In picture above; Ronnie Johnson BUFC ambassador, Wally Hastie, Kevin Wilson, Ollie Kearns, Mick Kearns, Jock Hutchinson, Steve Slaughter, Gino Crognale, Phil Lines BUFC Chairman.

On a superb footballing occasion, last Friday evening, 250 people gathered at The Bescot Stadium Walsall FC for a tribute evening to Banbury born goalkeeper Mick Kearns for his time in the professional game, and a group of past and present Banbury United players and officials were present to celebrate a wonderful career.

Born in 1950 in Banbury, goalkeeper Mick comes from a famous Banbury football family, the older brother of Ollie, who enjoyed a long pro career after leaving Banbury for Reading, along with Aidan and Eamonn who also played for United in the 1970s.

Mick played for Banbury United’s “A” side in the mid-sixties and also made a number of appearances in the club’s reserve side that played in the Hellenic League. He joined Oxford United as an amateur part way through season 1967/68 playing a number of games in their Combination side. He made one first team appearance for Banbury as a “guest” in a home second leg Smith Memorial Cup game against Oxford City in May of 1968 before signing professionally for Oxford United that summer.

Mick would make his Football League debut for Oxford United in March 1970 going on to make in total 67 Football League appearances for them before moving on to play for Walsall and Wolverhampton Wanderers and then back to Walsall again. In his two spells at Fellows Park he made 275 Football League appearances for the Saddlers. Qualified to play for the Republic of Ireland through his Irish ancestry he represented his country 18 times between 1971 and 1979. His international debut at the age of just 19 was in Dublin on 6th May 1970 as a substitute in a 2-1 defeat against Poland and his final appearance was in Belfast on 21st November 1979 in a 1-0 European Championship qualifying game loss to Northern Ireland.

Season 1987/88 saw Mick once again playing for Banbury United, as cover to regular custodian Keith Baker, and he made 7 appearances for the club that season to add to his earlier one, twenty years previously!

Most recently Mick was the Community Director at Walsall until 2014 and remains an Ambassador of the club.

Photo below was taken prior to a United XI playing against a Showbiz XI in October 1966 in which Mick kept goal for United.

The players left to right are Mick Kearns, Ken Kibble, Alan Jones, Tony Lines, Pete Svenson, Roger Darvell, Keith Bush, Cyril Green, Peter Slade, Mick Kennard, Tony Jacques and Peter Goodway.