James "Jim" Dawson was headmaster of Regent's Road school. In 1972, the boys from Regent's Road competed against Bessie Street School in a football friendly. Dawson also backed his lads in a wager with Bessie Street head Wilfred Perkins. At the match, Dawson watched from the sidelines with Perkins, Bessie Street's sportsmaster Ken Barlow and another man, Jeff Adams. Dawson was confident of victory, spending much of the game bragging to Perkins about his team's prowess, but Bessie Street emerged victorious despite being a man down. Following the match, Dawson remarked to Perkins that his team's performance was "a bit on the cruel side".