Nuneaton Borough 1958-1970 – Part 2 Contents
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Nuneaton’s Footballing Heritage Nuneaton Borough 1958-1970 – Part 2 Contents Page No. 1966-1967 ..................................................................................... 236 1967-1968 ..................................................................................... 277 1968-1969 ..................................................................................... 314 1969-1970 ..................................................................................... 352 Acknowledgements ...................................................................... 398 Nuneaton Borough 1958-1970 – Part 2 Signs Pro For Nottingham Forest Sizeable Fee For Alan Carter Borough lef-winger Alan Carter, has been transferred to Worcester City at what Mr Dudley Kernick, the Borough team manager, describes as a “sizeable fee.” Mr Kernick feels that he has adequate cover for Carter. Borough’s New Signings To Face Third Lanark With the exception of Roger Hope, the player signed from Kidderminster, Borough team manager Dudley Kernick, will put out all his new signings for the visit to Manor Park of Third Lanark, the Scottish League side. This will be the first of four pre-season trial games which Mr Kernick has arranged so that supporters can assess the strength of the team against good opposition. Leonard Harris, a seventeen-year-old Borough FC player, has signed professional forms for Notts Forest. He has also arranged these games because four of the first five fixtures are away from home. Borough visit Hillingdon in Harris who has been at Manor Park for the past two seasons, the opening game of the season. Then they play Worcester was spotted by Mr Fred Badham, Borough FC general City away in the Floodlit League, and are at home to manager, while playing for Nuneaton Schools against Cambridge United in a League match, away to Hereford in the a German side. He signed him for Borough when he lef Southern League Cup, and then away to Atherstone Town in Alderman Smith High School. the FA Cup. A wing-half, Harris captained the Borough A and Featherstone Borough’s team for tomorrow will include Mr Kernick’s latest Cup sides last season. His father, Mr John Harris, played signing, Paul Cutler, from Crystal Palace. Cutler, who is only for Stockingford Old Scholars. Leonard, who lives at 60, 20, joined the Second Division club on leaving school, and Whitehouse Crescent, has five sisters. signed professional forms when he was 17. He played 14 first Players Decline Terms team games last season, alternating between outside-lef and centre-forward. John Lovatt, Borough’s centre-half cum centre-forward has declined the terms ofered him by the club and has instead Fourteen players have been named for the game against signed for Worcester City. Clive Hopkin has also declined Third Lanark and they are: Fred Crump (Tonbridge), Alan terms and Roger Thompson has not yet re-signed. Jones, Roger Thompson, Ian Wilson (Dundee), Colin Davis (Lockheed), Johnny Watts, Peter Bryan (Oldham), Malcolm Transfer News Allen, Norman Ashe, Billy Hails, Tony Richards (Port Vale), Mr Dudley Kernick, Borough team manager, is hoping to Tom Crawley (Worcester City), Paul Cutler (Crystal Palace) sign this weekend, a 21-year-old utility forward who has had and Mick Fowkes. experience with two League clubs. He is also in touch with Third Lanark have named the following players: Russell, two other forwards, and expects to sign a goalkeeper, who he Connell, Bailie, May, Little, Harvey, Mackay, Henderson, considers to be one of the best in the Southern League. Stewart, Fyfe, Kilgannon, Kannaird, McLanglain. New players Mr Kernick, who says that in all probability Roger Thompson in the Third Lanark side are Colin Bailie (Rangers), Harvey will now re-sign for the club, has made arrangements for (Partick) and Stewart (Aberdeen). Third Lanark, the Scottish League club, to visit Manor Park on It is understood that a number of Division One scouts will August 6 for a pre-season friendly game, while he hopes that be watching Bobby Russell (goalkeeper), George Fyfe and either Doncaster Rovers or Crystal Palace will also play a pre- Jim Kilgannan. season game at Manor Park. This may be an evening game. On Tuesday, Tamworth, West Midlands League champions, Borough have been drawn at home to Lockheed, the Midland will visit Manor Park. On Thursday next the visitors will be League side, in the Senior Cup. Last season Lockheed put Birmingham City; whilst next Saturday, Stevenage will be Borough out of the FA Cup. making their first visit to Manor Park. 236 Nuneaton’s Footballing Heritage Nuneaton Borough 1958-1970 – Part 2 It was goal by Tony Richards in the 71st minute that gave Borough the points. During a move carried out at walking pace, Borough had the Hillingdon defence in a daze as the ball was passed from man to man. And when