Remembering Tony

Cumbria staged two big games at the weekend and the second of those saw a number of former Workington Reds players turn out at Frenchfield as Carlisle United faced Penrith in an ‘old boys’ match with a difference.

Billed as a legends’ reunion, it was the last game played on grass at Penrith’s stadium before redevelopment over the summer sees an ‘all weather’ 4G surface installed – the first for a senior club in Cumbria.

But the fun-match also helped raise funds for the motor neurone disease association, almost five years after the sad passing of former Reds’ skipper, Tony Hopper.

United played in the famous ‘deck-chair’ strip with the likes of Mark Boyd, Graham Anthony, Gavin Skelton, Darren Edmondson, Richard Prokas, Kyle May, Ian Milburn and Derek Walsh, among others, rekindling their former years.  And providing some much-needed youthful exuberance to proceedings was Tony’s eldest son, Dan, currently on a two-year scholarship programme at Brunton Park.

A much younger Penrith line-up, who won the match by the odd goal in five, included former Reds player and manager, David Hewson, with his team mates for the day including Kevin Frampton, Andy Wright, Lee Hoolickin, David Lynn, Dean Douglas, Michael Reed, Mark Jones and goalkeepers James Holland and Nigel McCombie, all of whom spent time at Borough Park.

The match, played in three half hour periods, was refereed by former Reds’ assistant manager, Kenny Brown.

The near 500 attendance raised a few thousand pounds for MNDA.