THE WITTON COLUMN - By Paul Harper
LAST weekend, over on the club’s social media channels, we looked back on Witton Albion’s trip to Wembley for the FA Trophy Final in 1992.
As someone who is relatively new to the club, having began volunteering as recently as 2018 as a ‘foreigner’, it’s been great to look back on some of the history of this great club and share some great times enjoyed by the club.
Not too many clubs get the chance to play at the national stadium, so for Witton to have done that is a great achievement.
Despite the result, a 3-1 loss to Colchester United, it remains a memorable day and occasion in the history of the club.
We asked supporters to share their memories and stories of the day and it was brilliant to read all of them and see how much it meant for fans to follow their club to the big stage. Hopefully, we can get back there one day.
Here's the highlights of Wembley and the homecoming:
An excellent final. I did live reports for @BBCRadioManc that day.@WittonAlbion may have lost, but they performed really well against a very strong @ColU_Official side who also won the @TheVanaramaNL that season. https://t.co/q0RFA0rba9
— Brian Flynn (@brianjamesflynn) May 13, 2020
One of the best days of my life UTA
— Tracey Collins (@Albionchick) May 10, 2020
The man leading Witton Albion out is my late father Peter O’Brien.. this was probably his greatest day in football #ProudSon https://t.co/OIuNJSaLy4
— Andrew O'Brien (@BertieMagooo) May 10, 2020
I remember sitting on the bus coming back from Marine after the semi and my brother turning to me and saying 'I can't believe we are going to Wembley....'. We were a bit dazed by the prospect....
— Christopher Lowe (@lowealbion) May 10, 2020
Great photo of the gaffer and assistant the day before the Wembley final back in 1992! 📸
— Witton Albion Football Club (@WittonAlbion) May 9, 2020
Thanks for sharing with us @kevkeelan53 https://t.co/VkTLglt7hj
I remember we got to the coaches behind Morg only to realise my dad had left the tickets at home 😂 he had to rush home to get them. We left right on full time so didn’t see the lads get their medals or do a lap of honour.
— Mark Robinson (@robbowozere) May 9, 2020
Was gutted that we lost but not massively surprised, still magic when Lutkevich scored though, and a few comedians on the bus lifted spirits on the way home 🤣
— Stu (@SilentYeti) May 9, 2020
The Bus of ‘92. Strangely enough, the memories are at best .... hazy. pic.twitter.com/48TbiBv9Oi
— Brian McCabe (@thealbs) May 8, 2020
I remember that I fell asleep on the bus down, and woke up on the motorway with Uncle @conneelystephen telling me I'd slept through the game and we were on our way home! B#$@#$d! We lost the camera shortly after Wembley, so sadly no photos of the day out! #UTA
— tom conneely (@Conneely135) May 8, 2020
The game itself was an uphill challenge from the opening few minutes, with Albion conceding twice inside the first 20 minutes.
But the team kept going and going, and brought a goal back in the second half with a fantastic header by Mike Lutkevich.
Whilst pushing hard for an equaliser, and with Colchester having a man sent off in the final 10 minutes, Witton got done with a sucker punch and conceded in the final minute.
Nonetheless, it was a great achievement, a superb cup run to get to Wembley and a proud performance to get so close.
Colchester went on to move into the Football League and one of the names which stands out from the teamsheet of that game was a 19-year-old Mark Kinsella.
Kinsella was beginning to make his name in the game and he went on to play in the top flight with Charlton Athletic and Aston Villa, not to mention 48 international caps with the Republic of Ireland and appearances at the 2002 World Cup.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t obtain a digital copy of the full match, but I managed to find some key clips to share with our supporters and followers and I hope everyone enjoyed the little look back on the events of that day.
We’ll look at converting old DVDs and VHS tapes into digital format when the world turns to some sort of normality again.
To finish, and a thank you to those who have contributed to our crowdfunding campaign in the last couple of weeks.
With no income coming in to the club, the generosity of our fanbase is really helping us and is very much appreciated by everyone at the club.
We’re looking at doing one or two things to coincide with the crowdfunding, so please keep an eye on our social media channels and website for further information.
Stay safe everyone.
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