LOOKING BACK - January 4, 2018 edition

Valley Sports 1969-70
Valley Sports football team 1969-70Valley Sports football team 1969-70
Valley Sports football team 1969-70

Thank you to Keith Coughlan for his picture of Valley Sports football team, a rare one in colour from 1969-70. They were United Counties League Division 3 Knock-out Cup champions. The team were (back from left) Keith Batchelor, Hugh Lobban, Bill Thomas, Mick Knowles, Ron Sheppard, Tony Hart and John Holliday. (Front) Mick McDonald, Maurice Price, Hedley Lewis, Alex Wylie and David Reeve.

Valley Sports played Long Buckby in the two-leg final, winning the first game on April 28, 1970 at Oakfield in Bilton Road with a 3-1 scoreline. The Advertiser report, written by Phil Horsfall, says it would have been closer if the village side hadn’t gone to pieces after the interval!

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Hugh Lobban had put the Rugby side ahead, but Tony Hart put the ball into his own net for the equaliser before making amends with a goal at the right end soon after. Alex Wylie scored the third.

The second leg at Long Buckby, two weeks later on May 16, ended 0-0, but in complete control throughout, Valley Sports had already done enough to win on aggregate.

The referee for both games was NA Cooke, with AG Britten and NT Jenkinson the linesmen.

The Long Buckby side, who were the Division Three champions that year, were listed as: Ian Buswell, Terry Green, Phil Pay, Dave Burnham, Nobby Wykes, Geoff Smith, Mick Dicks, Don Mason, Paul Day, John Worthington and Mick Worthington, with sub Charlie Reynolds.

The second-leg side included Mick Dodds and John Orr.

Related topics: