When we broke new ground by publishing a revamped photograph from the early 1930s, the quick response was not expected.
But we now have names for that colour print of the Harrington team which won the Lonsdale Cup in the 1931/32 season.
It was in fact the Harrington School team and the players, and presumably teachers/governors have all been identified.
Remarkable two of those young lads from the school went on to play professionally, and one of them played twice for England.
They were Billy Elliott of West Bromwich Albion, capped v Scotland in 1946, and Harry Brown who played for Hull City and Wolverhampton.
Elliott is recorded fondly in the Albion online ABC of players where he was described as a stalwart the years either side of the war.
They say: “A dynamic outside right, Elliott had joined the Throstles in December 1938, coming from Bournemouth, a far cry from his native Cumberland. It was actually a return to this part of the world, the club from Staffordshire having rejected him as a 16-year-old.
“Elliott’s great strength was remarkable close control, but the quality of his crossing was top class as well, that blossoming in the post-war period when he and centre-forward Dave Walsh struck up a ruthless partnership that racked up so many goals for the club.
“Elliott appeared in 17 league games and scored three goals before Hitler nipped his career in the bud and by the time league football returned properly in 1946/47, Elliott was 26, having lost a swathe of his best years. And there’s no question that he was good during those missing years. Very good, good enough to play for his country.
“Elliott did not strictly represent club and country because his two appearances for England do not appear as full internationals in the official record books. Perhaps that’s understandable in terms of his first game, a 2-0 win for England over Wales at Ninian Park just a month before D Day and a full year before VE day heralded the beginning of the end of the war – not that it was any consolation to those troops still getting shot at in the “forgotten war” in the far east mind you.
“Quite why his second appearance was not deemed worthy of full status is altogether more perplexing though, given that it was against the old enemy, Scotland, and at Hampden Park almost a year after the hostilities had ceased, on 13th April 1946, England losing to the only goal of the game.
“Elliott continued to perform at a high level for the Throstles after the war, eventually accumulating a career record of 40 goals in 182 games – how much more impressive would that have sounded if he could have had those seven seasons of football?
“Ultimately, Elliott was denied official international status in the post-war games because he really was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“After all, what hope did you have of playing on the right wing for England when there was Stanley Matthews and Tom Finney in the queue in front of you?”
There was a later connection to Billy’s native county of Cumberland when his daughter married Brian Wood who was to go on and prove to be such a favourite for Workington Reds.
Wood, a reliable and determined centre-back who formed an outstanding partnership with Tommy Spencer under manager Brian Doyle, was later given temporary charge of the first team following the departure of George Aitken.
There was the unedifying sight of chairman Tony Perry dashing from the directors box at Darlington to tell Brian early in the second-half of an FA Cup-tie that the club had appointed Colin Meldrum after news had broken on the radio about him joining the Reds.
Harry Brown, a year older than Elliott had joined Workington in 1937 before signing for Wolves in 1938 and making his senior debut on April 22, 1939 in a goalless draw at Bolton.
He played the following game against Leicester City but the war intervened and when hostilities ended he had moved to Hull City where he went on to play 22 times.
Sadly he was killed in a road crash in 1963 in Lincolnshire aged 44.
The full line-up is as follows: Standing: Mr J Bibby, Mr R Deans, Mr Fisher, Mr McCullough, N Bawden, N Hardon, J Denham, Mr J Simpson, Mr W Hill, Mr Gregson, Mr E Johnston, Mr D McVay.
Players standing in centre: J Quayle, R Steel, G Armstrong.
Seated: Mr W McGuinness, B Elliott, W Bell, W Tubman, S Casson, H Brown, Mr S Carter.
See more sporting photos from the past brought back to life in glorious technicolour here.
