CILLA Black was topping the charts and England were still waiting to win the World Cup when retiring Heslington goalkeeper Pete Glanville first played between the sticks in senior football.

Glanville hung up his gloves at the age of 58 this week after keeping goal for the final time in Heslington's 3-1 Leeper Hare York and District League Reserve 'B' defeat at Wilberfoss, bringing the curtain down on a goalkeeping odyssey that began in 1964 and has spanned five decades.

Highlights have included a stint with Reading reserves and once keeping a young Cyrille Regis off the scoresheet during a Ryman League match against Hayes before the iconic West Brom, Coventry City and Aston Villa striker became an England international.

Glanville has also helped to develop the talents of former York City number ones Dean Kiely, Nick Culkin and Bobby Mimms as the club's goalkeeping coach, which is a role he is hoping to continue in next season.

Having given up playing, he also plans to watch more City matches, including under-19 games, as well as studying the other local non-League goalkeepers he puts through their paces at Selby Town each Thursday.

On his retirement, Glanville said: "I'd have liked to have kept going until I was 60 but my body has just given up. It's so much hard work keeping fit with pulled muscles and I've received one or two knocks this season that have seemed to last forever.

"But I still love going out and putting my gloves on so I will do that by expanding on the coaching side."

Glanville was made captain for the day in his final game after five years with Heslington.

Having played for Reading reserves, Slough and Wokingham, he arrived in York as a 36-year-old "veteran" in 1984 after getting a job at the University where he still works as the assistant director of physical recreation.

But after coaching and playing at Railway Institute, he went on to represent Cliftonville, Fulford United, British Sugar and New Earswick before signing for Heslington in 2001.

When asked what he felt was the key to his longevity, Glanville said: "You can go on forever as a goalkeeper but you've got to keep yourself supple and you have got to stay enthusiastic and accept that you're not going to be as good as you were in your 20s."

He also cites six-time snooker world champion Steve Davis, who is still competing with the very best at the age of 48, as an inspiration.

"Steve Davis is one of my heroes," explained Glanville. "I met him when he opened the Castle Club in York and he told me that if you enjoy something, you should keep doing it."

Glanville also feels the art of goalkeeping has changed since he was first given a rude awakening to professional football by being barged into the net on the way to conceding a goal from a corner for Reading's third team.

He said: "The balls are now a lot lighter and move in the air so much which means crosses have become harder to judge but, on the other hand, the physical pressure is no longer as great. What was deemed a fair challenge when I first started is not now, but it's probably gone too far the other way."

Updated: 10:45 Wednesday, April 26, 2006