THE SEASON THAT WAS THE TREBLE AND A TRIP TO WEMBLEY TO BOOT!

Ask anyone familiar with the non league game in this neck of the woods about Rainworth Miners' Welfare and it is likely they will reply "the Vase run of '82". Detailed below is an account of the season, culled from extracts from the "Chad" reports of the time.

The Vase campaign began with an away tie to Armitage of the West Midland League in October 1981, a small crowd saw Rainworth start well but fall behind to a goal by Holloway with the Welfare defence appealing for offside. The home side then nearly doubled their advantage as Doyle wasted a good opportunity on a breakaway. Rainworth finally equalised in the first half, Dave Hallam volleying in a Paul Comerford cross and an Alan Raine freekick 10 minutes before the interval gave the visitors a half time lead. Welfare maintained their advantage in the second half and made the game safe on 65 when Hallam drove home a loose ball to make it 3-1.

The following month, Rainworth were drawn at home to Hatfield Main from the Doncaster area at home, Welfare started strongly with Comerford prominent on the right. Hallam went close early on before having the ball in the net from a Comerford cross but the "score" was dissallowed. On 35, main scored against the run of play through Miller, but Hallam levelled five minutes into the second half. A quarter of an hour from time, Main again took the advantage, Smith making it 2-1 but two goals in the last 10 minutes from Raine and Dick Radzki scoring directly from a corner on 88, saw Welfare through to the 2nd Round.

The home tie against North Ferriby was called off some 6 times before it finally took place in the slush and snow of January 1982.  The first half saw Trevor Sterland clear off his own line and at the other end, Comerford had a shot headed off the Ferriby goal line. The latter took the lead on 65 when Fraser headed a loose ball over Bernie Dawson but the lead lasted just seven minutes before the influential Comerford got to to bye line and his cross was met by Radzki close in. Ninety minutes failed to seperate the sides and it took a 20 yard free kick from Radzki in the 98th minute after Comerford had been fouled  to settle it after Dawson had pulled off a string of fine saves and a "fine display" from centre back Sterland. Manager Brian Phillips was quoted as " We were magnificent and if we continue to play like this, we could win through the next two rounds".

The same month it took extra time again at Kirklington Road as Appleby Frodingham (now also in the CML Supreme) were defeated 4-1. After just 4 minutes, Hallam fired home from inside the area from an acute angle but Davies just before the final whistle put a loose ball past Dawson to equalise. Rainworth scored three times in extra time, firstly Barry Reah was fouled and his floated free kick into the area was delicately headed in by Radzki wrong footing the Appleby keeper. In the second period of the extra 30, John Slater found Nigel Robinson and after evading three tackles slotted a shot under the keeper for 3-1. Finally in the 112th minute, Radzki added his second and Welfare's fourth to book a place in the draw for round 4.   Brian Phillips paid a tribute to trainer, Jimmy McGowan, "fitness won us the match".   

A crowd of over 300 saw Rainworth overcome Sheffield based, Frecheville 1-0 in the 4th Round, Hallam again the scorer in the 8th minute beating the visitor's keeper to a Mark Hodgson cross. Welfare missed chances to extend the lead in the second half, Brian Knowles miskicked a Robinson cross wide and a slick move converted by Radzki was ruled out for offside. Club secretary, Alan Wright, who had only taken over the job this season was quoted as, " It is like a fairytale to believe it is happening". Striker Hallam was later found to be suffering from concussion.

A fifth round tie against Midland League, Skegness Town saw over 1,000 at Kirklington Road, a game in which many had Welfare as favourites, despite lower league status. The game was settled by a single goal, 10 minutes from time, when a long ball from Raine found Radzki on the edge of the Town area and cutting inside unleashed an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net. The next ten minutes saw resolute defending from Welfare with Sterland and Mel Oliver outstanding in the heart of defence and keeper, Dawson pulling off a string of fine saves to preseve the narrow advantage. On a rare sortie into the opposition half in this time, Town's keeper, Finch made a fine save from Hallam's header to keep the visitors in the game, but Welfare marched on to a sixth round clash with Moseley in Surrey.

A non event as far as the game as a spectacle was concerned watched by 300 saw visitor's Welfare steal it with just two minutes left through Reah's 20 yard low left foot drive. The defender crowned a fine personal display by heading off his own goal line in the last minute. Brian Phillips stated it was "the worst performance in the Vase so far, we did not play". Whether they played or not was immaterial, the Miner's Welfare side from the humble Notts Alliance now found itself in the Semi Final of a national competition.

Barton Rovers were the oppostion over the two legged semi final tie, the first leg away. It finished goal less with the only effort on the Rainworth goal coming in the last minute when a long range shot was superbly stopped by Dawson. At the other end, the "Chad" correspondant reported that the wide men of Comerford and Robinson had "run the Rovers' defenders ragged" and but for "Odell the centre back, Rainworth would have scored". The hero of the second leg was Dave Hallam, in a game watched by 5,071 at Kirklington Road, a record attendance still outside the final, he scored a goal in each half in the 41st and 78th minutes after Rovers' Gear had caught the home defence static, stooping to head home an equaliser. Rainworth had reached the twin towers of Wembley.

The final was something of an anti-climax, Forest Green Rovers were too strong on the day and ran out comfortable 3-0 winners. Some 12,000 plus made the trip to Wembley with some estimating that 10,000 had come from the Mansfield area. It had all started well with Radzki having a shot turned away for a corner by Moss and Knowles hitting the cross bar. Hallam then drilled a cross shot fed by Radzki wide of an empty net before in the 23rd minute, Leitch tapped in a Millard cross. Against the run of play in the second half, Rovers extended their lead when Leitch scored a second after a defensive mix-up between Sterland and Oliver and Norman chipped Charlie Watson from 25 yards to make the game safe. Tim Morriss reporting for the "Chad" said the difference between the sides was "two debatable refereeing decisions and a defensive mix-up" but considered Welfare the "moral victors". Chairman, Dennis Cope was proud of the support the side had on the day, "they were magnificient and really helped to make it a day to remember".      

Back nearer to home, Rainworth lifted the Notts Alliance League Championship, the Alliance Senior League Cup followed with a 2-0 win after extra time over Thoresby Colliery with Radzki opening the scoring after 98 minutes latching onto a half chance to fire past a stranded Terry Straw in the Thoresby goal. In the final minute, Knowles made it safe scoring from a Radzki pass from the edge of the area. The treble was completed with the Notts Senior Cup lifted at Sutton Town's old Lowmoor Road home, beating Arnold Kingswell on a penalty shoot out 6-5 after extra time failed to break a goalless stalemate. A crowd of over 1,000 there to see it happen. On the run in to the trophy Welfare had seen off Midland League Sutton Town and Arnold Town.

There you have it, historic times unlikely to be ever repeated from a side at that level, click on 1982 PEN PICTURES on the left for details of the squad.