where he went on to become Mayor. He still comes back north to visit old friends in his home town.
Charles Mackenzie who lived in Brown Street and has worked in Macrae & Dick's all his working life.
Stewart Maclennan who lived in Dixie Villa, the former Customs House. A fitter, Stewart worked with the Highland Railway workshops for 42 years. He was a magistrate and a Baillie with the former Inverness Town Council for six years, and retired just last month. He played for Ross County.
Douglas Rodgers, George's younger brother, who also went on to play for Clach.
And finally, Tommy Thompson, who also later played for Ross County.

That makes five of this XI that went on to play in the Highland League alone; who knows, maybe others continued in the game. Is there a lesson in there somewhere for today's soccer bosses.
Well done, lads!