December 08, 2022
Funeral arrangements for former Alty great John Connaughton
The funeral of former Robins keeper John Connaughton will be held at
Altrincham Crematorium tomorrow, Friday December 9th, at 11.30am.
John, a huge favourite with Alty fans after the integral role he played in successive title-winning campaigns 40 years ago, died aged 73 last month.
Wigan-born, he started his career at Manchester United as an apprentice in 1965 but was unfortunate to be at Old Trafford at a time when Alex Stepney, Jimmy Rimmer, Harry Gregg, Dave Gaskell and Pat Dunne were also on the books.
With first-team opportunities limited, despite his potential being recognised at international level with the award of three England Youth caps, John moved on to Sheffield United and had a distinguished spell at Port Vale, where he was named player-of-the-year in his first season, before arriving at Moss Lane in February 1980, making his debut in a 7-0 league cup semi-final hammering of Barnet at Moss Lane.
He made just as favourable an impact in the league, helping Alty win the inaugural Alliance Premiership title that same season, and further cemented his standing as a firm favourite among Robins supporters by contributing to a successful title defence as an ever-present in 1980-81.
In all, John made a total of 127 appearances for Alty and is fondly remembered to this day as one of the best goalkeepers the club have had.
Everyone at The J.Davidson Stadium sends their thoughts and best wishes to John's family and friends as they prepare for his funeral at Altrincham Crematorium on Friday morning, with a gathering afterwards at The Bulls Head, Hale Barns.
