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http://www.essexchronicle.co.uk/Defender-faced-World-Cup-hero-ex-teammate-clinch/story-28406728-detail/story.html#1
Chelmsford Magistrates' usher relives moment he won the FA Cup with West Ham in 1975
A FORMER West Ham footballer and FA Cup winner who once kept some of the world's best strikers in check is now helping ensure Essex's criminals don't get out of line.
For the past decade, Kevin Lock, who played for the Hammers from 1971 to 1978, has been an usher at Chelmsford Magistrates' and County Court.
"I always read a lot about the law and I'm very interested in it, so when the job came up I went for it," said the grandfather-of-seven.
"I think in another life I might have studied law and looked at a career there."
Born in Plaistow, just a stone's throw from Upton Park, Kevin supported West Ham from the age of eight, often visiting the ground and scrabbling to the front to clap the players as they ran out of the tunnel in the West Stand.
"As a kid I could see the floodlights from my bedroom window for night games, I could see the crowds arriving and could tell when they scored because I could hear the roar go up," said Kevin, who lives in Tolleshunt Knights with wife, Debbie.
"I made sure I got there early and used to take a stool with me so I could see over the crowd and I could almost touch the players, it was a big part of my life."
At 13 he was asked to train with the youth team by a scout who saw him play for South West Ham Technical School – now called Trinity School.
The 62-year-old said: "I got a few games with the first team and a few England schoolboy games. Bobby Moore was still there, who was my idol.
"I used to queue up to get his autograph at the training ground.
"It might sound like a cliche when kids say it's their dream to play for their home club, but I actually got to do it and it was just a fantastic experience."
Apart from 34 appearances with Bobby Moore, Kevin also played alongside Billy Bonds, Trevor Brooking, Bryan "Pop" Robson and Frank Lampard Snr.
He added: "It was my absolute dream to play alongside Bobby and I feel privileged to have to do that.
"For a young lad to have someone like that, he was such a great person and really down to earth."
When Kevin was around 21 he came close to getting a national team cap when he got a call up to Don Revie's England squad for the 1974 World Cup qualifier against Portugal in Lisbon.
He ended up being an unused substitute.
In the 1975 FA Cup Final, Kevin played against Moore, who had now joined Fulham, with the Hammers running out 2-0 winners after two goals from Alan Taylor.
"Winning the FA Cup was fantastic, people always put it down nowadays, but back then it was such a big deal," said the dad-of-three.
Kevin then joined Fulham himself in 1978 before going to Southend United under Moore's management as a player and coach of the youth team, remaining at the club to become assistant manager under David Webb.
Storming the leagues and gaining two successive promotions in three years, Kevin and Webb were tasked with saving struggling Chelsea from relegation in 1993.
The pair successfully retained Chelsea's top-flight status with a 11th place finish, but chairman Ken Bates decided not to renew their contract.
"Sooner or later in football management you are always going to get sacked," Kevin said.
He followed Webb to Brentford, where he stayed until 1998, when Webb sold the club.
It was his last job in football, taking over the Prince of Wales in Mountnessing in 2000 and running it for five years.
Today, a career like Kevin's would have made him a multi-millionaire, but he's more than happy with what he does now. "The job is so varied and no two days are alike, I deal with all kinds of people," he said.
"Every offence goes through magistrates first, so you see every type of crime, I just never get fed up, there's always something going on."
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