Silkmen hero’s family hope for repeat of Wembley glory
THE family of a man who played a key role in one of Macclesfield Town’s greatest triumphs say they are ready to cheer on the Silkmen to another Wembley victory.
Captain Frank Beaumont led Macclesfield Town FC to glory at the first-ever FA Trophy final on May 2, 1970.
Now his family – including his widow Penny, 75, son Martin, 48, daughter Sarah, 51, and grandchil- dren George, 19, and Callum, 18 – are hoping to see the team lift the cup once again when the Silkmen return to the iconic venue for the final of the FA Trophy on May 21.
Martin, who was only 10 months old when Frank led his team up the famous 39 steps to collect the brand new trophy, says the win was his dad’s ‘career highlight’.
He said: “While my dad and the lads performed their cup heroics I was outside the stadium in a pushchair being looked after by a nanny the club had hired.
“Dad had a 50-year career and three England Youth caps, but he always described that FA Trophy as the highlight of his career.
“He was so proud of that team. He said they were a superb group of lads.
“A few years ago John Bennett, the fullback in that team, sent me a cutting which compared dad and his Telford counterpart Ron Flowers.
“It referred to ‘ Beaumont’s Day’ and that he ‘led from the front’ and showed that winning it meant more to him than Flowers.”
Frank, who died in 2011 and whose ashes are scattered at the Moss Rose, led his team to victory in the newly-created competition for non-league clubs despite facing a Telford side containing the likes of England World Cup squad member Ron Flowers, his former Wolves team-mate Jimmy Murray and Northern Ireland goalkeeper Bobby Irvine.
They beat Telford United 2-0 in front of more than 15,000 Maxonians.
The occasion captured the imagination of the whole town and, in addition to those who made the journey south to the Twin Towers, an estimated 30,000 lined the streets of Macclesfield to cheer their heroes in an open-top bus parade.
Every year the family make the pilgrimage from their home in Barnsley to Macclesfield to watch a game and pay their respects.
Martin said: “We’ll always have a soft spot for Macclesfield.
“Our trip to Wembley will be an emotional day, but we also hope one of celebration like in 1970.”