A UNIQUE football programme has come to light from the days of Liddell and Lofthouse.

It comes from the first match ever played under floodlights at Nelson FC against a Tom Finney All-Star XI.

It was watched by a sizeable crowd at the old Seedhill ground, on March 7, 1962, with spectators paying 1s 9d to watch from the enclosure.

Costing just 2d, what makes the programme special is that many of the top name players of the day have autographed it!

The 45-year-old programme has been lent to Looking Back by Ron Walton, who was goalkeeper for Nelson at the time, but ended up in the nets for the All Stars.

He cannot, however, remember the score.

The match had been arranged to officially open the new floodlights that had just been installed at Nelson - they had been donated by Preston North End who had taken delivery of new ones - and was refereed by Jack Kelly.

The All Stars lined up with a two-man defence, Mather and Eckersley; a midfield of Cockburn, Bell and Shannon, while the forward line comprised, Liddell, Horton, Gordon, Lofthouse and Finney!

As well as playing football, Ron, who lives in Blackburn, was also a cricketer and today he is an umpire in the Ribblesdale League.

In the Fifties he was on the books of Blackburn Rovers, after being spotted playing for Darwen in his teens, but was called up for national service in 1957 when he served with the RAF out in Singapore.

When he returned home two years later, however, there had been a change of manager and his services were no longer required!

Said Ron: "John Carey was the Rovers' manager in 1957 and he tried hard to get me off the posting, but failed. We exchanged many letters while I was in Singapore, but by the time I came home, he had moved on." So Ron found a new club, too, Southport, which were then in the League. Over the years he also played professionally for Nelson, Chorley and Great Harwood and then on an amateur basis for Feniscowles and the Alexandra Hotel in the Blackburn Saturday and Sunday leagues.

During his cricketing career he was also a fast bowler, playing for Barnoldswick in the 1969 and 1970 seasons, although he has been a member of Blackburn Northern since 1965.

This photograph of Blackburn Northern was taken in 1968, when the club won the league and cup double.

During that season Ron took 91 wickets, a record which still stands today.