A MAN synonymous with Sutton United for more than 60 years has been given lifemembership of the Herefordshire Football League, writes IAN MORGAN.

Jim ‘Snowy’ Williams received the honour at a Herefordshire Football League meeting last week.

Jim, who has lived in Sutton all his life, was at the heart of the club which disbanded this summer after 62 years.

Herefordshire League officials presented Jim with a silver salver in recognition of his dedication and commitment to Sutton United.

“I had a tremendous reception and dozens of people at the meeting told me I would always be welcome to come along to their club on a Saturday afternoon,” said Jim.

Jim’s playing career with Sutton came to a close with one final stand-in appearance at the age of 50 years.

Jim then directed his energies towards committee work.

Jim’s wife, Margaret, washed the Sutton playing kit, while he would mark the pitch, telephone in their results to the league and act as the club’s press officer.

“My wife would wash the kit but, if it was too dirty, I would go into Hereford at 6am on a Sunday to take it to be industrially cleaned,” said Jim.

“If I was away, my daughter would phone in the results to the league.”

He added: “We were never paid a penny for our involvement because Sutton were my club and it was something I always enjoyed doing.”

Sutton had finished runnersup in the Premier Division of the Hereford Times Herefordshire League for the last four seasons.

But Sutton called it a day at the end of last season after the club were told, by the landowners, to leave their Amberley Park ground.

Ultimately, this instruction sounded the final whistle for Jim’s beloved football club.