Tony Jacques was in fine form on Saturday 27th April 1974 as Banbury tore holes in the unsteady Gloucester defence. Paul Duester gave Jacques good support up front and capped a hardworking performance by scoring the first goal after 31 minutes, set up by the good work of Jim Cassidy down the left flank. Cassidy was heavily involved just two minutes later, giving Jacques the pass from which he put Banbury further ahead. The second half saw Gloucester pull a goal back but Jacques then raced through to score the best goal of the game and then substitute Alan Pollard set up Jacques’ hat-trick with his first kick of the match. Gloucester scored a second consolation in the dying seconds of the game.

Banbury United: Martin Thomas, Pete Svenson, Colin Darvell, Colin Moulsdale, Dave Matthews, Jim Cassidy, Dave Archibald, Paul Duester, Tony Jacques, Gino Crognale, Jim Hastie. Sub: Alan Pollard.

Striker Tony Jacques (pictured above) joined Banbury United for season 1965/66, their first as United after the name change from Spencer. He had previously made seven Football League Division Four appearances for Oxford United and also had spells in non-league football with Hereford United and Gloucester City. In that season he scored 30 league goals for Banbury as they finished third in the West Midlands League enough, so it would be proved with off the field improvements, for the club to gain election to the Southern League.

Tony spearheaded United’s attack in their first two years in the Southern League before leaving for Premier Division Nuneaton Borough in the summer of 1968 for a reported fee of £2,500. Season 1967/68 had seen him score a remarkable 62 goals for Banbury, made up of 36 in the Southern League, 3 in the FA Cup, 18 in the Midland Floodlit Cup (run on a league basis), 4 in the Hitchin Centenary Cup and 1 in the Smiths Memorial Cup, a club record for an individual in a season which, with the number of games played today being much less than back then, likely never to be broken.

After playing for Nuneaton Borough and Kettering Town, Tony returned to the Spencer Stadium in the summer of 1972, spending the next four seasons at Banbury prior to retiring from the game. The first two of those seasons saw him playing alongside the diminutive Tony Foster, a strike partnership of legendary status at Banbury United.

Tony scored enough goals in his total of seven seasons with Banbury to make him the club’s all-time leading goalscorer with 223 goals from 337 appearances.

United finished eighth in the Southern League First Division North this season, slightly disappointing after a most impressive first three months of the league campaign but the season was notable for excellent cup runs. In the FA Cup, Banbury reached the First Round Proper, going out to Northampton Town in a replay and in the FA Trophy they reached the last 16 of the competition before going out to Dartford, who would go on to win the Southern League Premier Division Championship that season, in a second replay. The club have not reached the FA Cup First Round or the last 16 of the FA Trophy since!!

A team photo from 1973/74 appears below, the players are:

Back Row (left to right): Eddie Tait (Assistant Trainer), Paul Duester, Ken Butler, Colin Moulsdale, Stewart Rennie, Dave Archibald, Bob Haynes, Pete Svenson, Dave Matthews, Tony Jacques, Des Anderson (Trainer).

Front Row (left to right): Gino Crognale, Alan Pollard, Tony Foster, Brian Stone (manager), Alistair Unitt, Jimmy Cassidy, Jim Hastie.
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The final photo below is from earlier that season when United players and some of the football management staff were in Brian Stone’s Sports Shop in Banbury listening to the radio for the FA Cup Second Round Draw. This is the only time in the club’s almost 90-year history that they have appeared in the draw for this round. At home to Bristol Rovers was the draw but of course it would turn out to be academic as United went down 3-2 to Northampton Town in the First Round Replay at the County Ground. In the picture are (left to right): Bob Haynes, Tony Jacques, Des Anderson (trainer), Brian Stone (manager), Alan Pollard, Jim Cassidy and standing at the back Roger Darvell (reserve team manager).
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