the ball ran out to Billy Hails, standing out on the lef, he promptly returned it across goal. Tom Crawley went up for the ball and failed to connect, but when it reached Richards, the Borough leader rose to nod it well out of goalkeeper Cakebread’s reach. It was fitting that Richards should have got that deciding goal, for in the 25th minute, during a period when Borough played some of their best football, the visitors’ leader had headed a cross from the right against the post with goalkeeper Cakebread in no position to save. Shortly afer Borough’s team photo, taken before Tuesday’s game against Tamworth Borough went close again when a move involving nearly all at Manor Park. Back row (lef to right): Norman Ashe, Paul Cutler, Tony Richards, Colin Davis, Malcolm Allen, Ian Wilson, Tom Crawley. Front the forwards had the HIllingdon defence all at sea. It was row: Alan Jones, Roger Thompson, Peter Bryan, Fred Crump, Johnny sheer bad luck when Tom Crawley’s finishing shot scraped Watts, Billy Hails. Photo: Nuneaton Observer past the wrong side of the post. Luck was with the home side on those two occasions, but the biggest stroke of good fortune went to Borough. During one home attack, not long afer Borough had taken the lead, lef- half Moore unleashed a terrific shot which crashed against the far post with Fred Crump yards away. On the few occasions when Hillingdon looked like getting through, goalkeeper Fred Crump was invariably in the right spot at the right time. He excelled in cutting out crosses, catching the ball cleanly or punching well clear. But his best save was when Goodall closed in and shot for the far corner of the net. Crump dived smartly to smother the ball as it was sizzling across goal towards the far post. The attack did reasonably well without being anywhere near Tony Richards, one of the Nuneaton Borough strikers, puts in a crashing impressive. I can foresee Richards and Tom Crawley receiving shot that the Stevenage goalkeeper manages to save with a spectacular close attention as in this game. Nevertheless they both have dive. Photo: Nuneaton Observer the ability to snatch goals. There lies their danger to opponents. 1966-67 Worcester City v Nuneaton Borough 22-08-1966 Hillingdon Borough v Nuneaton Borough 20-08-1966 Worcester: Black, Brack, Peck, Johnson, Madley, McEwan, Deeley, Borough (from): Crump, Thompson, Jones, Wilson, Davies, Watson, McCready, Carter, Hodgkisson, Hooper. Allen, Ashe, Hails, Richards, Crawley, Cutler, Hope. Borough: Burton, Jones, Wilson, Allen, Watts, Davis, Ashe, Hails, Richards, Crawley, Cutler. Borough made the journey to Middlesex to face Hillingdon Borough in the Southern League Premier Division. Borough made the journey to play Worcester City in a Afer their unconvincing form in the pre-season trial games, Midland Floodlit Cup game. Borough pleasantly surprised their supporters by winning Alan Carter, Borough’s leading goalscorer last season, hit their opening game of the season proper. But a word of a fine hat-trick at Worcester on Monday night to help send warning, Hillingdon, promoted from Division One last season, Nuneaton tumbling to defeat in their first Floodlit Cup game. are not a good side and are likely to find the Premier Division Carter, who lef Manor Park for Worcester in the close season, tough going. had a field day against his former colleagues. Worcester’s Played in a heat wave, this was not a particularly inspiring other three goals came from former Walsall player Ken game. Nor was it likely to be. Sustained ball chasing in such Hodgkisson, who took his tally to five in two games. conditions was impossible, and it was not the least surprising Borough have never won at Worcester in their Southern that at times the game should have been played at walking League history and the home side made sure of holding pace. There can be little doubt that the better side won. their record when they ran up a two-goal lead in the first 14 Borough just about had the edge on their opponents. minutes. Norman Ashe made it 2-1 five minutes before half- 237 Nuneaton’s Footballing Heritage Nuneaton Borough 1958-1970 – Part 2 time, then Worcester took advantage of some bad defensive backwards into the net, he managed to reach and push over mistakes in the second-half to romp home. the bar a great Tony Richards header which seemed to have Mick Burton, making his first appearance in the Borough goal, “goal” written all over it. could not have had a harder debut. He was at fault with a He also did well to save a fine drive by Norman Ashe, who couple of the goals, but the defenders in front of him were far raced past three opponents before shooting, and also a hard from steady. Borough missed enough chances to have had shot by Paul Cutler. Ashe and Alan O’Neill, the Cambridge a share of the spoils and Tommy Crawley had what looked a inside-lef, were both in sparkling form. perfectly good goal disallowed in the second half.