Tony Allden

In 1967 Highate played Enfield in the quarter-finals of the FA Amateur Cup. Midway through the first half, which was being played in heavy rain, a lightning strike saw several players collapse. One player, the Highgate centre half Tony Allden, did not recover consciousness and died the next day in hospital.   As a gesture of goodwill and sympathy, Aston Villa agreed to host the replay of the game concerned. They donated a new set of Aston Villa kit to Highgate United to use in the match, which ended with a 6-0 victory for Enfield. The replayed game was that it drew an attendance of some 31,000 at Villa Park.  He is commemorated by one of the Midland Combination's cup competitions, the Tony Allden Memorial Cup.