Sun Sports 4 Rolls Royce 5                                   1971/72                                    HCL Prem

Magnificent Seven

What a match!
Rolls Royce ended this local derby with seven fit men, and after roaring to a 5-2 lead, eventually limped home 5-4 to shakily take their revenge for a recent defeat by Sun Sports.
Alf Howard's team can rarely have won such a costly two points.
Their injury list reads: Lee Crudgington off after 10 minutes with twisted ligaments; Graham Hodgson srapped up at half time with a thigh injury - a passenger for the second half; both centre halves, Brian Reynolds (knee damage) and Pat Quinn (ankle), second half victims: full back Ken Fowler, finishing the game with bruising on his left foot.
The game itself began conservatively enough.
Rolls took advantage of the wind to gain a 2-0 interval lead.
The second half saw Sun pressing forward, but leaving gaping holes at the back.
The score lurched from 2-1 to 3-2 to 5-2, at which point Reynolds and Quinn were moved out of defence.
Pete Nelhams' 82nd minute goal gave Sun a great chance of snatching at least one point, but a boiling finale brought no further score.
For a match that meant little more than prestige to either side, this was tough, unrelenting and thrilling football.
But for Rolls' Quinn and Crudgington it was also a premature end to the season.
they have no chance of recovering from injury before the end of term.
Final word from Alf Howard: "All those who were left standing were good."