Shields boys team beat footy stars of the future

He says: “This is most of the Jarrow Hebburn and Felling boys team which win the prestigious Hartlepool Hospitals Cup in 1962/63 season.

“We won 4-1 in the quarter finals, and beat Chester-le-Street boys, who included Colin Todd and Colin Suggett, in the semi-final.

“We played Stockton Boys in the final, who had defeated South Shields Boys in the other semi-final.

“Before the final we played a friendly with South Shields boys who beat us 4-1, and naturally there was some trepidation as we approached the final.”

And as Rob – who you will remember from previous articles was a member of The Crusaders pop group, who played regularly at La Strada, in South Shields – goes on to reveal, the lads may well have been forgiven for having such doubts when they fell behind in the final.

“Stockton scored in the first five minutes of the final,” says Rob, “which was at Leslie’s Sports Field, in Hebburn. But with a huge partisan crowd behind us we won 2-1, thanks to two brilliant goals from Davey Brown (third from the right, back row).

“I’m first right,back row, and next to me is the brilliant Anthony Hanson, who was like greased lightning.

“We both played for St Joseph’s Grammar, Hebburn, and I can name the rest, but it will be interesting, I think, if people respond and tell you who everyone is and what happened to them perhaps.

“I think there were a couple there who weren’t in the final team, as this photo was taken at the start of the next season. Certainly missing is Peter Wilson, from Felling, who ended up leading the Australian team as captain in the 1974 World Cup.

“One of the lads,John Trainor,back row, first left, died in 2015. The goalkeeper Rigby Jones died, aged just 21.”

What do you remember of the game? Please get in touch with your memories.