Ronald Radford (12 July 1943 – 2 November 2022) was an English footballer who was known for scoring "one of the most iconic goals in FA Cup history", in the 1971–72
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
for
Hereford United
Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'Th ...
during their
shock 2–1 giant-killing of
Newcastle United.
Career
Born in
South Elmsall, West Riding of Yorkshire, Radford started his footballing career at
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...
and later
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
, but did not make a first team appearance for either club. He joined
Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league sy ...
where he was an ever-present in the 1963–64 season, even though he was only a part-time footballer; working during the week as a joiner. He spent one season at
Rugby Town before returning to
Whaddon Road
Whaddon Road, known as the Completely-Suzuki Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Cheltenham, England. It is the home ground of Cheltenham Town F.C. It has a total capacity of 7,066, with a mixture of seating and terracing ...
in 1966.
Newport County then paid £1,500 for him in 1969, and in his first season he was voted Player of the Year by the supporters. While at Newport Radford scored a volley from the edge of the box against
Bradford Park Avenue, which flew into the top corner. Years later Radford said in an interview that he believed that goal was equally as good a goal as his most famous effort.
Eventually the financial and physical strain of travelling to and from Newport led to Radford moving to a club closer to home. That club was Hereford United. Radford was a regular in the Hereford midfield and was part of the team that went on an incredible cup run, from the Fourth Qualifying Round to the Fourth Round Proper. In the Third Round Hereford met Newcastle United at St James' Park, and the team of part-timers came away with a 2–2 draw, after going 1–0 up in the first minute.
Newcastle replay
The much-postponed replay at
Edgar Street
Edgar Street is a football stadium in Hereford and was the home of Hereford United Football Club from the club's formation in 1924 until December 2014, when the club was wound up. It is now the home of Hereford FC, a phoenix club formed to rep ...
was played on a quagmire of a pitch in front of a capacity crowd. The match was being covered by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
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...
commentating. It was originally scheduled for a small slot on ''
'' later that evening.
went 1–0 ahead in the last ten minutes, and with the tie seemingly settled, Radford won a tackle in the Newcastle United half and played a one-two with Brian Owen (who had scored the first goal at Newcastle). The return pass bobbled on the muddy surface but sat up nicely for Radford, and he unleashed a 30-yard strike into the top corner that beat
to equalise. The goal sparked a pitch invasion, and the images of the muddy pitch, Radford celebrating with arms aloft and the crowd invading the pitch, have since become immortalised in FA Cup history.
Radford's goal is sometimes incorrectly attributed as the winning goal; indeed the match actually went to extra time. It was substitute
who got the winner and wrote his name in the history books alongside Radford, as Hereford held out for an incredible 2–1 victory which is generally considered the greatest FA Cup shock of all time. The BBC quickly switched the match to the feature slot on ''Match of the Day'', and Radford's goal was replayed countless times and was eventually voted Goal of the Season. It was the first goal from the FA Cup to win the
competition. For many years the footage of Radford's wonder goal, coupled with the commentary of John Motson, was part of the ''Match of the Day'' opening titles and it arguably launched Motson's career. Described as the FA Cup's greatest ever giant killing