HISTORY

Lower Gornal F.C. before World War Two Regular Yampy readers will know that we have previously published information about the all-conquering Gornal team of 1948/49 click here. This season's Peacock's match programme does not mention the formidable 48/49 side on its Club History page, although chairman Chris Smith is keen to rectify this and is also appealing for information from even further back in time in order to produce a comprehensive history that honours the long and distinguished tradition of football in the village. Although Lower Gornal Athletic was founded in 1945, this merely marked the rebirth of a club that had stagnated in the fifteen years prior to the War but before that had produced sides that even rivalled the 1948/49 team in repute. According to Albert Sargent , it is highly likely that we had a team before 1900, and he personally remembered the 1912/13 season when they reached the final of the Dudley Guest Hospital Cup after triumphing over Sunbeam Motors on Sedgley Rovers' pitch. The team that day was Charlie Harris in goal, Len Evans and Jesse Ward at the back, Wellings, Amphlett, and Grice as half-backs, and (note the non-existence of the concept of midfield!) Whitehouse, Stokes, Woodall, Parkes, Turner and Jackson up front. In the final they faced Old Hill Unity and shared the cup following a three-all draw (no penalty shoot-outs in 1913!), despite losing the goalie with a broken leg and getting Jesse Ward sent off. In those days the team consisted largely of strapping fit colliers who made up for any deficit in skill with maximum effort, as it was considered an honour to represent the village. Matches could be brutal affairs and Len Cooper, whose Gornal career straddled the First World War, once recalled that after a particularly enthusiastic game against Bradley United police protection was necessary to get them home! Once the 1914-18 War was over a fine Gornal side began to emerge under trainer Harry Timmins. They won the Dudley Guest Cup in 1921 and again in 1923 in games that drew crowds approaching an amazing five thousand in number. In 1977 and 1975 respectively, The Black Country Bugle published photographs of the 1919/20 and 1920/21 teams, and we are hoping that The Bugle will allow us to reproduce these for you. For the many Yampy readers who are also Gornal family historians, here is the 1919 line-up: Ben Timmins, Billy Cox, Tom Hemmings, Les Kennett, Joe Cooper, Isaac Bradley, Tom Guest, Billy Jones (the eponymous Billy on Th'ob!), Sam Smith, Ted Fellowes, Len Hickman , Dave Wakelam, Percy Beardsmore, George Wakelam, Abe Passmore, Len Cooper, Job Jones, Bill Woodhall, Jack Jones, Alf Jones. Ernie Hickman was absent. Additional names on the following season's picture include: Arthur Moss, Stan Hemmings, Albert Hughes, Joe Lawrence, Jonah Tighe, Alf Smith, PC Jarvis, and Isaac Bradley jnr. The circumstances that led, from around 1925, to the demise of this successful and vibrant side are not known; Albert Sargent always intended to produce a complete history and it would be fascinating to discover if he actually achieved this. The fortunes of the club deteriorated to such an extent that when the Second World War was over it was necessary to convene a public meeting in order to re-establish the organisation. T.B. Noddings was made secretary, assisted on the Committee by a number of players from the 1920 side. They joined the Wolverhampton Amateur League and before the end of the decade had achieved the remarkable success highlighted in our previous articles. Our thanks go to Norah Stevens for supplying much of the above information, for which we gratefully acknowledge the Black Country Bugle as primary source. Gornal Chairman Chris Smith visited the Yampy offices recently during preparation of this article, and is extremely interested in producing a definitive club history. If you have any relevant photographs or details, particularly from pre-1945, he would be delighted to hear from you on 01384 866688.