Ushaw Moor County - cup winners 1959
John Vasey very kindly gifted this photograph to me at a school reunion in early 2002 and he is happy for it to be published on the memories site.It had quite a bit of damage but I have had it largely restored. Annoyingly I cannot remember the names of all the players in the photograph but I can give the following details:
Left to right:
Back row Alan Burns[ right half], David Maddox [centre half and captain, holding the cup], x - might be Billy Greenwell, David Gerrard [goalkeeper].
Front row Tommy Wilkinson [right back], Peter Finlay [left half], Phil Stoddart [centre forward], x, Dennis Pinkney [outside left] and finally Wilf Bell [left back].
John Vasey is in the photograph but hidden behind x who is to the left of Dennis Pinkney.
Young Finlay really was a bonny footballer - a great asset to what was a really good side. I hope his forename is Peter but I am only 60% sure of it.
An account of the cup final is on site for those that are interested. I know that David Maddox would be very interested to see the photograph and I am sure that he would like to have a copy printed off the site. Can someone alert him to the possibility please?
I estimate that the photograph was taken at 12.20 pm. The day was 11/04/1959.
Best regards Wilf Bell.
[1]although many of the women are taller and all of them older that our school team as it was - hardly any of them are as strong or as pacy as we were.
[2]we would have probably beaten England Women 3-1 and most of the others by either a similiar or sometimes higher score.
[3] There is an exception - Brazil! Their inside forward Marta would have done a lot of damage to us and I am confident that Brazil's women would have beaten us by about 4-2.
Incidentally the female referee in the Brazil v USA game had an absolutely shocking game. If she is an example of top women referees they should all consider their position and then resign.
This comment might, just might, stir an irate response in some female football supporter and I look forward to any such comment with anticipation. (Comment this)
It is a small world because I am aware that Raich Carter [who captained Sunderland to an FA Cup Final win in 1937 and was also in Derby's 1945/46 FA Cup Final win] played for Sunderland Boys in a 3-0 victory against Durham and District Boys - the point being that Norman Ferguson and myself played for Durham albeit many years later!
It would be nice to get some reaction to my main article and I will not mind some mild abuse from some of our 11/04/59 opponents. I know - it was a long time ago. (Comment this)