Gold Cup Anniversary – “Big Billy’s Boys”

Tonight marks the 30th anniversary of Distillery’s TNT Gold Cup win over Bangor.

Those years have gone in a flash, but that night is most definitely not forgotten and there is a new addition to the “Distillery Collectables” series by David Hunter.

“Big Billy’s Boys” – a 30th anniversary review booklet – charts the Gold Cup campaign back then and a few other things besides. In keeping with his two releases earlier this year, “Illumination” (the story of how Distillery were the pioneers of floodlight football in the Irish League and on this island) and “O Conto de 63” (the background to, and the story of, the 1963 European games against Benfica) the booklet is A5 in size.

The page count has been increased to 20 pages and it’s still a full colour production amply illustrated with David’s own photographs from that campaign (including a number of previously unpublished ones, colour and black & white).

The booklet will be available at the 30th anniversary re-union event (free admission) in the Social Club here at New Grosvenor next Friday night (10th November at 7.30pm).

David has produced a special one-off commemorative bundle of the booklet, a bespoke metal 45mm commemorative metal pin-button badge (with a memorable face and pose from the final!), and an A4 team-winning poster print – illustrated in the attached image. The bundle will be available at £10 whilst stocks last, and the print has been designed to enable it to be autographed so if you want any of your heroes from that night to sign it remember to bring a good quality marker pen with you.

He writes; “What a night it was thirty years ago – a great lift for the club and our supporters in very different, and difficult, times back then. We went on a journey with a group of good players that showed a wonderful resilience over the campaign.

We were never the favourites but Billy (Hamilton) and the team did us proud – memorable goals from Geoff Calvin, Tom Cleland and the dramatic winner from Winkie (Armstrong) that night have not been forgotten – we were the Gold Cup winners!

Some of the photographs in the booklet have not been published before, indeed some have not been out of the cabinet in nearly 30 years so I hope they will bring back happy memories to many. Tonight around ten raise a glass to the Gold Cup Winners and no doubt we will enjoy it all again, a little bit older, next Friday night.”

You can contact David Hunter for more information on the booklet etc at [email protected]