Sharon Dobbs was amongst a group of rowdy, school-aged children who were playing football in the middle of Coronation Street during the summer holidays in August 1978. As the football got repeatedly kicked up against the front door of No.11, owner Elsie Tanner emerged and, referring to ringleader Jason Pearce as Stanley Matthews, told him to clear off and play in his own street. He and the rest of the group quickly scarpered as he called Elsie a "silly old cow".
A short while later, the group had reconvened with their football and were playing in the ginnel when the ball was retrieved from the kitchen of No.11 by Suzie Birchall, who went out into the yard and asked Jason why they weren't playing on the Red Rec or in their own street. Elsie came out to them once more and told them to clear off, refusing to give Jason the ball back and told him to send his mom round for it. As he once again gave Elsie lip, calling her an "old bag", she gave chase and clipped him around the ear. Within a couple of minutes, Sharon came back into the yard to let Elsie know that she'd hurt Jason. She too quickly disappeared when Elsie sharply told her that she'd do the same to Jason's mom.