Matt Lumsdon, Crook Town's centre forward in the 1964 FA Amateur Cup winning team took a stroll down memory lane last week, writes John Phelan.

He watched his son, also called Matt, come on as a second half substitute for Crook in their Albany Northern League Cup tie against Easington last week.

The 18-year-old Matt has joined Crook and made a successful comeback from a broken leg which he received playing school football.

Matt senior joined Crook from Hylton CW half-way through the 1963-64 season. "I'd played in the Northern League before with Spennymoor and Durham City, but became disillusioned, mainly because of the travelling. I didn't have a car then, and travelled everywhere on the bus.

"Crook made an approach, and said they were going all out to win the Amateur Cup again. I didn't really believe them at the time. It was not easy back in the Northern League.

"I remember coming off black and blue after playing at Whitley Bay on New Year's Day, and missed the next match.

"We were drawn at home to Stanley United in the first round of the Amateur Cup. I was stripped and all ready to play when coach George Wardle came in to say that Stanley had heard that I'd played for Hylton in the competition. It was actually a friend of mine who had told them. George said it was best that I didn't play.

"Conditions at Stanley for the replay were Arctic-like. George dragged me on to the pitch, still in my suit, to try a pair of boots with low flat rubber studs. I said that they gripped well and a lot of the players wore them which gave us a big advantage.

"I remember banging over crosses from the left wing and Seamus O'Connell banging them into the net."

Crook were unsure of who was going to wear the number nine shirt during the cup run and Matt didn't play in the quarter finals or the semi-final at Newcastle. In fact after the 1-0 win over West Auckland in the third round replay on February 29, he only played two games before the Wembley final on April 18.

"In the final a lot of people thought I had scored the equalising goal. Myself and Jimmy Goodfellow went to meet a cross and it was Jimmy's head that put the ball into the net.

"I retired from football after the final, George Wardle went light, but I'd just been married, bought a house, and didn't want to pick up a serious injury."

Although Crook are bottom of the Albany Northern League, First Division, Matt junior is enjoying his football, "There's a brilliant atmosphere in the dressing room." he said.