Rangers legends mark the club's 140th year

Stafford Rangers rolled back the years at Marston Road on Saturday as the club hosted a special reunion to mark their 140th anniversary year.

Heroes from the club's most successful era, the 1970s and 80s, came together, some for the first time in many years, and recalled their great days in the black and white striped shirts.

Among them were Rangers' two FA Trophy-winning captains, Graham Chadwick (1972) and Bob Ritchie (1979), who had flown in from America, where he has lived and worked for many years.

Joining them were more than 20 players and officials from that golden period, including one of the club's most successful managers, Ron Reid, who spent six years at Stafford in the early 1980s.

A virtual unknown in managerial circles at the time, he arrived from Yorkshire in 1983 and steered Rangers to the Northern Premier League (NPL) title.

It was followed by success in the Bob Lord Trophy, Jim Thompson Shield and Staffs Senior Cup during his spell in charge.

But even his achievements are somewhat paled into insignificance when you consider what the 'boys of the 70s' achieved.

It was a decade when Rangers lifted the FA Trophy twice at Wembley and just missed out in the 1976 final.

The 1972 squad pulled off a memorable treble, adding the NPL championship trophy and the Staffs Senior Cup to their Wembley triumph.

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