‘Every Loser Wins’ sang Nick Berry in the mid 1980’s. And for Burnley FC, losers in the 1988 Sherpa Van Trophy Final, that phrase was never truer as they picked up their runners up medals on that fateful Spring day.
One member of the team however, lost his medal and he’s never tried to get it back.
How does The Skip know this? I hear you holler!
Well, six years ago, Ivor Ball, a retired scrap metal worker from Rochdale, found the missing medal in a skip and after years of doing very little about it has recently launched a public appeal to track the owner down.
Ten of the original twelve players who played on that day have been contacted and are all say they still have their medals; as does the manager at the time, Brian Miller. This leaves only the captain, Ray Deakin or utility player, Shaun McGrory as the medal’s rightful owner.
Burnley lost the final 2-0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers 18 years ago but the day is still remembered fondly by Burnley fans as the intervening years have been very barren on the medals front. The medal has also been verified by the FA so there’s no chance that it’s a copy or a fake.
Sarah Meakin, a spokesperson for Burnley FC has said the medal will end up in a memorabilia museum if it remains unclaimed.
So, Mr Deakin and Mr McGrory, if you’re reading this article and you’re eager to get the medal back so that you can brag about it to your kids or bore your mates with your loser medal stories down the pub, get in touch with us.
Losing is nothing to be ashamed of boys!
