There have been a number of individuals who grew up in Whittlesey and progressed into the professional game including Brian Hornsby who went on to represent Arsenal, but there is only one who can claim he lifted the FA Cup in front of a sell-out crowd at Wembley Stadium.
It was Coventry City's finest hour and for local lad Micky Gynn it was a moment he will never forget. Gynn, who started his career at London Road, moved to the Sky Blues in 1983 and four years later helped the club lift the trophy.
'I think it is fair to say my greatest moment was to lift the FA Cup without question. When you put it into perspective it is the only thing Coventry have won in 100 years and the way they are going now it is going to be another 100 years. It is a special feeling to win something that I have watched other footballers win on television.
'For a team like Coventry to go all the way and actually beat Spurs in the final it is hard to put into words. To be fair Coventry aren't going to win the league so it is fantastic to win the cup. It was more than just an achievement and for me it has got to be the most special moment of my career.
'I treated the cup final like it was just another game - we had already beaten Spurs that season at Highfield Road 4-3 so we knew we could score goals against them. We weren't scared of Tottenham even though their squad was full of international players because we had already turned them over that year. We were full of confidence, we knew we were fitter than them and we knew we had a better team spirit than them.
'There is no question about it that we knew if we played well on the day we would win the match and you can ask any team that if you have the confidence before you get out onto the pitch and that mentality to win the game you generally do. That is certainly how I felt and I am sure that the rest of the team did too. We had that determination to win. You have to have that positive thought in your mind if you go out thinking that you have no chance then it will never happen. That is not the attitude to have in this sport,' Gynn said.
Gynn, who was born in Peterborough on 19th August 1961, came through the youth ranks at London Road, signing schoolboy forms at the age of 14. The midfielder didn't wait too long before breaking into the first team and he soon became a firm fans favourite.
'I was born at Thorpe Hall in Peterborough and I signed for the club as a schoolboy at the age of 14 on schoolboy terms. I went on to sign as an apprentice at 16 and then I signed professional terms just before my 18th birthday. I always wanted to play for my home team which means I didn't have to be away from home and move to a strange place.
'I have never been scared of football because it is something I thought I could be pretty good at and like most kids they all want to be professional footballers it might be different now-a-days. It was exciting times playing for my home town and I had that feeling when I played football and it couldn't have been better. How I wish I was 18 again.
'Once you are given a chance you have got to take it if you want to be a footballer and I grabbed it with both hands and I certainly was not scared to play football. I wanted to entertain people. I have so many good memories of the club from the day I signed until just before I left I really had a fantastic time. I enjoyed my football at Peterborough and it was the first step of going on to play football at the highest level.
'There were a lot of good times at Peterborough especially during my early days when I was in the youth team and we got to the quarter-final of the FA Youth Cup. We had a good young team and we played against some experienced players when I played with the reserves. I remember we were not allowed to go on holiday during the off-season until we had re-painted the dressing rooms and the corridors which took a long time. These are the sort of things that you remember for the rest of your life.'
'I was signed as an apprentice by Noel Cantwell but by the time I went full-time in 1977 he moved to America and his assistant John Barnwell took over and things didn't go too well and I think it was my second season where Posh were relegated. Peter Morris came in as the next manager and he threw myself and people like Trevor Quow, Steve Collins and Tony Cliss into the first team because the club was down he decided to try a few of the youngsters in and that changed my life.
'I can remember playing Manchester City in the fifth round of the Cup at London Road in front of a full house of like 28,000 fans which we unfortunately lost. But it was the week before when we played Rochdale away which I remember clearly and what a contrast.
'We were 2-0 down at half-time playing Manchester City next week in a massive game. Peter Morris the manager at the time wasn't best pleased with the performance and we went out for the second half and won the match 3-2, I scored two and Trevor Quow got the other one. I remember when I scored the winning goal in the last few minutes of the game I took the ball past six players and chipped the ball over the goalie with my left foot that always sticks in my mind for obvious reasons,' Gynn continued.
The team spirit at Posh was always good and there were plenty of jokers in the pack, although Gynn believes that his sense of humour often led to a few practical jokes on team-mates, although he regrets one attempt to play a prank.
