Former Darlington manager Lol Morgan dies aged 90

The news was announced by Rotherham United, Morgan’s hometown club for whom he played in the 1950s and '60s, and maintained a strong connection with.

A statement read: “Everyone connected with Rotherham United has been deeply saddened to hear of the death of one of the club’s legends, Lol Morgan.

“Lol was one of the remaining members of the Millers team which played in the first ever Football League Cup Final in 1961. He was 90-years-old.

“Even in his later years he maintained an interest in, and connection with, his home town club and would attend supporters meetings from time to time. Only recently, and suffering from dementia, he was a welcome guest at John Breckin’s Memory Club monthly meetings at the stadium.”

A left-back during his playing days, he is remembered fondly by the Millers, for whom he made 326 appearances during a ten-year association.

Morgan’s time at Rotherham ended in 1964 when he became - at the age of 33 – player/manager at Feethams.

His first season saw Quakers finish 17th in Division Four, a campaign which included an FA Cup tie with Arsenal at Feethams in front of almost 20,000. Arsenal won 2-0.

The following year, ’65-66, Morgan led Darlington to promotion as runners-up, the club’s first promotion for 40 years and with a team that some supporters still regard as Quakers’ greatest ever team.

Mainstays in the side were goalkeeper Tony Moor, George McGeachie, Brian Keeble, John Peverell, Ray Yeoman, Alan Sproates, Joe Jacques, Bobby Cummings, Ron Greener, Eric Johnstone and Les O’Neill.

“A mixture of remarkable free transfer discoveries and big money buys," was how Northern Football described the squad at the time, with the largest outlay being £3,000 spent on centre-forward Cummings from Newcastle United.

Speaking to The Northern Echo’s Mike Amos in 2001, Morgan said: "We'd assembled a close-knit squad, good team spirit, not a bit of bad in any of them. If they could walk, they'd play football for me.”

And on Yeoman, he added: “You couldn't fall out with Ronnie but you couldn't make him cross the half way line, either. He'd say he'd get them when they came in the penalty box.”

Morgan’s men finished ’65-66 level on points with top-of-the-table Doncaster Rovers, placed second on goal average, with the final game of the season at home to Torquay United attracting an attendance of over 16,000.

"One of the lads even threw his shirt into the crowd," recalled Morgan in 2001. "I played hell with him; we hadn't the money to buy any more."

What had been his 94th match in charge, however, proved to be his last at Darlington as on June 22 Morgan succeeded Ron Ashman as manager of Norwich City.

He was sacked by Norwich early in 1969 and later turned down the chance to return to Darlington, and to Bradford City, because both clubs insisted he move from Rotherham, and never took another managerial job again.

"It was only because of moving that I didn't go back to Darlington; we'd just arrived back in Rotherham and there was the family to think about,” he told the Echo in 2001.

"After getting the sack at Norwich it was like getting my arm cut off really, that's why I took up golf, to give myself a big interest."

A spell as a scout at Tottenham Hotspur followed before he left football entirely to work as an advertising representative for the Rotherham Advertiser.

After leaving football he worked at Arthur Lee’s Steel in Sheffield before he became a rep for Bass Breweries.

In 2003, Morgan and some of his triumphant ’66 side made a welcome return to Darlington as part of the Farewell to Feethams celebrations.

The manager emerged first from the players’ tunnel to warm applause from fans, followed by assistant Jack Watson, followed by Eric Johnstone, John Peverell, Alan Sproates, Brian Keeble Tony Moor, Bobby Cummings, Norman Cardew, Bill Hopper and Ron Greener.