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16:00 GMT, Tuesday, 2 December 2008

St Neots Town relive FA Cup glory

By Peter Swan and Steve Jackson
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

John Gregory Histon are not the only Cambridgeshire-based side to have been celebrating FA Cup success this week.

Just down the road, St Neots Town have been commemorating the anniversary of their greatest Cup run.

In the 1966/67 season St Neots reached the first round proper of the FA Cup for the only time in their history.

For a club that has never played at even the highest levels of the non-league let alone the Football League, it was quite some achievement.

During the late 1960's, St Neots were in the United Counties League, under the stewardship of John Gregory - father of the future England international.

Gregory junior was back in St Neots this week to join the celebrations and remembers a childhood spent helping his dad around the club.

"My dad moved to St Neots in 1958 and he was player-manager, full time, £18 a week," he told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.

"I used to go with him everywhere. I'd be the ball boy and always go and collect the ball. I just grew up with St Neots Town."

St Neots' Cup adventure began just a couple of months after England had lifted the World Cup at Wembley.

Ely City were the first opponents, before wins over Rushden Town and Wisbech Town.

From there it was a trip to Walsall in the first round proper, and as club president John Walker recalls, it proved a hard-fought contest.

"We did very well," said Walker. "We were all level at 80 minutes and then our centre forward went down in the penalty area.

"But instead of a penalty, a free kick was given the other way - which was a bit of a con - Walsall went on to score two goals and we lost 2-0."

Despite the result, the clash with Walsall - played in front of over 10,000 at Fellows Park - remains a high point for St Neots.

In 1987, the club briefly disbanded after losing their original Shortsands home.

However over the last two decades St Neots' dedicated staff and fans have fought to successfully re-establish themselves at United Counties League level.

The club are currently in the UCL Premier - on the ninth step of the English league pyramid - and moved to a brand new stadium in 2007.

Rowley Park, which cost £6.5m to build, includes a function room, a bar and a restaurant.

Former Luton Town defender Marvin Johnson was appointed manager earlier this year and is moulding a young side ready for a promotion push next season.

Chairman John Delaney believes the club have the support and resources to start moving up the leagues sooner rather than later.

"We've a got a young aspiring manager," said Delaney. "We want to press forward and move up a couple of divisions.

"In terms of facilities, we've got that, our gates have doubled season on season and I think we owe it to the town to press on."

So remember the name, St Neots Town. They just might be the next Histon.



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Related to this story:

FA Cup third round draw (30 Nov 08 |  FA Cup )
Histon 1-0 Leeds (30 Nov 08 |  FA Cup )

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