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Quorn wins Billy Williamson Memorial Trophy - 1972
Loughborough Monitor - 12th May 1972
Quorn 4,
Midland Woodworkers 3 (after extra time)
There were many good points to this game in which Quorn became the first team to win the Billy Williamson Memorial Trophy – as classy a prize as one could hope for. Most memorable were the facial expressions of Quorn manager Len Sutton – when his side went two down and later when Alan Dawkins scored Quorn’s winner in extra time. For Len, that goal provided some reward after a little bad luck and a lot of endeavour.
Another to express similar emotion was Quorn Centreback Charlie Barker. Over the years Charlie has always seemed to finish second. On Friday he travelled down from Wallasey, Cheshire and helped his side to victory.
Midland scored the first two goals. Number one came from their inside-right with a header at the near post just before the break. Midway through the second half Tom Allen misjudged a back pass to goalkeeper Andy Baum and Midland were two ahead.
It had been a dreary, undramatic match but the finale was worth the wait. Geoff Harriman took a cross from Colin Sykes to shoot Quorn back into the game and within a minute Clive Smith headed in a free-kick by Tom Allen – 2-2.
In extra time Ali Somnez and Mick Brown who had been rather disappointing on the Quorn flanks, began to make their marks. Somnez just failed to give Dawkins a goal before he coolly put Quorn ahead from a cross by Brown.
Midland’s attacks had been strictly limited for half an hour but they equalised when a low centre beat one defender after another leaving their substitute to race in and score from the right wing.
The stage was set for the climax. A modest crowd yelled for Quorn. Dawkins hit a shot while lying on the floor, the referee accepting that it had not crossed the line before being cleared. Somnez lashed a spectacular volley just wide and finally Mick Brown jinked past two defenders on a run through the middle feeding a perfect pass to Alan Dawkins who cracked the winner past Tony Ashton from 12 yards.
So, the first final of the competition ended with Clive Smith receiving the trophy from Harry Williamson.
It was a pity Barrow could not play in the final but there was compensation in two teams providing the most exciting decider of all the North Leicestershire finals this year.
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Submitted on: |
2011-01-07 |
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Submitted by: |
Kathryn Paterson |
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Artefact ID: |
1151 |
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Artefact URL: |
www.quornmuseum.com/display.php?id=1151 |
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