RAY MIELCZAREK must be the only member of Town's celebrated 1969-70 squad who found the Second Division title campaign a major source of frustration.

For while his teammates were blazing a trail to the top flight, the Welshman, now 60 and working as an ambulance driver in Wrexham, was forced to watch, occasionally from the bench, but more often from a seat in the stand.

However the burly centre-back has happy as well as painful memories of the club he joined from Wrexham in September 1967 and left for Rotherham in January 1971.

Caernarfon-born Mielczarek's career seemed to be taking off when Fourth Division Wrexham accepted a club record fee of £21,000 and the burly defender won a Wales Under 23 call-up within two months of arriving at Town.

Having already played in the League Cup for Wrexham, he missed out on Town's run to the semi-finals, but became a regular in Division II.

Then a snapped right cruciate ligament wrecked his 1968-69 campaign - and while he went on to play 115 League games for Rotherham, Mielczarek reckons he was never the same player.

"I made it back for the last few games of that season, but I had lost a little bit of edge mentally," he admits.

Mielczarek's cause wasn't helped by the fine form - and prime fitness - of central defensive duo Roy Ellam and Trevor Cherry, who helped Ian Greaves' side romp to the championship.

"Greavesie's team was both talented and pretty much injury free," explains Mielczarek, a fluent Welsh speaker whose father Joseph hails from Luxembourg and whose paternal grandfather was Polish.

"In addition, there was only one substitute in those days, and they weren't always used, so while I invariably travelled with the squad, I was seldom in the actual matchday 12.

"I had to make do with just two appearances, one in the League Cup and one in the FA Cup, and if memory serves, we lost them both (2-0 at Carlisle and 3-1 at Aldershot).

"While it was frustrating not to be able to make more of a contribution, it was a great time to be around the club and the town in general.

"Tottenham and Norwich were also said to be interested when I was at Wrexham (where he played 76 League games).

"But having been invited to Leeds Road for talks with (then manager) Tom Johnston, it took me five minutes to decide I wanted to sign for Town.

"The club had great tradition, the ground had atmosphere and I liked the area.

"After a short time in digs, my wife Wendy and I moved into a house at Mirfield, where the people were really friendly.

"I loved the fact that I could go to the local for a pint and a game of dominoes and people treated me like one of them.

"There were no airs and graces, a bit like the club."

While he didn't figure in the promotion team, Town's elevation allowed him to realise one of his career ambitions by playing in the old Division I.

That was in a 3-1 defeat by Wolves at Molineux, when the presence of compatriot Dick Krzywicki in the visitors' line-up provided radio reporters with a tongue-twisting tester.

That was the last of 29 Town appearances, but Mielczarek's time with Rotherham in the old Division III was to yield another high with a call-up by Wales (he figured in the 1-0 win over Finland in Helsinki in May 1971 and also played in non-cap internationals in Tahiti, New Zealand and Australia).

"It's lovely to be able to say I played for my country and turned out in all four divisions," adds Mielczarek, who finally quit in 1974 after damaging his other cruciate ligament.

The only follow-up spell in football for a man whose main mentor at Town was ex-Eire player Mick Meagan and best friend Scotsman Jimmy McGill, was a short stint as manager of Welsh non-League club Druids soon after leaving Rotherham.

As well as his current job, Mielczarek, who has sons Andrew and Jamie and grandchildren Nathan and Lucy, has been a lorry driver, a cake salesman, a sports centre attendant, a security officer and a driving instructor.