John Motson and the Newcastle United game which 'changed his life'

Motson, born in Salford, Lancashire, enjoyed a distinguished career with the BBC, covering 29 FA Cup finals and 10 World Cups.

An announcement on the BBC Sport website read: “Legendary commentator John Motson, who had an illustrious 50-year career with the BBC, has died aged 77.”

After starting as a newspaper reporter in Barnet, and at the Sheffield Morning Telegraph, Motson joined the BBC in 1968 as a sports presenter on Radio 2.

Motson’s commentary on Ronnie Radford’s famous long-range strike which helped non-league Hereford United knock top-flight Newcastle United out of the FA Cup in 1972 saw him take top billing on Match of the Day – pushing him into the spotlight and the affections of the sporting public.

“Radford again… oh what a goal! Radford the scorer. Ronnie Radford – and the crowd are invading the pitch ... and now it will take some time to clear the field. What a tremendous shot by Radford,” the broadcaster bellowed out.

However, had that angled thunderbolt ended up flying over the crossbar rather than arrowing into the top-left corner past the desperate dive of Newcastle goalkeeper Willie McFaul, then things could have turned out very differently for Motson, affectionately known as “Motty”.

“If Ronnie hadn’t scored that goal and Hereford had not beaten Newcastle, I don’t think I would be here talking to you now,” Motson said as he reflected back on his long career ahead of finally putting down the microphone with the BBC for the last time in May 2018.

“It changed my life, in the sense I was on trial that year at the BBC, I hadn’t got a contract at that stage. I had been in radio, and they kind of borrowed me for a year if you like to see if I made out.

“That replay between Hereford and Newcastle was sort of designated to be a bit of a formality.

"If Newcastle had won it, the match would have been shown for about three minutes on Match of the Day.

“Then when Ronnie’s goal turned it, and Ricky George, who by coincidence was a friend of mine, scored the winning goal in extra-time, the match was propelled to the top of the running order and we had an audience of about 10million.

“From that moment onward, maybe the BBC thought they could trust this young guy with a big match, so yes, it was a stroke of luck and a huge turning point, it was the moment which changed my career.”

Motson’s long career also took in two Olympic Games and Wimbledon’s memorable 1988 FA Cup final triumph against Liverpool at Wembley as the Crazy Gang beat the Culture Club.

Awarded the OBE in 2001 for services to broadcasting, Motson hung up his microphone for the BBC at the end of the 2017/18 Premier League season.

Writing on Twitter, ITV commentator Clive Tyldesley said: “As a teenager I just wanted to be John Motson.

"Nobody else. Terribly sad.”