FAI Cup medals close at hand and an uncle who was

THERE is little evidence of Joe Wilson’s decorated football career around his home but all he has to do is reach for the hand of his wife, Helen, and there it is – his 1960 FAI Cup medal, won with Shelbourne.

When they were married in 1963, Wilson’s Cup medal was melted down for two wedding rings by Brendan O’Brien, a teammate at Shels, who was also a jeweller.

Later, when his daughters, Denise and Deirdre, were married, Wilson had his second winner’s Cup medal with Shels melted into wedding rings for them.

A morning’s chat with Wilson unearthed a hidden gem about another footballer in the Wilson family tree, John Rudd, his mother Alice’s brother.

‘My ma’s brother John was signed by Manchester City way back. They brought him over and gave him a house. 75 Montyn St, Moss Side, Manchester it was. I’ve never forgotten the address,’ he recalled.

As a City fan, I’d never heard of John Rudd but I checked it out and John, or Jimmy, as he was known in England, was indeed on City’s books.

Born in Dublin in 1919, Rudd signed for City in 1938 from Terenure Athletic but his time at Maine Road coincided with the Second World War. He enlisted and played for the British Forces alongside the likes of Tom Finney and Stan Cullis.

After the war, Rudd made two first team appearances for City before being transferred to York City.

He also played for Leeds United, Rotherham, where he won the Division Three (North) Championships in 1951, Scunthorpe and Workington.

In all, he made 227 English League

appearances and, later he returned to City as a match day steward. He died in 1985.

Rudd was a pacey outside left, five foot six inches in height and weighed 10 stone nothing – Joe Boy was a ringer for his uncle.

Today, Wilson and his great friends Freddie Strahan and Jackie Hennessy will gather at Aviva Stadium for the Extra.ie FAI Cup final.

His brother John, and his own son Karl, the father of Shelbourne full-back JR, will be there too.

There will be talk of old times, when the Reds ruled the Irish football kingdom and they were among its shining knights.