CLASSIC PROGRAMMES - TOW LAW TOWN v RHYL FC

Today we take a look at a classic programme from Saturday 22nd November 1986 for Tow Law Town v Rhyl in the FA Trophy Third Qualifying Round and a first edition copy of 'The Lawyers Brief'. 

The Lawyer's were then playing in The Northern League First Division and were one of the top teams in the league having finished 4th, 4th and 5th in the previous three seasons - they went on to be runner's up in 1989 and champions in 1995 when they finished top by fourteen points from their nearest challengers who were Billingham Synthonia. They were also runners up in 1999 and 2002. 

There Welsh visitors were members of the Northern Premier League and included in their squad a thirty-three year old Steve Daley who in September 1979 had been an English transfer fee record holder moving to Manchester City from Wolverhampton Wanderers for £1,437,500 which in today's money is equivalent to around £68,000,000! 

The programme states its the first copy of THE LAWYERS BRIEF and that 'It won't win any prizes for artistic value but for the first attempt - not bad'. I love the homemade quirky front cover and think now in 2020 it has a certain collectible and eccentric feel to it. 

There is also a page recounting the history of Tow Law Town and when the club were champions of the Northern League in 1924 and 1925 as well as some epic battled at The Ironworks Ground during the days of the FA Amateur Cup. It also details their famous FA Cup run in 1967/68 when they reached the FA Cup First Round proper and entertained football league side Mansfield Town. The first game was abandoned after a 'dreadful blizzard halted play early' and then the following week 'produced a really legendary day for The Lawyers' - At half time they were 0-1 down but a five goal blitz in the second half made the full time score 5-1. The Lawyers went on to play Shrewsbury Town at home drawing 2-2 though 'We swear blind we woz robbed!' - In the replay at Shrewsbury they lost - If they had of one they would played at home to Arsenal. 

The club got to the First Round in 68/69 and faced Mansfield Town again who got their revenge in a 4-1 victory. 

Tow Law Town got the first round two further times in 1989 when they lost to local rival's Bishop Auckland and in 1984 when Bradford City beat them 7-3. The programme states 'Here's looking forward to more glory!' 

IN THE SPOTLIGHT feature features Tony Gibson who was the club's goalkeeper and player of the year at the time and at the time drove a Vauxhall Astra with his most memorable match being the defeat of Scarborough to get through to the FA Cup First Round in 1984. The person he would most likely to meet is 'the man form the pools with a big cheque!'. 

Rhyl won the game 3-1 but were knocked out by Bromsgove Rovers in the First Round Proper who won 3-0. 

Tow Law Town were in Division Two of the EBAC Northern League for the 2019/20 season and were in eighth place when football was suspended in March 2020. 

There most famous day was probably in 1998 when they played in the FA Vase Final at Wembley Stadium losing to Tiverton Town by a very narrow scoreline of 1-0. Tow Law has a population of just over 2,000 but the team took around 4,000 fans to London for the game. To date the County Durham town is the smallest ever to reach a Wembley final.