BOROUGH PARK MEMORIES: A taste of the unusual

Reds were still coming to terms with life in the Northern Premier League in the late seventies and supporters, having adapted from following a struggling Fourth Division team, were now welcoming some famous non-league teams to west Cumbria.

It was a whole new adventure.

In time, we became accustomed to playing the likes of Altrincham, Macclesfield Town, Scarborough and Matlock Town etc., with derby matches against our south Cumbrian neighbours Netherfield and Barrow.

But, throughout 1978, we hosted what could only be described as ‘different’ opponents in a series of friendlies – arranged with a view to fundraising for club and an unfortunate individual.

One game in particular, did draw incredible interest from the local public but the others were less of an attraction than our league fixtures at the time.

I’m sure many supporters in the ‘60 plus’ age bracket will recall a cold February evening in 1978 when Workington hosted the recently formed Fort Lauderdale Strikers – an American team who had attracted star names like George Best and Gerd Muller to play for them.

Part of their roster (squad) at that time was former Workington frontman, Dave Irving, and he and our secretary, Keith Nelson, helped arrange a friendly against Reds.  Unfortunately, they agreed on a date for a winter night at Borough Park not, sadly, in Florida!

As the idea evolved, we invited the one and only Bobby Charlton to guest for Workington.  The former Manchester United and England super-star was then a spritely 40-year-old but the thought of him returning to the ground he played at twenty years earlier in the FA Cup was a remarkable publicity coup.  This time, though, he would be playing for Workington.

Bobby Charlton guesting for the Reds

Playing for Fort Lauderdale were a host of journeyman English players trying to earn a contract ‘across the pond’, some foreigners already established there and, of course, the great Gordon Banks, Charlton’s World Cup winning colleague from 1966.

The match might not have gone ahead had it been a league game but it was played on a frosty night and attracted a staggering 6,000 attendance.

The Reds, who played in sky blue that night, lined-up as follows:

Gerard Fisher, Mike Leng, Kenny Wallace, David Wilson, Ian Johnston, Bobby Brown, Steve Crelling, Terry Davies, Walter Gillott, Bobby Charlton and Ian Hodgson.  Substitutes – David Marshall, John Salter and James Irving (all used).       

Two England World Cup stars on the same pitch, playing against each other, pulled in football fans from all over the county.  And it was Banks who finished slightly happier.  He prevented Bobby from scoring, kept a clean sheet and the only disappointment on a wonderful occasion was the fact that the match finished goalless!

In October, that same year there was another match played at Borough Park that was certainly different to the norm.  The Zambia national team were touring Britain and one of a handful games they played was at Borough Park.

Perhaps it was too soon after the Strikers game to whet the appetite of the ‘floating’ supporters and, having pulled in a such a big crowd to see Charlton and Banks, less than 600 turned out for the visit of the African team.

Bobby Moncur, the former Newcastle United, Sunderland and Scotland star guested for Reds whilst the Irving brothers, James and David, were team mates on this occasion having been on opposite sides in the Fort Lauderdale encounter.

Indeed, both Jimmy and Dave scored against Zambia, as did Walter Gillott, with Workington recording a narrow 3-2 victory.

Reds v. Zambia 1978

Some years later, 1993 in fact, the Zambia national team were travelling to a World Cup qualifier in Senegal and the plane crashed killing all twenty-five passengers and crew members.

That sad news struck a chord with us because of the tenuous link established fifteen years earlier

A month after Zambia’s visit, Borough Park staged another unusual mid-week friendly: Workington Reds v. Workington Town with the two clubs staging a football match as a testimonial for stricken Town player, John Burke.

He was injured a couple of months earlier and what had looked a promising career in the game came to an abrupt halt before he had even reached his prime.

The outcome was a 3-3 draw with Steve Crelling, Peter Foley and Mike Leng scoring for Reds.  Town had some great RL players at the time but the likes of Paul Charlton, Derek McMillan, Arnold Walker and Ray Wilkins were pretty decent at football too.  David Smith netted twice for Town that night.

That game attracted about 600 through the turnstiles.

More memories from the Borough Park years and something a little different.