On a cold Monday night in February 1960 several thousand turned up at the Timken Sports ground to watch the Cobblers take on the Great Britain team who were heading for Rome. Cobbler’s trainer Jack Jennings was also the Olympic trainer arranged the match as the selectors were trying to sort out the best squad for Rome. The Olympic team had already played Chelsea, West Ham United and Arsenal and lost all three.

Ritchie Ward who was an amateur on the Cobblers books was in the Olympic team although he struggled to hold down a place in the Cobbler’s side with so many forwards on the books.
The supporters who had paid 4/- (20p) for the stand, 2/- (10p) on the terrace and boys 9pence (4d), did not realise they would be watching two players who would play a large part in the Cobbler’s history. Playing at centre half was Laurie Brown then with Bishop Auckland. He would later join the Cobblers, revert to professionalism, play at both centre half and centre forward, end the season as top scorer and move on to Arsenal for £30,000 a Cobblers record at the time.

The other player was centre forward Bobby Brown who played for the Cobblers in division one. He was a Barnet player at the time who were then an amateur club. He was to make his way to the County Ground via Fulham & Watford.
A well-known players in Olympic team were goalkeeper Mike Pinner, who played for several League clubs as an amateur and did not turn professional until he was 29 not wanting to give up his job as a solicitor.

Another was a left half on Chelsea’s books called Terry Venables!
He is a name that was mentioned in football for years. The first player to win England caps at full level, Under 23, Schoolboy, youth and amateur level as well as representing Great Britain. After his playing days ended he moved into management with Crystal Palace, Queens Park Rangers, Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur. He also moved into the music industry, wrote books and ran several public houses in London.

Going back a couple of years and the Olympic team played a Caribbean X1 winning 7-2. The three inside forwards all were to have Cobbler’s connections in the future. Ritchie Ward who scored one of the goals, Bobby Brown who netted two goals and a certain Peter Kane who scored a hat-trick. Ironicaly he scored the equaliser for the Cobblers v the Olympic side in the above game. He may have well been selected for more Amateur matches had he not decided to turn professional with the Cobblers.

NORTHAMPTON TOWN              (0)       2          Tebbutt (51), Kane (60)                   

Brewer, Phillips, Patterson, Cooke, Gale, Mills Olha Tebbutt, Deakin, Kane, Fowler

GREAT BRITAIN OLYMPIC TEAM 0          (2)       2          Ward (4   ), Harding (15)

Pinner (QPR), T. Thompson (Stockton), D. Gardner (Crook Town), M. Greenwood (Bishop Auckland), L. Brown (Bishop Auckland), T, Venables (Chelsea) A. Coates (Evenwood Town), J. Ward (Northampton), R. Brown (Barnet), H. Barr (Ballymena) J. Lewis (Walthamstowe Avenue)

REFEREE:    R. Reddeway (Kettering)

BACK ROW – David Holt (Capped by Scotland five times), Roy Sleap (Played as an amateur for Barnet),  Ron McKinven (206 games for St Johnstone), Mike Pinner (Joined Man Utd in 1960), Tommy Thompson (Played for Blackpool), Paddy Hasty ()Played for Tooting and QPR)
FRONT ROW – Bobby Brown (Played as a Barnet amateur), Terry Howard (Made one GB appearance), Laurie Brown (Played for Arsenal and Spurs), Hugh Lindsay (Last Southampton amateur), Hugh Barr (Played for Northern Ireland B)