HIGHGATE HONOUR ALLDEN TRAGEDY
ONE of Non-League football’s worstever tragedies was remembered 50 years to the day last weekend when Midland League Premier Division outfit Highgate United rededicated their main stand to centre-half Tony Allden, who was killed by lightning, writes ROBIN JONES.
February 25, 1967, should have been the-then Worcestershire Combination club’s proudest moment in their history, for they were to host mighty Enfield in the quarter final of the FA Amateur Cup.
A clear blue sky hung over Tythebarn Lane in Shirley, Solihull, when the game kicked off in front of 3,000 spectators, and Enfield went 1-0 up after 25 minutes.
However, minutes afterwards, the blue sky had given way to grey cloud. There was a sudden peal of thunder and a bolt of lightning blasted a group of five players, Allden, brothers Eric and Roy Taylor, Mick Keeley and Enfield’s Ray Hill. Four of them were merely shocked, but Allden died in Solihull Hospital the following day.
Before last Saturday’s game against Long Eaton at The Coppice, more than 250 guests including past players and officials as well as FA and local county FA and league representatives paid tribute to Tony
They watched and applauded as his widow Sue May and sister Christine Mills unveiled the newly-named The Tony Allden Stand. Also present were Tony’s former team mates including goalkeeper Tony Sawyer, Tony Hughes, Hughie Doherty, Roy Taylor, Trevor Jones, Gordon Cooper and Eric Taylor, and best man and best friend Graham Parkes, who recently came over from Spain.
There were also players from the later Highgate team who reached the semi-final of the FA Amateur Cup six years later, in Roger Shaw, Bill Tetley, Dennis Bryan and Ronnie Mason.
Highgate’s current captain Josh Hawker laid a large wreath in the club colours in front of the stand, the attached card reading “Remembering Tony Allden, Never to be forgotten, from all at Highgate United Past & Present”.
Also present were a contingent from Enfield Town, one of two successor clubs to Enfield FC, and which included three spectators from that game half a century ago. They chose to miss their side’s game at Lowestoft Town so they could be at Highgate to pay their respects.
Roger Green, who had seen that fateful game, laid a wreath in Town’s colours of red, white and blue. The crowd then observed a minute’s silence.
In previous days, the anniversary event had been featured on local BBC TV and radio.
Back at the clubhouse, Tony’s widow gave a speech, dedicating the day to his sister. “I found happiness when I married again, but you can never replace a brother.”
Several of those in attendance produced scrapbooks containing new cuttings of the terrible day and shared memories.
Highgate are arranging a home pre-season friendly against Enfield Town in July to mark the anniversary, and a book about the tragedy is set to be published.