'I suppose I was one of the worst jokers amongst the pack. I remember one morning me and Trevor Quow pinched Chris Turner's (who was the captain at the time and really into his horse racing) Sporting Life which was like a bible to horse racers. Back then me and Trevor could run forever and Chris was coming up to the end of his career so we thought we wouldn't have a problem getting away from him but Chris chased us and chased us and in the end he got us in a dead end and gave us a bit of a slap round the ear. He said I don't mind you taking my wallet but don't touch my Sporting Life.'
After four years at Posh, he made the move to Highfield Road and he admits it was a difficult decision to make, but when the Sky Blues came calling, it was something that definitely interested the midfielder.
'John Wile was the manager at that time in 1983 and it was strange that I left Peterborough for Coventry City just a week before the season started. We played Coventry in a pre-season friendly on the Saturday a week before and won 2-0 and I scored both goals. On the Tuesday I went down to Coventry and agreed to sign, it was for around £60,000 and I think a lot of the supporters at Peterborough thought it wasn't enough.
'I had a great season the season before where I scored 21 goals from midfield but Peterborough didn't offer me an improved contract so it looked like my career at Peterborough was over but because it was only a week before the start of the season I thought I would at least be at the club for the start of the campaign.
'After the Coventry game they made me an offer that was too good to turn down, the opportunity to play top flight football was a massive lure for me. I was more than happy though to sign a new contract at Peterborough but they weren't very forthcoming and to be honest we had a good team at Peterborough and I thought that we were only two or three players away from having the best team in the league by far. It is just a shame that I couldn't have been there for a little bit longer to help them get out of that division,' Gynn added.
After his stay at Coventry, Gynn spent a year with Stoke City before retiring from professional football in 1995. He then decided on his next career move and it was one that would take him back to Highfield Road.
'I am currently a postman in the Coventry area. I retired from professional football in 1995 but went on and played non-league football for about a year or so and it got to a point where I thought I ought to get out and earn the family a bit more money. I have always wanted a job which was outside and that started early and finished early. I was a bit limited at what I could do so a postman seemed to be the ideal job.'
'This is my twelfth year doing the job and I am still enjoying being outdoors and keeping fit. When I first joined to be honest I couldn't see myself doing it for so long. My round actually includes the Coventry City training ground, which means I have to visit there every day, which is nice!
'I have taken the level two of the coaching ladder but to be honest unless you know the right people you don't really stand a chance of being a manager, and plus there is not that much money involved anyway, so I am happy with what I am doing at present,' Gynn said.
Alongside his postman duties, Gynn gets the chance to see plenty of football - he is currently working for the PFA completing the statistics on matches.
'On top of doing my daytime job and then working for the PFA on a weekend I didn't pursue it any further because it takes a lot of time and effort to get all your coaching badges and if I got them I still probably wouldn't have time to do anything with them. So I have never really been interested in being a manager.
'I have been doing the stats now for the PFA ever since they started it up, this is my sixth or seventh season doing it now. It is good because it keeps you involved in the game. The job includes me recording in-depth stats of the match, it is really important especially because now-a-days all over the world people like to bet on what is going to happen next in a football match for example how many corners there is going to be or how many throw-ins.
'It involves me going to a match, I tend to do my local sides Coventry City, Leicester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Milton Keynes Dons, Northampton Town, Oxford United and I have even done a few Peterborough United games but that was back when the club were struggling. I am contracted with the PFA but I think we work for a company called PA Sport,' Gynn said.
Gynn still has a competitive streak though - he regularly turns out for the Posh Legends side alongside players like Tommy Robson, David Riley and Noel Luke. It is a chance to play football in the colours of Posh and one he thoroughly enjoys.
'I still play in the Posh old-boy matches so you get to catch up with your old team mates then but living in Coventry I don't tend to see many of them very often. I still speak to Ian Benjamin and Trevor Quow quite regularly on the phone.
'I enjoy playing in the veteran matches because you don't want to lose and everyone still has the competitive edge. I still like to keep myself fit and it is a real buzz playing in those sort of games we treat it as if it was a league match. I am getting into my late 40's now but I still like to perform. In all truth I miss playing and I'll give anything to be able to play professionally again.
'Every week I look for the Peterborough United results, I was actually at the MK Dons match at Stadium:MK last season but yes I definitely keep a close eye on the Posh scores along with Coventry. I want the teams that I have played for to do well, I want Posh to get promoted and I want Coventry to get back in the Premiership.
'I will always be grateful to Peterborough United for setting me up on my career from the first ball I kicked until the last it was all good times at Peterborough,' Gynn concluded.
