Jimbo 133 Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Durham non-League club West Auckland Town are to play Italian side Juventus in a friendly in Turin on 1 August. The trip marks the 100-year anniversary of the club's 6-1 defeat of Juve to win the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy, which was later dubbed 'the first World Cup.' A £10,000 donation from the Football Association has enabled the Northern League outfit to make the journey. "We are delighted to support West Auckland FC's return to Turin," said FA chairman Lord Triesman. "It's so important they are able to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their famous match with Juventus. "This is a wonderful story and it's only right that they will be in Italy to commemorate the remarkable achievement of winning the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy." The trophy is widely seen as the forerunner to the Jules Rimet Trophy, which was won by England in 1966. West Auckland, then a team mainly made up of coal miners, defeated German side Stuttgart in the inaugural competition in 1907 before beating Winterthur of Switzerland 2-0 in the final. Two years later, they retained the trophy - which became theirs to keep - by beating Zurich in the opening match and then trouncing Juventus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renton 17633 Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Canny. Saw 'Alf Ramsey Knew My Grandfather' at the Gala theatre in Durham a few months ago which covered this story (clicky). Nice to see they're commemorating it, hope West Auckland trounce them again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Dennis Waterman was in the film about it wasn't he? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo 133 Posted July 1, 2009 Author Share Posted July 1, 2009 Dennis Waterman was in the film about it wasn't he? wrote and sung the theme tune too, if I recall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papa Lazaru 0 Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Nice to hear the FA actually doing something good for once, helping them out finacially to have their game against Juve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0 Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Didn't the trophy get pinched from West Auckland's clubhouse? Did they ever recover it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 Didn't the trophy get pinched from West Auckland's clubhouse? Did they ever recover it? Yes it did and I'm not sure if it was ever recovered but I don't think it was. I seem to remember a story about a replica being made to replace it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fop 1 Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 Are they still playing the 2nd reserve junior team? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheItalianMagpie 0 Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 I hope that West Auckland Town humiliate the shitty thieves... and if they do they'll have my everlasting respect! FORZA TORO!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom 13817 Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sima 0 Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084918/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Castell 0 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 My grandad used to play for Bishop Auckland in the 1940's and/or 1950's. That's probably a different team though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom_NUFC 0 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 My grandad used to play for Bishop Auckland in the 1940's and/or 1950's. That's probably a different team though. Yup, different team, different place, though not far from one another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themags 0 Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 aye West is a few miles away from Bishop Auckland. Bishop Auckland were one of the most sucessful amatuer teams back in the 50s, they dont even have a ground at the moment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0 Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 aye West is a few miles away from Bishop Auckland. Bishop Auckland were one of the most sucessful amatuer teams back in the 50s, they dont even have a ground at the moment Bishop donated three players to Man United after the Munich disaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo 133 Posted August 2, 2009 Author Share Posted August 2, 2009 Long before the golden boys of 1966, a village team of coalminers and tradesmen from County Durham went to Italy in 1909 and won a tournament dubbed the "first World Cup". A century later, the non-leaguers celebrated their historic victory with a rematch against a Juventus side in Turin... but only after a long trek, just like their footballing forefathers. Pre-season friendlies rarely get players buzzing with excitement. But the noise and banter and sense of occasion on board the West Auckland team bus soon told you this was not a typical friendly. The part-timers were retracing a journey first taken 100 years ago when the club was selected to represent England in Italy in one of the earliest international football contests. It was an unlikely choice, because the team were not well-known and it is still not clear exactly why they were picked. One theory is that the organiser Sir Thomas Lipton - the man behind Lipton's teas - had contacts in the Northern League. And yet, against all the odds, the pitmen beat the professionals and lifted the trophy. And, just to prove it was no fluke, they repeated the feat two years later, thumping the mighty Juventus 6-1 in the final. Inspiration and expectation The mines may have gone, but West Auckland remain a proud amateur outfit, made up these days of college students, gas fitters, electricians and plumbers. For them, the journey across the continent had barely changed either. Just like the original team, the lads of 2009 were forced to make the 800-mile trip by land and sea after the air fare proved too expensive. It meant a marathon 24-hour coach ride through the night, giving the players time to reflect on their illustrious predecessors - young men with bristling moustaches and long baggy shorts whose black-and-white images are a source of inspiration as well as expectation. "It's a lot to live up to, but it makes you feel if they managed it 100 years ago then we can give it our best as well and see what happens," said striker Chris Musgrave, a student at Durham University. "There's not many people at our level get the opportunity to go to Italy and play against a top team like Juventus," added centre-back and accountant Leigh Grant. "So it's important we hold our own and don't let ourselves down." 'Proper trophy' When the coach pulled up at Juventus' training ground, where the match was to take place in the foothills of the Italian Alps, club officials were keen to show off their most valuable cargo - the World Cup itself. Sadly, it is a replica. The real thing was stolen from the clubhouse back in 1994 and, despite a police investigation and a big money reward, it was never found. But the battered wooden box is original. "At least they didn't take the box," laughed 80-year-old West Auckland groundsman Frank Patrick, who made the journey with the players. Mr Patrick proudly carried the case on to the Juventus pitch with his 76-year-old colleague Les Nevison, and the pair set about giving the trophy a quick polish with a cleaning cloth. A group of Italian children gathered round, intrigued if slightly bemused by this piece of history in their midst. "This is a proper trophy," Mr Nevison told them. "A lot of trophies, they're just big cups for putting champagne in. "But this is a proper bit of silverware with a proper footballer on top." Back in the dressing room, the team changed into their specially-made anniversary kit - a replica of the one their ancestors wore when they were last on Italian soil. A crowd of about 500 people cheered the players on to the pitch. Most were locals who paid 10 Euros to get in. A few dozen more watched through the wire fencing for free. Juventus fielded their under-21 team, but right from the kick-off they were strong and threatening and dominated the game. We can leave here with our heads held high Brian Honour West Auckland manager At least two of the youngsters on the pitch have already played for the full team and many more seem destined to become stars of the future. Within minutes, West Auckland were already a goal down. By half-time, it was 6-0 and some of the travelling supporters watching on anxiously from the stands feared a rout. But the away team started the second half much more brightly, winning tackles and creating chances. And, despite conceding for a seventh time, the West Auckland pressure finally paid dividends when Keith Hutchinson coolly slotted the ball past the Juventus keeper to ensure a final scoreline of 7-1. "I'm really proud," said manager Brian Honour as his players were applauded from the pitch. "When you're up against quality opposition, sometimes you've got to take your hat off and say they were the better side and they beat us. The West Auckland players reflect on a once-in-a-lifetime game "What matters is that the lads reacted in the right way and we can leave here with our heads held high." The new season starts next Saturday with a slightly less glamorous fixture against West Allotment Celtic, but these players will always share special memories of their trip to renew acquaintances with their old rivals Juventus. History may have left the two teams worlds apart, but the World Cup still goes home with West Auckland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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