The life of the church was not always his calling

Meet the talented footballer who played in black and white, won a cup final and was a vicar in South Shields.

Rev John Maughan whose footballing past was impressive before he became a vicar in South Shields. | sg

placeholder image — Rev John Maughan whose footballing past was impressive before he became a vicar in South Shields. | sg

The Rev John Maughan was a headline hitter in 1974. At the time, Mr Maughan was serving the people of St Mark’s and Cuthberts Church in South Shields but the life of the church was not always his calling.

Earlier, he had played for Pegasus when they won the Amateur Cup in 1951, beating Bishop Auckland 2-1 at Wembley.

It was a pulsating game played in front of 100,000 fans. Bishop Auckland started as the favourites but a Potts header put the university team from the Oxford area ahead.

Pegasus doubled their lead with a low shot from Tanner finding the corner of the net, before a Bishop Auckland goal narrowed the lead.

Reverend John Maughan, from St Mark’s and Cuthbert’s in South Shields, had a winners medal from a prestigious match at Wembley. | sg

John Maughan played a fine game in the Pegasus defence which held firm to lift the trophy.

He was so talented as a footballer, he went on to sign for Newcastle and was approached by Chelsea.

He did make it in black and white, as a vicar when he decided that the church was to be his life.

Action from the 1974 FA Cup Final between Newcastle and Liverpool. (Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Rev Maughan got in touch with the media after Newcastle’s epic run to the 1974 FA Cup Final.

These were halcyon days for our two big North East teams, with Sunderland famously having triumphed at Wembley exactly one year earlier.

It gave the Shields Gazette an ideal opportunity to take an action shot of the Rev Maughan playing football in his clergyman’s robes.

Get in touch if there is a sporting hero in your family tree, whether it is football, rugby, cricket, athletics or any other game.

To give you more of a reminder of life in the borough at the time, all this was happening.

The Gaumont cinema in South Shields was showing The Stone Killer starring Charles Bronson while Diana Ross was portraying Billy Holliday in Lady Sings The Blues at the Crown Cinema in Jarrow.

If you preferred some sporting activity of your own, tennis rackets were on sale at Rippons shop in Charlotte Terrace in South Shields, opposite the Town Hall.

Share your own memories of South Tyneside life in the 1970s by emailing [email protected]