TUESDAY’S Sheffield Senior Cup final between Worsbrough Bridge and Worksop Town is an exact repeat of the 1973 final in which Mick Butler played for the Barnsley club during his remarkable journey from working in Dodworth pit to being a prolific professional footballer.

That match 53 years ago is the only previous time Worsbrough have reached the county cup final and they were beaten 4-1 at Rotherham United’s old ground Millmoor. Butler had been a regular goal-scorer for Worsbrough and had an extended trial with the Oakwell club that same season, so was playing for both.

Butler said: “I remember being allowed to played in the final.

“I don’t remember much about the game. You don’t when you lose.

“We had a good team at the time at Worsbrough. We got through a lot of rounds of the amateur cup and we played in front of about 1,500 at Bridge.

“It’s a good club and I am glad they are doing well again.”

Butler was scouted by Reds legend Norman Rimmington while playing for Worsbrough and had an extended trial then an amateur contract at Oakwell during the 1972/73 season while he continued to work as an electrician at Dodworth pit.

He said: “Barnsley first told me they were going to offer me a trial. It was a ‘don’t ring us, we’ll ring you’ situation so I didn’t think it would happen. I was gobsmacked when they contacted me.

“I played about six games for the reserves and scored a few goals then they signed me on as an amateur so I could play for their first team and Bridge.

“I had moved house from my mother’s house to my wife’s mother’s house and we didn’t have a telephone so they couldn’t get hold of me. Someone told me I was playing for the first team and I had no idea. I bought a Chronicle to check and it was true. I rang Johnny Steele at the club and he told me what time to get to the game. It was against Bradford City and I scored then it just went on from there.”

Butler netted nine goals that season then signed professionally and scored 21 then 19 in the next two campaigns.

He moved to Huddersfield in March 1976, having scored 61 goals in 131 games for his boyhood club Barnsley.