Motson gave modest recollection of "stroke of luck" which "changed his life"

23 February 2023 , 11:13

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John Motson was modest about the start of his career

John Motson was widely regarded as one of the best commentators in football history.

But the man himself admitted that it was a "stroke of luck" that gave his career behind the microphone a kick-start. Motson, who died on Thursday at the age of 77, was handed one of his first commentary jobs in an FA Cup clash between Hereford and Newcastle in 1972.

The commentator travelled down to Edgar Street for the third-round replay between non-league Hereford and the top-flight Magpies. The game became an FA Cup classic, with Motson going down in history for his commentary of the match.

Malcolm Macdonald had put Newcastle ahead with eight minutes to go, before Ronnie Radford stepped up to famously score from long-range to equalise. It was Motson's commentary of that goal that launched him to stardom.

“Radford again… oh what a goal! Radford the scorer. Ronnie Radford – and the crowd are invading the pitch.. and now it will take some time to clear the field. What a tremendous shot by Radford,” the broadcaster bellowed out.

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Ricky George went on to score the winner for Hereford in injury time, with that match the main game featured on that night's Match of the Day. And Motson modestly admitted in 2018 that Radford's goal had changed his life.

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Motson insisted that Ronnie Radford's goal for Hereford against Newcastle was a "stroke of luck"

“If Ronnie hadn’t scored that goal and Hereford had not beaten Newcastle, I don’t think I would be here talking to you now. It changed my life, in the sense I was on trial that year at the BBC, I hadn’t got a contract at that stage," he said.

"I had been in radio, and they kind of borrowed me for a year if you like to see if I made out. That replay between Hereford and Newcastle was sort of designated to be a bit of a formality.

"If Newcastle had won it, the match would have been shown for about three minutes on Match of the Day. Then when Ronnie’s goal turned it, and Ricky George, who by coincidence was a friend of mine, scored the winning goal in extra-time, the match was propelled to the top of the running order and we had an audience of about 10 million.

“From that moment onward, maybe the BBC thought they could trust this young guy with a big match, so yes it was a stroke of luck and a huge turning point, it was the moment which changed my career.”

Motson would go on to cover 29 FA Cup finals, 10 World Cups, 10 European Championships and two Olympic Games. He was awarded an OBE in 2001 for services to broadcasting and the Special Award by BAFTA in recognition of his distinguished career.

He retired from his work on the BBC in 2018, with his final match coming in a Premier League clash between West Brom and Crystal Palace. Motson's final spell of his career came with a short time at talkSPORT.

Jacob Leeks